Pain relief when in labour

[Nazz10]

Hi

34 weeks and have been worrying about what pain relief options I would want.

I have a horrible feeling that gas and air is going to make me feel sick. I almost have a phobia of vomiting/feeling nauseous (and yes, I was one of the lucky ones who has got to this point without vomiting once!!!!). I don't drink for this reason. I just hate the feeling... and I've heard that gas and air makes you feel like you've had a couple of glasses of wine

I'm also not sure about epidurals.. I want to feel like I'm in control and so don't think this would be suitable.

Has anyone used hypnobirthing before? Did it actually work?

I'm going to opt for a water birth if at all possible and providing everything goes ok.

Any ideas or feedback on methods used?

I'm not planning as such as I know that not everything goes to plan but I think it's good to have a general idea and just worrying that I'm just going to go round in circles.
So any personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Tens machine really helped me until the very end. And dp rubbing my lower back in the early stages.

I did have gas and air though, it did make me feel drunk/lightheaded but I didn’t feel sick with it.

I didn't have any pain relief, aside from the pool as I had a home birth. I tried gas and air at the last minute (midwife was very reluctant for me to have any) and found it totally useless so after a couple of breaths on it I gave up, but I think it was just too late in labour - it was right before the birth.

Hypnobirthing was very useful for me, though more to keep calm and in control and stop myself panicking about the pain. I don't think it made the pain any more bearable but did stop me from panicking / losing control, which would have made it worse.

I was unlucky though that every time I had a really strong contraction I threw up, which I think is probably why the midwife didn't really want me to have gas and air. I did have it for my stitches afterwards when I was no longer nauseous and found it helpful then.

I honestly was in so much agony that I had pretty much everything. I was nervous about gas & air too but I really enjoyed it.

I think midwives prefer you to labour as much as you can before epidural as it can really slow things down. I don't regret getting the epidural but it wasn't really worth it in the end as it was just starting to work before I needed to start pushing

I had to stop with gas and air because it made me throw up.
All over the poor midwives haha.
So yes, it does sometimes.

G&A is trippy stuff if you have too much. I was so high on it with my 1st I was asking my dh to get rid of the monkeys in the room lol, they talked me in to an epidural after that. The epidural was good and I could walk again within an hour of birth.
2nd I had a failed epidural, they didn't get the needle in the right spot so it did nothing. Had G&A but a bit much and they took it off me for pushing stage.
3rd had learnt my lesson and only used G&A for 1 deep breath each contraction, oddly when she was crowning the pain stopped completely and I didn't need any more.
4&5 were elective cesarean, had a spinal block for that. I couldn't feel a thing for several hours but was able to walk within 12 hours with no need for extra pain relief.

Gas and air did nothing for me, no sickness but no pain relief from it either. I had an epidural both times and it was a godsend! Definitely don't rule anything out until labour as it can all change when you get going 😊

I think the thing with gas and air is that each puff wears off fairly quickly, so if you aren’t liking it you can stop and be okay. That’s what I found anyway. I didn’t like the idea of feeling out of control so avoided pet hiding as I’ve heard it can do that. I had gas and air and and epidural and I could still tell what was going on but it wasn’t painful. Result!

I was induced. Gas and air made me high as a kite and took the edge off until I got the epidural. Highly highly recommend epidural - labour came on very intensely and I was very stressed as husband wasn't allowed to be with me until they moved me to labour ward so pain was intensified. I had planned to see how it went and take whatever I needed.

Keep your options open - great to research in advance and make your decision on the day to suit your particular situation.

Pet hiding = pethidene

I found that the gas and air made me feel sick when I had it through the bite tube thing. But when I had dd and had a oxygen type mask - I didn't feel sick and dizzy from it. If you breath it in more calmly it's better. Panicked breaths make you feel sick and dizzy. Honestly it made me feel sick the first time I had it, but if you use it right it makes a massive difference. You just need to listen to the midwifes instructions.

I've had three babies all with different pain relief. The best was pethadine, codine and gas and air.

I really rate Hypnobirthing as it helped me to have confidence and faith in myself. I had a 3 day labour last time with the birthing pool and gas and air for pain relief. I was also really worried that the gas and air wouldn't agree with me but actually it was fine. Having said that I am aiming to avoid it this time around if at all possible. I think it made me feel a bit out of it and I want to try and stay more alert and active so the labour hopefully progresses a bit faster. I am planning to use a tens machine, aromatherapy oils and heat therapy (hot water bottle/shower head on back) and then go into the pool at the last minute. These are my 'plans' anyway!

Just remember that everyone's experience is different and you will most probably have choices and can change your mind throughout labour.

I had a water birth and had done hypnobirthing. Neither helped me cope with the pain! The only thing that helped was gas and air. I had 2 occasions of around 40 minutes without gas and air (when it ran out and had to wait for more) and I really really struggled with the pain of contractions during that time.

It didn't make me sick and the really good thing about it is if you take a couple of breaths of normal air, your head totally clears - so is really not like being drunk in that sense. Once I got to the final pushing stage, I made the conscious decision to stop using gas and air as I didn't want to he 'high' for that bit. The head coming through was another world of pain, but for me, it was a more manageable kind of pain than contractions and I'm glad that I could do that part with no drugs.

Just go into it with an open mind. You can try the gas and air and if you don't like it then can immediately stop.

I didn't like gas and air as I felt drunk so felt out of control, but maybe I didn't use it properly? Who knows.
I had an epidural eventually and it gave me relief, could still feel pressure from the contractions but it was bearable pain.
As pp have said, go in with an open mind, once them contractions start you will prob want anything on offer 😆

I didn’t get on with gas and air. They kept telling me to take it when I had a contraction but they were in my back and it hurt so much that I just couldn’t do it!

The spinal block was AMAZING though! After 5 hours of pushing I was done with the pain and it was so nice to not be in pain

Also...if you want a water birth you might only be able to have G&A - in my local hospital that’s all you can have in the pools. Anything else you have to go to labour ward

1st baby was induced, very intense contractions and by time the midwife came to see me for pain meds I was already 10cm. Hypnobirthing went out the window. I had gas and air to get me down to delivery and get in the pool, the pool was amazing for pain relief but slowed everything down.

2nd baby - planned a homebirth in the pool. Laboured very quickly (didn't get the pool filled up on time) and used my hypnobirthing app with headphones on. It had a button you pressed when your contraction started and then it counted for you. Did nothing for the pain but focusing on that helped.

Had G&A for stitches both times, made me feel a bit spaced out but not sick x

Thanks so much everyone for your help and sharing your experiences! They're all really helpful!!

I'm doing the positive birth company hypnobirthing pack and although I can't comment on labour just yet or the options I choose, it's giving me confidence in myself. Will definitely help you to make informed decisions.

I wanted a pool but it wasn't available. I done hypnobirthing and slept between every contraction until the very end. I had no desire to push at all, not sure why as I only had one child, and I had to be told when my next contraction was coming as I couldn't feel it building (you have to toot gas and air just before the contraction or it's too late to help with the pain). I loved gas and air, it made me feel drunk which was fabulous for me, but they took it off me in the end because I was taking in too much (they thought that's why I wasn't pushing but actually it was because nobody told me to push and I didn't get the feeling to at all) in the end they gave me pethadene instead and eventually someone new came in and realised I wasn't pushing 🤦‍♀️ and told me when to push!

@Nazz10

Hi

34 weeks and have been worrying about what pain relief options I would want.

I have a horrible feeling that gas and air is going to make me feel sick. I almost have a phobia of vomiting/feeling nauseous (and yes, I was one of the lucky ones who has got to this point without vomiting once!!!!). I don't drink for this reason. I just hate the feeling... and I've heard that gas and air makes you feel like you've had a couple of glasses of wine

I'm also not sure about epidurals.. I want to feel like I'm in control and so don't think this would be suitable.

Has anyone used hypnobirthing before? Did it actually work?

I'm going to opt for a water birth if at all possible and providing everything goes ok.

Any ideas or feedback on methods used?

I'm not planning as such as I know that not everything goes to plan but I think it's good to have a general idea and just worrying that I'm just going to go round in circles.
So any personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Don't have pethidine if you want to feel in control. I don't class gas and air as pain relief personally, could feel everything just felt more distant from it? Very strange feeling.

I was sick all through labour and was given anti sickness injections. Didn't work for me but probably works on others.

Take whatever you can get. No awards for bravery! I said I didn't want an epidural but that thing saved my life I swear! Some women sale through child birth and don't need much then some of us don't but don't rule anything out. If you're sick youre sick you honestly won't care

I had a bit of gas and air but it was too quick for me to process anything else.I did hypnobirthing and on reflection in my panic it did help me, with everything going on it helped me to try to step back- the gas and air just made me light headed and detached from myself.

But listen to what you want- if you want park. Relief ask for it- I had it after! If I had hours of Labor I would have wanted something but it was 2.5hrs from waters breaking to DS being here- he was out 12 minutes of arriving at the hospital so really no time for anything.

I tried hypnobirthing and it just didn't work for me in labour.

I had gas and air, pethadine and an epidural. I had the epidural 20 hours into labour (which ended up being 33 hours), and the relief to feel like I could function was wonderful.

It very much depends on how you labour.
I went into be checked at 8.30 ish and was 2cm. I was given 2 cocodamol and sent home.
I had been home about an hour and a half and I was struggling to cope. I phoned triage again and begged to go back in to be checked. Thankfully there was room in the MLU and they would accept me and my partner in regardless of whether I was in active labour or not. I was expecting to turn up and tell me I was still 2 cm and have to request all the pain meds they could offer me. This was not what happened, I was fully dilated and ready to start pushing. The midwife had already ran the birthing pool so I climbed straight in and she was born in the pool within an hour of arriving back at the hospital.

I had a fairly easy short labour my pain relief decisions would have been very different had it been long and hard.

As well as researching pain relief options do some reading into labouring positions. Finding a position that helped with the contractions made a difference. For me it was being stood up and swaying whilst holding on the a door or the wall. My contractions were 3 in 10 minutes and 30 seconds in duration from the start. So I didn't get much respite in be tween

DS was back to back so I didn’t have a break in contractions. Because of the position he was in, the contractions weren’t showing on the monitor, so the midwives didn’t think I was in active labour.

I did 10 hours on a TENS machine, codeine and one cup of oramorph. After being refused an epidural, I finally managed to get gas & air which I loved - and then they realised I was fully dilated 5 mins later so tried to take it off me

I don't know how standard this is as I can't see anyone else having mentioned it, but I vomited a lot with all three deliveries (no pain relief for the 2nd and 3rd so wasn't related to that) and was offered an anti-sickness injection which stopped it immediately. It may be worth asking if you can have that to prevent sickness?

I also hate the feeling and don't drink for the same reason as you. Gas and air made me feel really out of it but I think it's because I had too much. I wanted to avoid it completely after that and I just had a few very controlled breaths when being stitched up after my 3rd and that made all the difference and I felt fine, just nicely relaxed. I found hypnobirthing brilliant personally. I had a tens machine with my first and found it ok but absolutely loved it for my third!