How did gas and air make you feel?

[BingAndTing]

I didn't have g&a with my first but did with my 2nd and Oh My God, I bloody hated it.

I'd been told I'd feel a little light headed or drunk but I took like 10 big puffs and suddenly felt completely high. I was so not in control, felt like I was literallt floating and kept forgetting to breathe. I wasn't able to speak and I was suddenly convinced something really bad was happening. It did make me feel like the pain wasn't mine, but it made me feel so horrendous I had to stop.

After, I've spoken to some women who said their experience was nothing like this. Does it affect everyone differently?

It made me feel numb all over and I didn't feel a thing!! I don't drink but I imagine this is what very very drunk might feel like? I was aware my voice was a bit slurred too (DH thought I was trying to put on a sexy voice 😂)

At some point though it wasn't enough and I had to have my epidural. I took so much G&A it made me throw up but I also didn't feel any of that either. I just had a thought in my head, deep in the recesses of my brain that I might be sick and need to ask for something to be sick in. The entire thing felt like I was in my body but everything was really far away from me.. I'd definitely use it again if in labour as it was great at masking the pain for me

Loved it. Felt totally stoned, giggly and relaxed after every puff. At one point I shrieked that I wanted to go home, which was quite ironic considering I was in the middle of a home birth. When it ran out, just before the pushing stage, I was very pissed off. I'd almost endure another pregnancy just to experience the G&A high again.

I'm too late to edit my post above but I also remember thinking that this labour lark isn't so bad 😂 I had to switch rooms at one point and so there was a short break where I couldn't have the gas and air and my goodness did I feel an other worldly pain. So yeah, big fan of gas and air!

I know it is a weird thing to say but if you are the "sickly sort" (i.e. too few many drinks and the world spins) then G&A probably isn't for you, more than likely you will be sick or feel out of control - which will outweigh any benefits. If you don't mind almost being out of it / whitey-ness / dizzyish feeling to help with the pain, then it is for you. After having four big babies (9lbs plus), I have realised that there is a knack to it that you do not do with your first. With my first I waited until the pain was there then took a big or multiple desperate shorts sucks of gas and air, by the time it takes effect, the contraction is over, and you are spaced out in the "downtime". Far better to anticipate the contraction coming, then take a massive whack of gas and air and hold it in, then breathe out. This does help. I had an epidural with 2 of mine, and as long as you hold still while they are doing it. it was almost a pain-free birth once done (although it does slow things down). Had one with no pain relief. Would not fancy it again. Being induced was my absolute bugbear of labour. Had to do it for my last two due to medical reasons, hours of constant agony, not allowed any painkillers of any sort due to "not being in established labour". Wish I had waited it out.

I felt like you, I hated it and ended up not using it

I found it was a disassociative. I'd puff on it and pretty much pass out/forget where I was then come back round pretty quickly.

I found it helpful for the earlier contractions where I could time it so I "missed" the worst of the pain. But later on the pain lasted too long so I came round to being in pain and I found it frightening as I wasn't immediately sure where I was or what was happening, just that I was in pain. It was even worse when the Dr was trying to remove my placenta as the pain was unrelenting.

I'd use it again but try and time it better with later contractions. I wouldn't use it as pain relief for a procedure, it didn't work for me at all used like that.

Horrible. Nauseated and out of it, unpleasantly drunk. I only had it for a minute or so and didn't have any more.

When I was crowning/pushing it made me feel sick so I didn’t use it.

I hated it too. All it did was make me unable to control my own breathing.

It made me really sleepy. They had to confiscate it in the end as I wasn't focused on the job in hand! It was more distraction than pain relief, it didn't really touch the pain. If I was doing it again I'd go for the epidural.

It did absolutely nothing for me, same as for the pethidine too. Then the epidural wore off quickly and despite a top-up I got the full force of pain for most of labour (which I was not happy about, I know some women embrace it). No idea why my body resisted all attempts at pain relief though.

For me it was the reversal of breathing I didn't like. To me it feels natural to breathe out while anything is really painful and then take a gulp of air once I'm over that spike. Have always done it - not just when in labour.

Then with gas and air you breathe in when it's painful. To me it felt like my body was all clenched up and unable to take a big gulp to help me get something to control the pain. (If that makes sense.)

So I really didn't find it helpful and did my following 2 labours without.

It did absolutely nothing at all for me, except for make my lips dry. I didn't bother with my 2nd baby, just went straight for the pethidine 😉

I remember it being about 11pm and I was in the pool. I started on the gas and air and the next thing I remember was being asked to get out of the pool at about 4am. I don't recall anything in those 5 hours. I remember everything that happened after 4am though.

For the first stage of labour it was amazing, made a huge difference and I didn't feel sick, out of control, or anything else negative.

For second stage it did absolutely nothing (baby got stuck so was pushing for hours), the contractions were far to strong and the pain was awful due to baby's position.

G&A did help me regulate my breathing though. I did the hypo birthing breathing with it and only used it when having a contraction, so breathe in for 4 seconds and out for 8+ while using visualization techniques.

The tens machine was decent in the second stage actually, I noticed a difference when I took it off.

Loved it - took the edge off the pain and meant I didn’t care as much about it. Didn’t feel drunk or nauseous as some people report. So it does seem that it can affect women in very different ways.

I don't think it did much except make me slightly woozy but most importantly, it gave me something to do and focus on. I went feral cat when someone suggested taking it away

Huffed way too much of it with ds1 and made myself sick and dizzy. Learned my lesson 2nd time and just took 1 or 2 breaths at the start of each contraction and it was perfect. Just felt like the first half of a glass of wine and then quickly wore off.

Loved it!!! Great memories of it!

I fucking loved it 😂🤣

First baby hated it and made me feel sick.

Second loved it and couldn't get enough!

I love it. Gives you a spaced out feeling and I did enjoy it 😂

I was induced on the drip, I didn't feel any different apart from it slightly, slightly reduced the pain but barely! I think what was most useful about it was that it made me focus on my breathing and do the hypnobirthing breathing
Didn't use it during pushing