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Childbirth

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

Original poster

any mums who had too much gas and air?

74 replies

3kidsisquiteenuff · 11/04/2008 11:56

when i had my last child i was so scared by the pain that i over sucked the gas and air it did'nt do anything for the pain.
afterwards i had bad chest pains and was even sent for a chest x ray.doctors said i had bruised my lungs what with that and a sore fanny it was'nt the best experience.

OP posts:
chopchopbusybusy · 11/04/2008 16:44

Yes, I'd be more than happy if they started stocking gas and air in tesco, just next to the wine department thanks. I inhaled so much of it that the effect wore off and I shouted at DH to get me more from the midwife. She started laughing and told me the canister was still half full.I needed stitches and was able to clutch on to it for a bit longer...

whomovedmychocolate · 11/04/2008 16:47

Hallucinated, passed out. Woke up convinced Pink Floyd were playing in the next room (hate the band). But will be asking for it again the time

MadameCh0let · 11/04/2008 16:49

I couldn't breath in when I had been taking it for a while. It was scary.

It did kill the pain. And towards the end when my baby was crowning, they kept saying to me 'have some gas and air' but I couldn't because I knew it would 'suffocate' me.

I don't know of this happening to anybody else though....

What I would have liked to take home from the hospital is cocodromol tablets.... I would take one before a leg wax

Original poster
3kidsisquiteenuff · 11/04/2008 18:28

yeah what's that all about after all the pain in my chest ,a sore fanny,and bad after pains all the mw would give me was paracetamol which did'nt even touch the sides .i mean in a hospital you would think that you could get some decent pain releif its a good job that i had packed a secret stash of nufofen plus!

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onepieceoflollipop · 11/04/2008 19:41

Also there was a light switch ("dangling" type) above my bed and I kept telling anyone who would listen that it was a microphone and they were broadcasting my witticisms round the entire hospital.

During the actual delivery no one could get any sense out of me and my mw was one of those lovely ones who didn't try and take it (the g&a) off me. (some do apparently so they can get you to understand them better). Between them mw and dh delivered the baby with minimal (!) input from me. "Hold her leg up" I heard the mw say... I asked to discharge myself at this point. Then suddenly dd2 was born. Fantastic moment. Makes me cry just to remember.

slinkiemalinki · 11/04/2008 22:20

I hated the stuff. Didn't have so much as some others say on here but definitely felt totally hammered or stoned or something like that. I wasn't allowed it when pushing (is that normal or were my MWs just nasty?!) Would love to say I will forgo it next time but am in no doubt I will decide (again) that gibbering like a drunken idiot is probably preferable to agony.

gigglewitch · 11/04/2008 22:28

I didn't get it (G&A)right in labour no.1, didn't feel beginning of contractions so breathed in too late. #2 had a bit (20 mins in hosp then baby born)
DC3....heaven. You mean that you can have too much of it??

middymee · 12/04/2008 00:55

20% entonox is equivalent to 15 mg of subcutaneous morphine It is not impossible to 'overdose' on Entonox, but it is exceptionally difficult. 'Overdose' is classified as unconciousness and even if this occurs, removing the gas will bring the woman round as nitrous oxide is quickly eliminated from the body. The only reason some women have a pain in their chest following usage is because you breathe much more deeply than you would normally, using chest muscles more than usual.

I wholeheartedly agree that should Entonox be available in pubs, bars and clubs, this country wouldn't have a binge drinking culture!!

slim22 · 12/04/2008 01:24

Hated it. Didn't really want to feel stoned to welcome my baby.
And also affected my memory. It's all blurry. Would have liked to keep a clearer picture of my labour.
Was much better with an epidural. Low dose. Let it wear off for pushing. Welcome baby with clear head and feel what your body is doing.

madamez · 12/04/2008 02:04

Oh I tripped my tits off on it. Talked sheer bollocks for about 3 hours, apparently (iin between suckings). And it was great because, just before they let me at it I had been miserable, sobbing and threatening to go home, insisting I had changed my mind etc. And didn't ;ike the first few sucks, threw up and moaned some more, and my mother got stern with me and told me to breathe sensibly... a few minutes later I was quite happy to sit back down on the bed and relaaaax... then I had to tell both mum and friend that I knew the truth about the story in the woods, the clown and the cuckoo clock. Etc. Etc. My friend later said that what was going through her mind was 'easy to see that MZ doesn't do drugs much'.

Mind you, nice midwife did let me have it back after DS was born to cheer me up while they were stitching my fanjo back together.

used2bthin · 12/04/2008 08:19

I wasa off my head too, didn't know it happened to others! I thought I was in a bar I could see shapes dancing. And the voice thing I thought I had imagined! I remember laughing hysterically but my friend swore it hadn't affected my voice, liar!

SmugColditz · 12/04/2008 08:25

I think it's fantastic. And I did pass out several times, and I bit the stick so hard I had jaw cramps for a week. I passed out and thought I was in a nightclub, and was mildly surprised to see the midwife there when i came round.

Aaaannnnd I Tallllllkedddddd Liiiiiiike Thiiiiissss - only apparently I didn't! My voice was normal.

PurlyQueen · 12/04/2008 21:27

When my son was born I was so out of it that the midwives could have handed me a kitten and I would have been just as delighted.

Original poster
3kidsisquiteenuff · 12/04/2008 21:31

lol at that purly queen i felt like that too .i was so weak i didnt hold ds very long just wanted time to recover

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notnowbernard · 12/04/2008 21:31

I thought it was bloody marvellous

Used it even when there was no need

Reminded me of when me amd my mate used to 'mis-use' her asthama inhalers to get buzzy when we were early teens

used2bthin · 12/04/2008 21:31

I was just re reading this too, its strange I think there are three of us who said we thought we were in a bar/club type thing, must be because we thought we were drunk. I kind of passed out like smugcolditz said and was also surprised that the midwife was the person I was slumped against, I thought I was "just" asleep in the bar. I remember that Christina Aguilara was on the radio and for a second I wanted to get up and dance. Then I realised! Also had a weird thing where the whole pregnancy sort of came to me in flashbacks, very very strange.

allgonebellyup · 12/04/2008 21:33

made me sound like Barry White

Original poster
3kidsisquiteenuff · 12/04/2008 21:41

lol at your comment belly up .i had that too and felt like all my saliva had done a runner
ive never been so thirsty in all my life anyone else get that

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PerkinWarbeck · 12/04/2008 21:41

ooh yes.

top stuff - got through 4 canisters during attempt at home birth before transfer to hospital.

apparently, the midwives wanted me to stop using it for a bit so I could feel the contractions a bit more, but I snarled at them and carried on.

god it was lovely.

FourPlusOne · 12/04/2008 21:42

I agree with slim22. Had G&A with both births, but had quite a lot with DC1. The memories of his birth are quite fuzzy although I remember generally what was happening.

With DC2 the G&A came too late really and was ineffective. Gave up after a couple of puffs. My memories of DD being born are so clear in my head. I remember the moment so well compared to the first time. I am going to try and go without it with DC3 for this reason alone.

used2bthin · 12/04/2008 21:43

But does it actually alter the voice or just make you think it has?

used2bthin · 12/04/2008 21:45

Sorry x posts with a few, posted after the Barry White one!

Divastrop · 12/04/2008 21:47

i didnt realise it was possible to have too much.i wasnt offered it with ds1,they decided to jab me full of morphine and crap instead.that was not nice.had G+A with babies 3,4+5 and i loved it,i made out i was in more pain than i really was with dd2 as i couldnt wait to get it.i felt like i was floating round the room in the earlier stages,and i kept laughing,it was great.

Original poster
3kidsisquiteenuff · 12/04/2008 21:58

it does change your voice coz dh was laughing(how dare he!) should of given his knackers a squeeze

OP posts:
Anonymousse1 · 12/04/2008 21:59

I had tons of the stuff, it made me sound like Alan Partridge, and then I was very sick..