gas and air - not funny!?

[min912]

Reading the thread about amusing things that happened to mumsnetters during birth I noticed that a lot seemed to relate to the effects of gas and air - am I the only one to have found it absolutely horrible? I would have loved to have felt high and giggly but I found it like being really, really drunk - when you know you're going to chuck and you feel really out of control, and there's absolutely nothing you can do but ride it out. Except unlike being drunk you don't throw up and fall asleep!

Was I not inhaling properly?? I did find it difficult to breathe in with each contraction, I'm much more used to breathing out when exerting, like at the gym! A friend did say you need to get it right at the start of each contraction... felt like I never stopped taking the stuff to me, but I found it hard to concentrate, to speak, didn't know my own name... was just vile! Ended up going for the epidural as soon as I could.

I'm not planning baby number 2 just yet but it is a minor worry for the next one...!

Anyone had a similar experience?

thanks!

depends on the individual i believe

i loved the stuff -- couldn't get enough
but know others that it did nowt for (or made them ill)

I had one swig of gas and air, felt a bit sick and promptly passed out. Fell off a stool in the process, badly cutting may elbow on I'm-not-quite-sure-what. DD1 also shifted around during the fall into a "back-to-back" position. Ended up with an emergency c-section.
Had no intentions of trying it with dd2, but in any case ended up with another c-section, so it wasn't an issue.
Horrible, overrated stuff, IMO.

gas and air didnt take away any pain for me, just made me feel sick and like i was floating on the ceiling - i was hanging onto the bed cos i felt i was going to fall off at any moment! tried it with ds1 & 2, by ds3 i decided i was better off without it and had a wonderful waterbirth with no drugs at all, was by far the easiest birth and a great experience (and after the first 2 i didnt think i could ever say that birth could be pleasant). ds4 is due in 3 weeks, have already told mw i dont want any drugs, they just dont work for me. didnt like epidural or whatever it is they give you an injection of either

I absolutely hated gas and air. It did nothing for the pain, just made me want to throw up everyewhere!! DP on the other hand had loads while he was 'helping' me

I had the gas and air with ds2, until they took it off me!

Apparently it waa making me silly, it just spaces you out imo and doesn't come close to doing anything about the pain!!

the first time round it was brilliant but second labour, i was hallucinating really badly and felt so out of control but i had to continue using it as it helped me relieve the pain.

I had exactly the same experience you describe min and ended up not having any drugs for ds1 or ds2. LO3 is due in June and I'd like to have a water birth.

Message withdrawn

i really wanted it after hearing stories from other mums who had it...unfortunately was sick as a dog before the g & a, and continued to throw up throughout labour, and the gas and air seemed to make it worse - though i think a bit of that was pyschological!

soooo... leading on from this, for those who tried it for the first baby - is labour manageable without?? is a second baby less painful than the first or is it just shorter?!

Message withdrawn

I had one swig with ds and spewed!! I'm not sure if it wasn't psychological though, I'm sure it's the same stuff I used to get given at hte dentist before I had yet more teeth pulled (I had 12 pulled in my formative years as they weren't falling out fast enough)... Going to try it again though as I'm hoping that as I've started to overcome my fear of dentists, my fear of associated dentistry products may also have subsided! Think it was the fear of pain thing that made me spew in my first labour as I never remember being ill on it as a child...

I thought it was awful stuff. It gave me a huge headach and I remember my voice sounded like a mans to me when I took it. Also made me sick. Epidural everytime for me!!

Don't think it did much for me either,had a terrible sore throat the next day!