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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

will i cope with gas and air, and other naive questions

95 replies

Mumblesmummy · 29/01/2008 18:23

This will have been asked a million times before by others, so sorry if I'm boring anyone.

I'm the weirdest person ever because I am sooooooooooooooooooooo excited about giving birth. I've always wanted to do it myself and I'm really excited that it's only 14 weeks away. I'm going to use a birthing pool and hope it goes as smoothly as my best friends (who had a great labour, 1st baby, 20 years old, 2 hours labour and a few mins pushing and all done... and little miss glowey and lovely before and afterwards).

However, it's begun to occur to me that everyone hates it and is terrified of it so clearly I'm wrong to be excited. I plan on using gas and air... but now I'm starting to wonder a few things.

Firstly, everyone says they can't describe how it feels.. I get that it's awful pain.. but can anyone clarify exactly how it feels?

Second, will I cope with gas and air or do I need an epidural? i'd really rather not have an epidural, and I want to be able to cope fine with gas and air.

Third, how long is the average labour? i understand they vary, but is there a sort of norm? is it likely to go on for longer than a day?

I think that's about all my questions. I'm just soooo looking forward to it and everyone's going 'noooooo it's going to be horrendous, how can you look forward to that?' so I'm guessing I'm wrong.

Don't get me wrong, I understand there's a lot of pain and it's tiring, but there's a gorgeous baby at the end of it!!! Fantastic!!

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maxbear · 02/02/2008 21:12

Hi, with my first I was absolutely and totally determined that I would not have an epidural and so excited to have a baby, be in labour & give birth. As a midwife I did sometimes think am I mad?, especially when I looked after women who had bad experiences. Anyway I just thought positive the whole time. I had a long pre labour of about 25 hours, but it was just so exciting that my baby was on its way. 4 - 5 hours of proper labour & just thinking can't cope anymore when dd popped out underwater. I was over the moon about the birth for months, had done it as I always had wanted to and although it is very painful was not traumatic for me. Second time was not as long, only 10 hours start to finish, was another great birth although more painful due to larger baby. Would love to do it again, it is so exciting to have a baby. I have always believed that a positive attitude helps immensely with labour, but you do have to be determined that you can do it without an epidural. Stay positive.

hertsnessex · 03/02/2008 00:14

mumblesmummy,

i have just supported a client having a vbac who was very worried about epi/pethidine as she really didnt want to go down that route.

alot is in the mind - so keep thinking positive and believe you can do it!

my vbac client only used gas and air and has a lovely baby boy to show for it!

also remember no-one gives you a medal at the end of it for only using gas and air!!! you do what you have to do at the time, but with good informed choices and support you should have the birth you want.

Believe in yourself and your body, and remember, every woman ha the RITE to birth......

Reasurred
Informed
Tender
Empowering

Good Luck, I hope it goes well!

nappyaddict · 03/02/2008 00:35

only read op. every labour is different. plenty of women cope on just G&A. you have to consider the fact the birthing pool may be in use when you are in labour. if it is very important to you i would consider a homebirth. you aren't weird to be excited - i was too and as luck would have it i had a very easy labour and it wasn't anywhere near as painful as i thought it would be. i think the trick is to worry it will be really painful and get a nice surprise if it isn't. i was induced at 5:30pm, had backache at 10pm, waters broken at 2:30pm followed by stronger pains, urge to push at 4:15am (wasn't allowed cos they thought i need to poo , baby born in 2 or 3 pushes by 5:10am.

MAMAZON · 03/02/2008 00:40

first child i had an epidural. during labour i thought i woudl die without it.

afterwards i regreted having it at all.

With second child i decided not to have epidural as it caused so many problems with my first labour.

during the agony discomfort of labour i did ask for epidurla but i was told it was too late.

i ended up giving birth with NO pain relief at all. not so much as an aspirin.

I am really really pleased i did.
i coped. once i knew that this was it, the pain was not going to get any worse i could deal with it.

i allowed my body to do its job, i stopped fighting the pain and allowed it to tell me what my body needed to do.

admitedly when DD started crowning i thought someone had set fire to my pubes it stung so much but it really wasn't THAT bad teh rest of teh time.

if i was ever to have anotehr child i would opt for a 100% natural birth again, possibly a waterbirth at home if all was safe.

SparklyGothKat · 03/02/2008 00:43

MM, I have only read the first post too. I had a C/section with Ds1, and natural deliveries with my other 3. I have done the 3 on just G&A and many women manage purely on G&A, in fact with Callum (my last) I actually got sick of the G&A in the last 15 minutes and ended up throwing it away and done the last part painrelief free, which shocked me because I am a bit of a wuss really.

If you think postive, its is doable. Just don;t feel you failed if you need more.

nappyaddict · 03/02/2008 01:22

i tried G&A but it made me dizzy and sick and i couldn't figure out how to suck and push at the same time so i also did the last part drugfree.

AussieSim · 03/02/2008 02:58

My top tips would be from my two very different birth experiences so far (due May with no. 3):

Acupuncture (not the painful kind) to get your baby into an optimum position - week 37-38
Raspberry Leaf Tea/Extract - make sure it is a good one though, from week 28
Flexible open mind able to take on board the suggestions of the mid-wife or obstetrician - if they say an epidural or a caesar is required you just should go with it as the main goal is a healthy baby above a 'natural' birth experience - no one is giving you a score out of 10 for how 'brave' you are
A hand mirror so you can monitor the progress - very motivating
Walking around to progress the labour - not lying on your back until final stages
Gas is good - but at some point you have to put it down and focus
Trust your instincts re right time to push and right time to pause.

HTH

Twinklemegan · 03/02/2008 22:56

You make a really good point Mamazon. I think one of the reasons I struggled early on, after I was told I couldn't have g&a, was that I was thinking about how much worse it would get and I just knew I couldn't cope with anything else. In fact the pain reached it's peak at around 5cm and got no worse (it couldn't actually have got any worse IMO). Once I realised this, I started to cope better.

StarlightMcKenzie · 04/02/2008 17:48

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Twinklemegan · 04/02/2008 21:59

AussieSim - re your point no. 5. I found walking around one of the most hellish parts of the whole labour. That and having a bath - a nightmarish experience so bad that I still have flashbacks to this day.

I wish the same thing Starlight . I was in very severe pain at 2-5 cm and it was completely dismissed, the very clear implication being if I couldn't cope then how the hell was I going to cope later on.

StarlightMcKenzie · 04/02/2008 22:53

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Twinklemegan · 04/02/2008 23:00

It wasn't the water - I went in the pool at 6cm and it was really helpful. It was because they wouldn't let me in the pool before 5cm that they suggested the bath. As soon as I got in I knew it wasn't going to work because I knelt and then I couldn't move. Every contraction had me gripping the end of the bath, screaming in agony. There was no physical way I could lie back because my body forced me to bend double with each contraction - there was nothing I could do about it. DH had to pull the emergency cord to get a MW to come and rescue us. It was just horrendous.

Twinklemegan · 04/02/2008 23:01

It's making me shake and hyperventilate just thinking about it, even 18 months on.

StarlightMcKenzie · 04/02/2008 23:12

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Twinklemegan · 04/02/2008 23:18

Yes I think that was the reason. Hospital policy and they wouldn't give in.

Also when I first asked for the pool they didn't class me as being in established labour, and they were really busy as well. There has to be a MW present I believe when the pool is in use, and I was lucky to see one at all. They were quite thankful to send me out for a walk/bath and forget about me for a while I think.

What I don't get is that at one time they were in the room, watching me collapsing to the floor when I had my contractions, and they still refused to examine me to check if things had moved on. They were really surprised when I came back from the bath and was 6cm.

StarlightMcKenzie · 04/02/2008 23:30

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Elasticwoman · 05/02/2008 20:59

G & A didn't do much for me, but I found TENS useful. You have to attach it at almost the first twinge and then it controls the pain until transition, when it becomes useless.

I found waterbirth helped me to relax in between contractions. But remember that you don't get in the pool until Transition - in my case 45 mins before baby was born (for dd2) and 2 hours before baby was born (ds).

After hearing about that poor woman in Swindon today, I wouldn't want an epidural either.

JingleyJen · 05/02/2008 21:06

Had 2 brilliant but different births.
you wanted to know what the pain felt like.
I have had IBS in the past for me - contractions felt very much like IBS cramps the main difference was that inbetween contractions there was no pain. If you haven't had IBS have you ever had a bad tummy upset that 5 minute warning type cramp.

I had a long labour first time and it meant that my body could gently do its own thing didn't have gas and air to give birth just tens machine and water (birthing pool)

Good luck - your body will know what to do even if you don't!

Twinklemegan · 05/02/2008 22:33

Oh the last two posts make me so so envious. TENS did nothing for me from 2cm onwards. It was completely useless and did nothing to control the pain. As for there being no pain between contractions - oh I wish. But anyhow I've said all this before.

It's been lovely talking to you to Starlight. It's so nice to know I'm not the only one who had a really difficult and painful early labour. Thank God a few MW are starting to realise that labour isn't always a linear progression. I definitely got the impression that they thought I just couldn't cope with what would essentially have been period pain in their minds. GRRRR!

Best of luck for September Starlight - we must chat again before then.

And most of all, best of luck to you Mumblesmummy. You've heard lots of different experiences here, good and bad. Unfortunately there's no telling how you will find your own labour, but I really hope it works out how you want.

Original poster

mumblesmummy · 08/02/2008 21:40

Thanks Twinkle . I'm sure it will be fine.

Thanks everyone.

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