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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

birth without gas & air - what are the options?

50 replies

magnificatAnimaMea · 14/05/2016 05:07

Nitrous oxide (gas & air) makes me vomit uncontrollably, even in tiny doses. So it's about the only thing in my birth plan - i.e. please don't administer it AT ALL.

What options does that leave me? No drug-based pain relief at all; epidural; full anaesthesia? Anything else? I'm not particularly keen on any of the options and wonder if they could just find some other method of delivery - Ocado perhaps...

OP posts:

Hidingthefear · 19/05/2016 22:03

I'd recommend hypnobirthing and water.
That's all I used and it was shamazing

StarlightMcKenzee · 22/05/2016 20:14

tbh, my experience is that gas and air does feck all anyway.

Opiate-based drugs also do feck all but make you easier to manage (i.e. make you less able to demonstrate any distress you feel or manage your own ability to cope). Sometimes, though the experience is distressing, the drugs can make you forget that, - sometimes.

Hypnobirthing, paid acceptance and water are how I got through my last two births. The 3rd was probably the most painful, but I didn't mind all that much.

StarlightMcKenzee · 22/05/2016 20:17

Hypnobirthing sounds like it ought to be for the calm, floaty, alternative hippies but the reality is that it offers the ultimate control for the anxious.

StarlightMcKenzee · 22/05/2016 20:20

Oh, and immediately after my totally pain free labour, is about the only time in my life I could have genuinely run a marathon.

alltouchedout · 22/05/2016 20:21

I didn't use anything with any of mine. After a half hour of sheer panic with DS1 when the midwifery team refused to believe I was in full on labour "it's your first baby, you'll have hours to go yet", I found what worked for me was really going with the pain, vocalising it however I needed to and regardless of whatever anyone else advised, and believing I would do this and it would be fine.

My poor DM vomited through both her labours and AFAIK didn't have gas and air with my brother. She's massively appreciative of epidurals though!

MagratsFlyawayHair · 22/05/2016 20:31

I was fine just with the birthing pool. But labours were short, uncomplicated and not as painful as I anticipated. Could you aim for a tens, water, paracetamol birth but just be prepared for other painkillers if required. There are plenty of alternatives.

sambababy · 22/05/2016 20:45

Gas & air isn't available where I live either so I had to do without as the epidural idea freaked me out. I found the tens machine great as a distraction, also a shower with the jets on my lower back (where all my pain was) or a heat pack. I had a water birth but didn't get in the pool til the pushing stage, I stayed mostly rocking on a ball in the shower but it was hard going. This time for DC2 I'm really scared again but reading Juju Sundin's book now and hoping I might be able to use some of her techniques.

I've heard several people say they would refuse pethidine if offered again, apparently it just makes you woozy. I listened to a hypnobirthing cd last time but I don't think it helped when it came to crunch time.

Hidingthefear · 22/05/2016 21:26

I think if you're going to look at hypnobirthing you need to do more than just listen to a cd.
We had a track to listen to, a book to read and 5 private classes which were brilliant.
We chose the methods that worked for us and whilst we didn't use a lot of what we tasked about in our classes it deffo made me prepared and less anxious.
If I get preg again I'll defo be planning the same all being wrlll

Wolfiefan · 22/05/2016 21:29

Tens
Water birth (take tens off first!!)
Breathing techniques can help in earlier stages. I focused on just keeping my breath really slow and steady. Make sure breath in lasted as many seconds as breath out.

Chickpeachick0 · 22/05/2016 21:36

I used a tens machine initially which was fab , then when they prised it off me shouted ,screamed and swore lots v quick birth !

ExasperatedAlmostAlways · 22/05/2016 21:41

I used a tens machine with my first and that was fine until I got to transition and wanted everything off me so just really controlled breathing and closed my eyes and shut everything out.

camtt · 22/05/2016 21:49

I read an AS Byatt novel years before I had a baby and a scene in which a woman gave birth by walking through contractions really stayed with me. I used this in three births, and in one walking and pool were the only methods of pain relief (with the others I also had gas and air). I'm sure it wouldn't work for everyone and I struggled when the mw wanted to keep me still to be monitored in one birth. We compromised with the bouncy ball.

Fishcake72 · 22/05/2016 22:01

Insist on Stemetil and you won't throw up. I am seriously scared of being sick and had Stemetil and Meptid and felt great. Didn't risk the gas and air though!

blackkat1978 · 02/06/2016 22:08

I had the gas & air ready for my 2nd birth but the water & breathing (loved my lazy daisy classes) helped me keep on top of the contractions so I didn't need it. Probably helped that I had a quick labour though!

eurochick · 02/06/2016 22:33

Hypnobirthing is misnamed in my view. It's just techniques for helping you cope.

Original poster

magnificatAnimaMea · 03/06/2016 05:59

Thanks for all the views, everyone.

Sounds like learning a few breathing exercises & hypnobirthing techniques, TENS, water birth are all potentially useful. I still have a large supply of in-date ondansetron from a while back, so that might well be going in my birth plan too... (can't do stemetil & related things as they make me writhe - I have weirdly inconvenient drug sensitivities - gas & air, most sickness meds, and common anaesthetics - I think I'm just preadaptively allergic to the prospect of birth!)

OP posts:

Hidingthefear · 04/06/2016 07:31

I wouldn't say it's misnamed. It uses hypnosis to help with birth.
Google rainbow relaxation. I couldn't find the one I used on you tube but there are similar ones if you don't mind an American accent
If your susceptible to hypnosis anyway it prob works better.
Derren brown stuck my fingers together once so I must be the easy to hypnotise type coz it didn't work on my husband.

nam207 · 04/06/2016 07:44

I get seriously sick with any opioid based medicine so pethidine or diamorphine but have been assured I'd be OK with the anti sickeness drugs they could give me too. Perhaps they can do this for you with gas and air if need be?

Portobelly · 04/06/2016 07:56

I'm not at all hippyish, but found hypno birthing gave me and my husband some great techniques for thinking about and responding to the pain of labour. I found it most useful.

InFrance2014 · 07/06/2016 17:48

My options for both births in France very limited, only epidural, and gas/air wasn't really available. I managed both times with the following:

TENS (get 2nd hand on EBay) - it really does work, you or partner can control and increase intensity through the labour, and more importantly boost it up during the contractions. Doesn't stop the pain but really takes the edge off- you'll really notice if someone turns it off!

Read Juju Sundin for giving you a battery of things to try- all are physiological distractions, not pain relief exactly, but they are surprisingly effective. I was mobile, bounced on my feet, squeezed my hands together very tightly, and bellowed a lot (in a controlled way, to cope with the contractions, not just yelling).

Get someone to use an app and count/time the length of the contractions for you, in case you can't focus on it or lose track of time. If you know they will be ending in X-seconds, it helps an awful lot.

Querty12345 · 07/06/2016 17:54

I just had pethedin with induced labour and vaginal delivery. Last dose of pethedin was 4/5 hours before delivery.

Gardencentregroupie · 07/06/2016 17:59

I had TENS and a hot bath, and natal hypnotherapy techniques. Once they said I needed to go on the drip to speed things up (was progressing but slowly and had meconium in the waters) I went straight for the epidural. Mine was a mobile epidural so I was able to stay active. I hated the idea of pethidine, opiates make me feel really out of control and dizzy, and G&A made both my mum and sister sick so I didn't fancy my chances.

3luckystars · 07/06/2016 21:24

I am sorry if this is too late, but if you keep your eyes closed taking the gas and air, it's not as bad. It makes me sick too unless I close my eyes and then it's ok!

Best wishes with your birth and your baby.

memyselfandaye · 07/06/2016 21:30

I asked for half a dose of diamorphine on day three cos I didnt want to feel sick. It really took the edge off, whether they actually gave me a half dose, or gave me what they give everyone else, who knows!

badg3r · 07/06/2016 21:48

I found that gas and air was really useful to regulate my breathing more than anything. So breathing exercises are something I'll definitely look into for number two. I had diamorphine before labour. It was INCREDIBLE. But the come down was very unpleasant and I'm not sure I would have wanted to feel like that during labour.

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