labour with just gas & air?

[nataliekristin]

my mum thinks I'm mad for thinking I'll be alright with just gas and air! i really don't want an epidural and would prefer to do it using only gas and air, obviously this is just my ideal situation and things can change. I'm a first time mum so I can't imagine what pain I'm in for!!

No anything for any of my 4 dc, all planned home births. It was all fine. It was painful but my labours were short so it was fine. I was ok afterward too, so we're the babies.

I know I'm lucky but it was the best option for me.

I had gas and air for both DC, with DS the birth was 5.5 hours from first twinge to delivery, I went straight into the birthing pool when we arrived at the hospital and was there for about an hour with gas and air before he was born.

With DD I desperately wanted a water birth again but her birth was too fast. It was 4.5 hours from first contraction to delivery but the "active labour" from 3cms to birth was 1 hour 23 minutes. I arrived at the hospital and they were running the birth pool but her waters went with meconium so I had to be transferred upstairs to the normal labour ward and had gas and air.

I'd recommend a water birth if at all possible, it helped me relax a lot with DS and his birth seemed much less painful, bit that might be because DD was faster it felt more painful?

You don't know in advance. I went in screaming for an epidural, but midwife was oh you got this far, let's try a bit longer. Ended up having nothing and quite a long labour really. But heck, there are no medals for drug free labour. If you need it, you take it. Open mind is certainly the way to go.

I laboured in a pool and had gas and air throughout. I wasn't keen on an epidural but would have taken pethidine or something if offered. But I only actually laboured for five or six hours, so no time! It was very painful and the gas and air didn't really touch the sides when I was pushing, but it was helpful in labour and having stitches!
Have an open mind about what you may decide you want in the throes of it all. Good luck!

I think you just need to go in with an open mind.

All women have different experiences with labour, and the duration and severity of the pain varies significantly.

In short, you may be fine with gas & air, but don't rule out pethidine/an epidural.

Totally agree with what everyone says about keeping an open mind. Two inductions later I know it can be that nothing goes to plan! Just thought I'd add into the mix that with dc2 I started using g&a but really hated it! It made me feel ill and so out of it I couldn't stand to use it (used it happily first time though). Good luck and enjoy your baby when he or she arrives.

If you'd like to try for as little pain relief as possible then it's worth thinking about other distractions such as aromatherapy and massage. Also practising deep relaxation and breathing techniques will help you a lot. Read Juju sudin's birth skills books for techniques.

And it is worth keeping an open mind. You may want to plan the order of pain relief that you would accept if it came too. But you also might labour too quickly for some options. You'll find your own way through when it comes to. I surprised myself by NEEDING a cold flannel on the back of my neck through contractions. I guess it was the perfect distraction for me.

Incidentally, it is toro ably worth working out if you are a pain associator or dissociator. As in, if you are out running and wanted to 'push through' would you think about the pain in your legs as being a good thing because you know that you are working hard, or would you try and ignore the fact that your legs are even part of your body as a way of coping? If you associate with pain then you'll probably get on with visualisation techniques used in natal hypnotherapy. If you dissociate with pain then you'll prefer distraction techniques (or pain relief )

i had 2 with just gas and air. it was ok. the g&a made me feel drunk. it did help, at least it was something to do during the contraction, other than crushing dh's hand.

I managed with just G&A and had a lovely waterbirth. I won't pretend it wasn't the most intense, raw experience of my life but I sort of went into my own little bubble and just got on with it. I have genuinely happy memories about the whole experience. You and your body are stronger than you think. I also did hypnobirthing antenatal classes which are great for building your confidence and helping you focus on something other than the expectation of horrendous pain. I didn't feel like I remembered any of it when I was actually in labour but I think it was all there subconsciously because both baby and I stayed calm throughout and everything progressed really quickly - 3 hours from being 2cm dilated to having a baby in my arms. You aren't mad in the slightest to want to try for a drug free birth, just keep an open mind and don't beat yourself up if you change your mind along the way.

I had all three of mine with G&A for the pushing stage, before that I found staying upright and active, hypnobirthing and TENS useful. I had quite short labours and smallish babies in good position though, you need to keep an open mind. Having an 'armoury' of things you can try is a good idea, but don't set yourself up to fail by having anything you 'won't' do.

I'd say keep an open mind. I've been very lucky and had 4 straight forward labours, I had pethadine with the first, gas and air with the second and nothing with the last 2, last one was a water birth.

I had G&A and a half dose of meptid (like pethidine) with my first, and just G&A with the others.

I felt vv doped after my first birth, which I think was the meptid. Was much perkier after the others.

If you plan on just G&A, as other posters have said be prepared to change your mind, but also be prepared to move around a lot - I found that really helped the pain. Nothing is worse than lying there flat on your back...

Hope it all goes to plan!

My baby was back to back and I did manage with just gas and air but to be honest that's mainly because I got there too late for anything else!

And yes I found it much better kneeling on the floor leaning against the bed.

I had an epidural with my first, it was an induced back to back labour. My other three labours were also induced but weren't back to back and I had just has and air with those three. It's definitely do-able but just take it as it comes.

Well, you can give it a go and see how you get on? I had TENS and gas and air for my first, but when it got to the pushing bit found both distracting so had neither and it was fine. I think you'll know pretty early on how you're coping so woud still be time to ask for a epidural if you change your mind.

I only had gas and air with both births BUT would've quite happily have taken anything and everything going as regards to pain relief! Apart from epidural maybe.

Had a sliding scale in my head of what to go for in terms of pain relief, with epidural being the last - I don't think it's 'bad', I was just kind of scared of it.

2 DCs - one average size, a week early, and one large, 2 weeks overdue and induced. Both have big heads. Did G&A with both purely because it served me well for both, if it had felt worse no doubt I would have asked for something stronger. Moment I got on the stuff during labour things were much easier for me - although at times trippy. I was with it enough however to be able to respond to questions, tell them how I was etc, it's not like I missed the birth.

Had 2nd degree tear with both also (although DC1 was a worse tear, DC2 borderline and much easier going), had G&A during stitches as well as the local anaesthetic injection.

As many others have said, keep an open mind. You have absolutely no idea how your birth will pan out or how you'll cope with the pain.

My two experiences of childbirth couldn't have been more different. First baby delivered by c section at 31 weeks due to severe pre eclampsia. No labour, was very poorly before and after the birth, took months to recover. Second baby I was induced at full term. 4 hour labour, coped by focusing on breathing and using TENS machine for most of it. Had Gas and air for the last 25 minutes. Amazed that I was able to do that BUT baby was quite small 5lb and labour was short so that must have made a huge difference to my ability to cope. I'm sure it would've been a different story had I had a long exhausting labour with a big poorly positioned baby. It's luck of the draw!! Be positive but dont have a fixed scenario on your head. My birth plan both times was for myself and baby to get through it safely. So whatever happens, getting through it safely is more important than how you did it IYSWIM.

When I had G&A the machine thing made a loud farting noise every time I sucked on it, it annoyed me so much I just used it for something to bite on in the end.

I think it's best not to know but to know that when the time comes, you will be able to trust yourself.

I had DS with not even gas and air (made me feel sick) - it was painful, but not any sort of pain that I can describe.

I survived by starting with a lavender bath and then during labour the midwife massaged the bottom of my back for me (no DP) and then I also had a birthing ball to rock on which takes the pressure off your pelvis and relieves some of the pain.

I hope you also manage to have a wonderful labour

As someone who's given birth within the last 48 hours, can I be the only one to come to the defence of pethedene? I had if with DC2 and DC3 (squeaky newborn in my arms!) and both times it was fab; stared with tens, then G&A, timely pethidene shot to send you sleepy whilst dilating like mad; during contractions sung to myself in my head (let it gooooo!) or prayed for strength and energy or counted backwards from ten repeatedly to distract myself from the pain! Mercifully DC2 out on third push, DC3 whooshed out first one (before they told me to push- I just knew!). I had no side effects from the pethidene apart from slightly dopey babies for the first 12 hours (which keys be honest affords you a welcome rest ). DC1 I probably should have had an epidural as it was so agonising I'm still psychologically scarred from it! As everyone has said, see how you go , if you need no intervention great, but there are no prizes for martyrdom.

I was induced last week and managed on gas and air. Just really concentrate on keeping your breathing as slow as possible and keep telling yourself labour doesn't last forever! Good luck!

I got to fully dilated with the addition of syntocin and did a full hour of pushing with just G&A and Tens machine in my first and only labour. Was an 80+ plus labour in total and baby was back to back for most of it. I ended up with a spinal and forceps in theatre though. After all that....!

5 births with just g&a. On the 4th birth the MW took it away as it was working a little too well (very easy birth). The 5th birth was very different and I had a ventouse delivery, still with gas and air only double hard

Everyone is different !