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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Anyone experience hallucinations with gas and air while in labour?

50 replies

mylittlepuds · 12/04/2013 12:12

When I had DS I had pethidine and had awful, awful nonsensical hallucinations before and after the birth. I didn't think to blame the gas and air.

Anyway I gave birth to DD the other day and once again terrible hallucinations - this time with a weird scary religious flavour - that have really disturbed me. This time though I refused the pethadine and just had the gas and air.

So anyway...after a bit of Googling i've found that a lot of women experience hallucinations with gas and air.

Or is I just the pain of childbirth that does it?

Any feedback appreciated.

OP posts:

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Hrrrm · 12/04/2013 19:33

Lackofshiningwaters that you got G&A for having the packs taken out. I didn't and it was so painful I begged the midwife to let me have a break as she pulled metres and metres of this weird stuff out of me... (Sorry for sidetrack, just never heard of anyone else who went through this particular experience!)

But yes, G&A made me hear cats meowing, and music. Apparently I threw a glass of water at then-H, but I have no recollection of this. Especially strange as I wasn't even cross at him. That came a year later

Hrrrm · 12/04/2013 19:34

Oops sorry, Lakeofshiningwaters

lakeofshiningwaters · 12/04/2013 20:30

Hrrrm I quite like it, might name change .

Blimey it was painful with G & A, poor you without. I think they were being extra nice to me as I'd just come out of Intensive Care. Prob wouldn't have given me it if they'd known I'd just laugh and laugh at their consultant!

ElliesWellies · 13/04/2013 16:44

First labour: no effect whatsoever in terms of pain relief or hallucination, had an epidural shortly afterwards.

Second labour: I didn't really hallucinate, but I remember deciding to stop using it as I was in a birthing pool and the G&A was making me feel so stoned I was worried about slipping under the water! It was rubbish as pain relief, but it helped to bite on the mouthpiece.

WeeHans · 14/04/2013 17:29

I love this thread (sorry I know some of these experiences are scary)

But having just given birth, and whilst on G&A:
A) sleazy winking and shooting thumbs up at my husband over the mid wife's shoulder
B) asking the midwife: "have I seen you on OBEM? Oh no, it wasn't that, was it 'my Transexual Summer?'

I feel qualified to join in.

Original poster

mylittlepuds · 14/04/2013 17:31

Weehans - you just made me splutter out my tea

OP posts:

mawbroon · 14/04/2013 17:34

I had fantastic hallucinations whilst having a plaster cast fitted with just G&A.

I felt like I was whooshing UP the nearby dry skislope on a sledge! Then I whooshed back down again lying on my back looking at the stars!!

It was great, but when I came to, there were tears streaming down my face. I think the plastering plus the manipulating of my broken ankle were sorer than I realise!!

I then went on to have G&S for ds2's birth a few weeks later, and although I enjoyed it, I didn't hallucinate in the same way as I had before.

squidkid · 14/04/2013 17:36

Yes - I was very trippy and didn't know where I was and felt quite out of it near the end. 30 hours of labour though so not sure if it was G&A or exhaustion!

BJGLF · 02/12/2019 22:05

Oh my god! I had the exact same experience. The rocker fella skank being played in my head on repeat. I had such crazy hallucinations in all 4 of my births. All about the meaning of life, the power of women, religious stuff (I’m not religious). I have googled it so many times and have not gotten any answers. My ob said I must have taken in too much gas and air and overdosed 🙈 I am so happy to hear others have had similar exoeriences

squee123 · 11/12/2019 17:21

I had gas and air after an accident and had horrible, traumatic hallucinations. I still tear up thinking about it 6 years on. No fucking way on earth I'm having gas and air in labour. I'm just not risking that happening again

Londongirl86 · 12/12/2019 11:50

I didn't hallucinate but I felt drunk and said weird stuff. My friend thought she was an elf or something on it lol!!!

Trying2310 · 20/12/2019 08:37

Oh yes I thought an old friend was in the room with us and louie Spencer was dancing around my bed in the Labour room. Husband thought I was nuts

VesperLindt · 14/01/2020 19:39

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but this has really helped me. I gave birth to a son a week ago and have struggled with the memory of the hallucinations I had due to the gas and air during the labour. Mine were also about the midwives and my husband conspiring against me and that they were tricking me into the pain, that I was giving birth to myself (felt like I was being born), baby had been born multiple times (he hadn't) and also that he was being resuscitated. Really really REALLY glad to know other people have had the same and that I'm not completely crazy! Thank you all for sharing x

hazandduck · 16/01/2020 09:54

I didn’t have gas and air, but I had pethidine thinking I had hours to go, but they then checked how dilated I was and realised I was ready to push. DD was born 20 mins later so the pethidine did nothing until she was born pretty much and then I was tripping balls! Kept telling the midwife about this cat at the end of the bed that was a circle with no head or tail 😂 and the trainee stitching me up I kept saying “oh where do I know you from?” DH said she told me we’d never met about 10 times and I kept snapping my fingers saying “we went to college together didn’t we!”

Phoned my family told them the baby was called Saffy (we had never ever discussed this name and incidentally that was not her name when I sobered up lol) the midwives told DH don’t leave her alone with the baby as she will probably drop her! I kept nodding off mid sentence. They gave us a feedback form to fill in, went outside to do my notes and get us a cuppa, leaving us in the delivery room and I said to DH “give that to me” and started filling in the form. To this day god knows what I wrote, however DH said I kept falling asleep writing then suddenly saying “where was I?” And feverishly writing more, the feedback box was probably space for about a line or two, I filled the whole page and went on the back and I am pretty sure the circular cat made it on to the form - possible drawing included! I so wish we’d got a copy of what I wrote on there, I’m sure it was hilarious.

So yeah I definitely hallucinated on pethidine.

hazandduck · 16/01/2020 09:55

Ps I am sorry for people who had bad experiences but some of these stories really made me laugh! I am 37 weeks today and so nervous about labour again but this has cheered me up no end lol x

ToTheRegimentIWishIWasThere · 16/01/2020 11:34

I hallucinated that I'd dreamed (you still following?) my entire labour/birth. So was sucking down the g&a like a pro telling everyone what was going to happen next...and then came off the gas and realised I was still prego in a birthing pool, pissed me right off

DamyT · 22/10/2020 11:24

@mylittlepuds I can totally relate to what you wrote about...

"My hallucinations were so, so strange centring around the meaning of life, existence and the universe. I kept thinking I was being given major insights into life.

There was also a sense of time stopping and then 'something bad' happening - like dd being rushed away. Hard to explain really."

Seeing your post after giving birth in Jan 2019 really gave me comfort because I didn't feel alone that I had a really similar experience :(

I am so sad that you did too. Hope it is a long distance memory for you now x

Viletta · 22/10/2020 13:00

I had good tripping also around cosmic love ad meaning of life thought it was gas and air but it continued after I stopped it. I think it's lack of sleep and labour hormones.

jessstan1 · 22/10/2020 13:04

I didn't have it (or Pethidine), but imagine one could have an other worldly experience. I'm sorry you found it unpleasant but it wasn't real.

Congratulations on the birth of your baby.

"My hallucinations were so, so strange centring around the meaning of life, existence and the universe. I kept thinking I was being given major insights into life."

I think I'd like that, maybe not when giving birth when it would be wasted. I wanted to be completely alert then. Wouldn't mind it now though!

ImaSababa · 22/10/2020 16:18

I was convinced that the anaesthetist was a man from my synagogue. As he was doing my epidural I kept asking "Are you Lev Stephenson?" to which he patiently replied "No, I'm Sam..."

NicNac100 · 28/10/2020 10:09

Haha yes! I was sucking on the gas and air like my life depended on it. At one point I felt I actually experienced the birth I swear felt the head and shoulders move through me and deliver, i was so euphoric, I was shouting where is she? I’ve done it haven’t I? Where’s my baby?. The midwife was just laughing at me - she said I’ve only put your catheter in love, you’ll know when you’ve really given birth

Itsgoingtobeabeautifulday · 03/11/2021 16:34

Thank you for sharing this. This happened to me too. I was stuck in this sequence of events that replayed over and over again. This was what life was going to be like. Eternal pain of childbirth. At one point I knew with all certiany that this was real and I was stuck in this cycle of pain forever. It was the scariest experience. It felt like a profound insight into creation and the meaning of life. So scary

SpringheelJack · 03/11/2021 18:37

I was convinced that the anaesthetist was a man from my synagogue
I was utterly convinced I knew the anaesthetist! I knew his name and he worked at my workplace and dated my friend. No such person actually exists but I was CONVINCED this man was the 'same' guy. I remember Googling him after trying to work out who I'd been thinking of... Thought I was batshit.

RobinPenguins · 03/11/2021 18:39

No hallucinations but gas and air made me feel trippy and out of control and I hated it.

Momof3Sophia · 18/10/2025 07:52

I saw cats in astronaut helmets in space! I thought it was quite fun actually!

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