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Childbirth

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

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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:

Lizzylou · 12/04/2008 22:02

With DS1 I had Mick Jagger sized , sore chapped lips. I did have an awful lot tho (it had to be wrestled off me)
With DS2 I made sure that I had lots of lip balm.

Gas and Air is fab stuff, was actually looking forward to it with DS2!

used2bthin · 12/04/2008 22:03

Oh no 3kidsisquiteenuff I was hoping my friend wasn't lying when she said my voice sounded normal how funny! I do remember hearing the midwife warn my mum that I seemed "a bit drunk"on it before she came in.

FTMum · 13/04/2008 07:44

it didn't feel like it was doing anything for me, but it probably was. shame because i had been looking forward to g&a for about 18 hours.

just provided something else to concentrate on when in pain.

i didn't hallucinate or have fits of giggles...instead at the crucial point of dr telling me the possible risks in theatre and asking for consent, i was really spaced out. it felt like one eyes was looking side to side and the other up and down!!??!

Rolf · 13/04/2008 16:39

I had too much and thought I was giving birth whilst upside down on a trapeze. The room was spinning and there was a terrible pulsing buzzing in my ears that came and went (in time with the trapeze!).

I found it useful until then, to take during each contraction. But at the end, when the contractions ran into each other and I was breathing gas & air all the time, it was horrible.

beforesunrise · 13/04/2008 17:33

personally i hated it. it made me really sick (kept throwing up) but most importantly it just made me trip and get out of my body so everytime i had a contraction it took me completely by surprise and scared the living hell out of me. it also meant i couldn't breathe properly. it was awful. i think it is exactly the kind of drug that you DON"T need need in labour, much better to breathe deeply and properly and try to get in tune with your body and your contractions.

spoke to a friend recently who reckons she took too many drugs while in labour and it made the whole experience much scarier and traumatic. she is a doctor too, so you'd think she'd be all pro-drugs...

StarlightMcKenzie · 13/04/2008 17:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster

3kidsisquiteenuff · 13/04/2008 20:02

thaks for that b4sunrise glad to know that im not the only one to feel that its crap!!!
i never ever want that drug again- end of

OP posts:

maxbear · 13/04/2008 20:06

I felt that it was rubbish first time around. Although my dh points out that i was sucking on it for dear life.

At my homebirth second time I asked the midwife after every contraction if there was enough left.(how annoying I must have been) Luckily it did not run out, in fact I could have had another 2 cannisters before they had had to send out for more from the hospital!

ILikeToMoveItMoveIt · 13/04/2008 20:11

I found it took the edge off the pain, but I didn't get high on it.

By the time I was about 8cms dilated I realised it wasn't really doing anything anymore, so breathed through the contractions instead. The breathing helped more than the g&a at that point.

I also had a sore chest for about a week afterwards. It took me days to finally realise what caused it.

I'll only use it this time if I feel truly desperate.

jalopy · 13/04/2008 21:38

I talked about football.....

jessikart · 13/04/2008 22:35

I was fine with it during the labour - it was afterwards when they were stitching me up that I started sniggering! For some reason I thought I sounded like Darth Vader breathing, and thought to myself that if that was the first thing the baby heard he'd think Darth Vader was his mother...

minouminou · 14/04/2008 00:17

i hated the stuff
made the really silly mistake of watching a ken russell film the day before labour started, so my poor terrified mind was running in all directions under the influence of this vile concoction
however, it did help with the pain, and i just about managed to hold it together, but i think that if the epidural had been any later, i'd have started losing it big time
annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd.....
i have a very clear memory of the anaesthetist coming in and shaking my hand...he was a squat guy who looked a bit like ollie reed, but ginger, and i thought "you look like ollie reed, hope you're sober"
talking about this with DP the other night....
the anaesthetist was female
there was no squat ginger guy who looked a bit like ollie reed (i blame the ken russell film)
i didn't shake anyone's hand
but it was all so real...........

tyaca · 14/04/2008 00:33

hated it. big disappointment as after months of pregnant sobriety was really looking forward to anything that'd make me feel a bit wasted

only used it a few times in early labour and it just made me puke. didnt help the pain at all. also the mask was positioned by the head of the bed which meant i couldnt move around and get comfortable - easier in the end to find a comfier spot and just try to breath thru the contractions.

Sparkey47 · 03/10/2019 20:33

I too had a really painful chest afterwards, sadly none of the doctors could tell me why and I just had to deal with it. But in all seriousness gas and air was worth this pain, it’s AMAZING!!! I’m actually excited to be in labour again just so I can use it 😂

faelavie · 04/10/2019 09:09

@Sparkey47 This thread is 11 years old Glad the gas and air worked for you though!

Fluffsmum · 04/10/2019 10:16

It did nothing but make my mouth dry. Nothing for the pain, no laughing, just an irritating dry mouth.

TeaIsTheCure · 04/10/2019 20:37

It made me hallucinate and made me unable to hear people properly - everything had an echo so i couldn’t follow midwife’s instructions (which were being shouted at me as baby’s cord was round his neck and they couldn’t monitor his heartbeat). It did help take my mind off the pain though and my labour was quick so no time for anything else.

june2007 · 04/10/2019 20:50

Good stuff. Not that I needed for labour, as not pertically painful and very quick. (Just my experience.)

Dinosauratemydaffodils · 05/10/2019 11:22

Another one who hallucinated here. It was the only pain relief I had from 5cms to fully dilated with a baby trying to get out via my sciatic nerve, did nothing for the pain and made the emergency section which followed the most horrendous experience ever because I was out of it. With dc2 I refused point blank to touch the stuff.

thesuninsagittarius · 05/10/2019 18:09

I had 'too much' when I had DD1. That was 27 years ago and you huffed it through a mask. I huffed non stop and my lips and fingertips went all tingly. I hallucinated too, and at one point cried out 'Bugger this hotel! The service is terrible!' When I had DS (19 months later) I got the hang of it and it was really helpful getting over the peaks of the contractions. I kept falling asleep in between contractions though, and even dreaming, was a bit weird!

PixieDustt · 07/10/2019 06:57

I loved the gas and air. It really helped me to the point that's all I had during labour. Does make you feel drunk for a good few minutes though when you stop inhaling it lol

Number3or4 · 10/10/2019 07:21

First time I was laughing, then crying on repeat until I said no more. Epidural please. Second time, it made me dizzy and angry? Where did the rage come from? Anyway I ask for something that wasn't epidural but almost as good. Was given this drug that you press a button when evere you feel a contraction starting and it takes away the pain. It worked really well for me and I slept till it was nearly pushing time. I was told I can't over dose and it has a short half life.

yellowallpaper · 12/10/2019 10:34

It definitely took the edge off the most acute pain. No after affects and went out of my system quickly

crankyotter · 15/10/2019 14:58

I loved the gas and air. Made me feel a bit out of it, but in a good way.

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