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Childbirth

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

Original poster

usefulness of gas n air?

64 replies

damdaffs · 12/03/2009 10:01

hi!

i wonder if i'm the only person who found entonox useless in labour? i found it had no pain relieving quality at all.

i keep reading of people who get quite high on it and feel 'out of control' and i just cant help wondering if the supply was faulty with me and i was just breathing regular-type air...thoughts anyone??

OP posts:
FAQinglovely · 12/03/2009 10:02

I found it totally and utterly useless in labour with DS2. But absolutely LOVED it (both in terms of pain relief and getting high ) with DS3's labour - infact was the only pain relief I used for his.

jobschmob · 12/03/2009 10:04

Like FAQ-with my first it had no impact, with my second it was all I had and I was sucking it up like mad. Don't know if I felt 'high' or not but it was a good distraction.

Lindenlass · 12/03/2009 10:05

It's not meant to relieve the pain, but to help you space out so you care about it less. Your body is meant to do this anyway, but modern childbirthing stops you getting to that state naturally.

KingRolo · 12/03/2009 10:05

It was the only 'pain relief' I had (not by choice - wanted more, believe me!) and I found it useful only in that it helped me focus on my breathing. I don't think it actually deadened any of the pain at all.

I was sick after the first few puffs too, that wasn't pleasant.

CMOTDibbler · 12/03/2009 10:05

I didn't get high on it at all -but it def helped as I did try with and without it.

But physiologically, it does not work for everyone - an anaethetist was telling me this at work

NorbertDentressangle · 12/03/2009 10:05

I wouldn't say that I got "high" from it but it did give me moments of light-headedness. I think that it (together with the TENS) gave me a distraction more than anything.

Poor DP has wanted to have a go on the G&A both times but I've never given him the chance. I was holding onto the mouthpiece, puffing away on it as if there was no tomorrow -the midwife had to tell me to go easy on it .

MrsTittleMouse · 12/03/2009 10:06

I didn't find it of any use in DD1's labour. In DD2's delivery I used it as a prop and a distraction. No "high" or pain relief either time.

FAQinglovely · 12/03/2009 10:08

actually it could have been more that I was using it properly the 2nd time round - first time round I think I left it too late to start breathing in. Whereas with DS3's labour as soon as I could feel the tightenings of a contraction coming I would start inhaling, could well have been that it just helped me conrol my breathing better rather than "relieving" the pain.

But I didn't want to let it go afterwards

BlameItOnTheBogey · 12/03/2009 10:11

I thought it was pants. All that it did was make me feel a bit pissed in between contraction.

fuzzywuzzy · 12/03/2009 10:11

It gave me a very sore throat, and I felt incredibly dizzy with it.

However I did find having something to bite down on during the worse labour pains very useful, was also very tempted to throw the whole thing at now exh'h head, when he started complaining about having a headache as he'd not slept, like yes darling and I had the most resful night of my life!

Lizzylou · 12/03/2009 10:13

Bloody brilliant stuff, think it should be hired out for parties.
Worked well for me with both DS's, just had massive Angellina lips from sucking on the tube!
It made me feel more in control, tbh.

cory · 12/03/2009 10:26

I used this and TENS and it was enough to distract me from the pains. Made me feel a bit sick at times though.

mistlethrush · 12/03/2009 10:41

I was on Syntocin - which I was coping with with just a tens OK - but they said it would be another 9 hrs before I would be likely to be ready to push so I decided to have an epidural - so had to take tens machine off. 2nd epidural was thought to have worked and anaesthatist said she'd come back in 5 mins to check - leaving me for 3 hrs with just gas and air - I cracked the mouthpiece and dh really doesn't know how close I came to biting him too... So, no, it didn't really help that much !!!

helsbels4 · 12/03/2009 10:48

Well everyone is different, so it will suit some people better than others but I loved it Had alsorts if intervention with ds, so can't remember how I felt about it with him too much but it gave me something to focus on and to shout at dh for when he didn't spot a contraction brewing on the monitor I only had g&a with dd and it was fantastic! It made me feel very, very light-headed and floaty and noises in the room sounded distorted and I suppose that would be good enough reason for some not to like it but it suited me.

Lulumama · 12/03/2009 10:50

it is not a pain relief really though, in terms of deadening /stopping the pain, it takes the edge off , distracts you a bit,and reminds you to breathe! short of a full block epidural, you are going to have some pain during labour

it did not make me high, or out of control, but in conjunction with the pethidine, helped me breathe and just took the edge off it. i was more surprised hte pethidine did not do more , TBH!

AnnVan · 12/03/2009 11:03

I found G&A fab. The midwives had to wrench it out of my hands It's a long-standing joke now with my MIL and DP about how much I liked it.

lauraloola · 12/03/2009 11:06

It worked wonders for me. I had a very short labour and needed it to get on the bed to be examined (I was already fully dilated) it spaced me out which distracted me from the pain.

Not sure if it would be of any use earlier in labour but for me it helped.

It made me laugh when I was offered paracetamol!! I must have been fully dilated then but no one knew - Not sure how that was going to help

HecatesTwopenceworth · 12/03/2009 11:12

I loved it! It didn't take any pain away, but it stopped me caring!

It also gave me the giggles. Not great when a dishy doctor is breaking your waters with what seems to be little bo peeps crook

but I sucked a bit too much at one point and threw up all over dh. His fault I was there in the first place, so I think he deserved it!

Seeline · 12/03/2009 11:16

It was fantastic - yes I was a bit spaced out, but that and the TENS machine was all I used in both labours (the first of which was difficulat and long) It helped me to concentrate on my breathing too. DH said I got a bit too possessive with it though - when I'd been through yet another tank and the MW had to change it, she had to fight to get the mouth piece away from me, while I yelled 'It's mine, it's mine'

HecatesTwopenceworth · 12/03/2009 11:18

Oh yes, it took 2 of them to get it off me I think I growled.

sadminster · 12/03/2009 11:34

I hated it - made me feel sick & claustrophobic - I only had it for about 3 contractions & decided it was worse than nothing.

frazzledoldbag · 12/03/2009 12:07

OOOh I loved it. Loved it. Felt like I'd drunk a whole bottle of wine in about 5 seconds and couldn't give a sht about the pain any more! They had to wrestle it off me for the pushing stage (with DD1) I may well have growled too hectates*! With DD2 I didn't find it so good, but then that was a much longer and more difficult labour. But generally yes - wonderful stuff IMO.

Lizzylou · 12/03/2009 12:08

I had it back for the stitches, too.

Really really loved G&A, like Annvan, Seeline and Hecate it had to be forcibly removed from my hands.

After 9 long sober months, it was great feeling giggly and a bit spaced, esp during DS1's mammoth labour.

Lizzylou · 12/03/2009 12:08

x posts Frazzled

frazzledoldbag · 12/03/2009 12:10

lulu I agree - I had diamorphine not pethidine but thought it would help a lot more than it actually did. It definitely made me dopey so I'd nod off between contractions but was expecting it to deaden the pain which it didn't really. Still bloody hurt (and still used gallons of entonox to get through it).