Gas and air V Epidural - honest opinions please

[Trying4baby2021]

Hello everyone,

What are the thoughts on gas and air versus an epidural? I would like to have a water birth which I know you can't do with epidural. I'm worried it will be too painful with just gas and air. I'm a first timer - any advice would be welcomed x

I've had both. I had an epidural with my first after an induction. Ended up with ventouse delivery.

With my second my waters went first (again) but I refused an induction after slow progression (again). I also refused all intervention and checks and coped fine on gas and air. It was brilliant, took the edge off and gave me something to focus on aside from the pain. Labour was easy and recovery was quick. I tore with my second but it healed just as quickly as the episiotomy I had first time round.

I would say read, read, read, and go with whatever you feel is right at the time.

I had gas and air with both and the topped up with a half shot of pethidine (for DC2 the injection was too late so it kicked in after I'd given birth which made me feel a bit sick).

DC1 was induced on the drip and DC2 was back to back and I'm glad I didn't have an epidural so I could get up and about afterwards. But, and possibly a big but, I had very quick labours (under 3 hours). My decision might have been different if it was hours and hours of pain.

I loved gas and air, felt really lovely and dopey in between contractions.

I was lucky enough to have a quick Labour (under 5 hrs from 1st contraction to birth) so was fine with the gas n air, I think it it had gone on for hours and hours I might have changed my mind.

I used a TENS at home and up to 4cm and then switched to gas and air. If my labour hadn't stopped progressing at 9cm then I think it would have been enough. But things got complicated and I had an epidural which was changed to a spinal block for a forceps delivery in theatre. You can definitely still feel the pain with gas and air but can think around it if that makes sense, where as a successful epidural/spinal means you feel nothing. They come with there own risks though and often lead to further intervention so you can't really compare them to gas and air. That being said I am not one of these people that sees having or wanting an epidural as a failure and that women should just deal with the pain. If you want it, go for it.

Gas and air and diamorphine didn't work on me and I was on the drip so I was over contracting and just not having a great time. Epidural was amazing

I am a total wimp with pain but I gave birth once with NO pain relief at all and once with just G&A.

Obviously wouldn't really recommend the no pain relief at all method - I did like the G&A though! I would say it doesn't take the pain away, but it makes you not care/not notice as much as you feel quite out of it. It wears of quickly though so you have to keep using it.

Gas and air didn't help the pain at all for me, just made me sick. Epidural was AMAZING. First time I tried to hold out for so long and wished I'd had it sooner! Second time I told them I wanted one as soon as it was possible (although ended up with a c section as baby tried to come out foot first despite head being down when I arrived at hospital )

With my first I had an induction With epidural which didn’t really help me. Had a spinal block for the consequent EMCS. That was marvellous. Didn’t feel a thing.
With dd2 I had gas & air and two doses of pethidine. I’m a wimp and it was fine. My body just took over and I felt euphoric afterwards.
My advice is have a loose birth plan and be prepared to adjust.

I think you won't know until contractions start.

I'm a very stoic, get on with it kind of person and was climbing the walls with gas and air. Didn't touch the sides and the epidural was absolute heaven. Think I have quite a low pain threshold though along with contractions that had no break in between. Everybody's different!

Epidural all the way!!!

everyone's experiences are so different yep, that's just it OP. Not just because this is your first, I've had two children and both labours/births were totally different! You just have to be as clued-up on the various options, decide what you think would suit you best and then be open to the fact that things change/don't go the way you'd hoped etc.

My first baby was transverse which I didn't know until after the fact. I was in labour for a very long time (40 hours!) I had gas but it didn't help at all and made me feel sick. I had two epidurals, neither of which worked!! In the end I was still only 4cm dilated so had a section. That was 13 years ago and I can still recall the pain it wasn't at all like what I'd imagined labour would feel like.

My second child was 'textbook' labour. I used just the gas and found it brilliant. I was able to labour moving around and gave birth on my knees.

You don't know how it's going to go for you until the time comes, so just research your options and keep an open (and positive!) mind. Best wishes for a gorgeously healthy baby!

Gas and air made me feel really spaced out and anxious, and I didn’t find it did much for the pain, but it wears off really quickly so you can give it a try and stop using it if it isn’t for you.
Epidural is amazing if you’re struggling as it pretty much completely takes the pain away, you can also control the strength of it so you can keep some sensation for when you’re pushing.

I think your plan - to try for a water birth with gas and air, and ask for epidural if too much - is a good one, you just don’t know how you’re going to feel at the time, so it’s good to have options. I think it would be good to make the midwife aware (or ask your birth partner to) that you may want an epidural so they can be prepared for you to maybe ask for it.

I had two water births. The first, I was offered gas and air and tried it, but I found it was like being stoned and I felt I needed to be sort of present, if ypu know what I mean.

The second I didn't have anything.

It is painful but it's not like normal pain which is a signal something is wrong. I found remembering this made the pain bearable. In the first birth, when I became frightened, and it is frightening because it's such a massive experience and you really have no clue whether it's going well or not - anyway, in the moments I was frightened was when the pain became overwhelming. Pain with fear is unbearable imo. Pain without fear - and I can't think of a time when you are going to experience that except in childbirth - is a different kettle of fish altogether. In my experience.

I just used a tens machine (amazing distraction for early labour too) I did try gas and air but it made me feel queasy.

Hahaha.

Gas and air doesn't touch the sides!

Have the epidural- they don't give you a medal for managing without pain relief

Also - I had a spinal after giving birth (to repair a tear) and it really frightened me how I had no feeling at all from the waist down. I can remember my legs felt like bags of meat on my hands😂

Having an epidural isn't giving in or being a wimp. If you need that pain relief you need it.

With my first Labour, gas and air was absolutely fine. It was a pretty straightforward labour and birth.

Second labour was different as baby was in a different position (back to back) and I had an epidural which I needed. It was difficult getting it in because of needing to be still but it worked well. I also was able to walk to the shower about an hour after the birth which I had half convinced myself I wouldn't be able to do.

If you need pain relief use it. Keep an open mind and don't see it as a failure, nobody gets a medal for only using yogic breathing in labour, and similarly nobody gets told off for having an epidural.

Biggest thing is letting your midwife/Dr know as soon as you want the epidural and also have it in your pregnancy notes that you may want one. Just to make sure it's all prepared. And brief your birth partner too that epidural and other pain relief is something you would take. Best make sure it's not discounted beforehand.

I’ve had 2 babies and didn’t have any pain relief with either, more due to the fact it was so quick as opposed to choice. However having had a epidural for procedure a couple of years before childbirth I’d decided against an epidural, I couldn’t stand the sensation of it and I felt so toxic and achy for a few weeks after.

I think it’s going to be one of those things you have to wait and see about. You don’t have to decide now just be open to changing your mind/plan on the big day.

Oh - if you use a TENS machine remember to turn it off or take it off once baby is born. I forgot. The zap was not welcome.

First birth - epidural (long winded induction), gas and air as well at the end. To me it feels like drinking three glasses of wine very fast and all at once!

Second birth- water birth, asked for gas and air at the end but was too late. Had it for stiches.

I would say if you are lucky and your labour is short ish and straightforward like my second then it's very manageable as long as you are able to remember that the pain is normal! Which is easier said than done esp first time.

If baby is in awkward position and labour long or you have an induction an epidural took all my pain completely away; but the recovery afterwards was much worse.

It's luck, really!

I had my ds in 2019, I had a bit of gas and air but it just made me feel sick, I had the hormone drip induction so the contractions were intense I'm pregnant again and due in April, I definitely plan on an epidural this time.
I honestly don't know what I was thinking not having one before.
Everyone is so different though so that's just my opinion.

I was shocked at how sore contractions were op. I'd always thought I'd have a home birth and only use gas and air.
My labour lasted 72 hours. By hour 48 I was really getting fed up and couldn't stand the pain. I ran out of gas and air at home and had to get an ambulance to hospital. I told them j wanted an epidural asap and I was so glad when j had it.
Unfortunately they gave me too much of it and I was too numb and was given something to counteract it. And then I started feeling contractions again I was scared for every single one of them..
I pushed on gas and air which I remember biting so hard into the tube I cracked a tooth.

I haven't RTFT so I don't know if anyone's already mentioned this but not everyone can use gas and air. I tried it and it would literally make me instantly vomit after a breath in every time and I noticed no pain relief effect just vomiting so quickly had to give it up. At the point where I was finally offered it and couldn't use it, I then asked for an epidural and was told I couldn't have one as apparently I wouldn't be able to tolerate the siting sceptical about that and believe it was probably a desire not to burden anaesthetists/knowedlege that none would be free (the night I laboured the hospital was extremely busy and I was kept on the MLU for hours initially when I was high risk and was meant to be on delivery suite but they had no free space for me...!). So the only other option offered to me was diamorphine which I was reluctant to take at that time but had no other option and couldn't bear the pain and anxiety so I took it and tbf to the midwives it did do me a world of good. In hindsight though an epidural would have been preferable as I ended up having a ventouse delivery well after the diamorphine had worn off... it was horrifically painful.

And for any births in the future that I have, I'm not fucking about, epidural all the way.

I had gas and air and genuinely didn't find it had any effect at all. Did absolutely nothing. I'd had the jab in my leg, and that just made me drowsy and out of it and I couldn't get my thoughts together enough to say I needed more pain relief.
I ended up with a spinal block and it was like someone turning a light on. I could think again and understand what was going on, and communicate with the medical people (was prepped for emcs at that point so there were a LOT of people!) so much so that I didn't need the c section as I was back in control of myself and could follow instructions.