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Original poster

Gas and air during labour

71 replies

Melly1801 · 18/07/2021 22:50

Hello ladies,

I’ve quite recently given birth, the birth was quite traumatic for a number of reasons so I’m going to get in touch with my hospital re birth afterthoughts so I can talk through it all.

My midwife basically pushed for me to have just gas and air as she said I was coping fine, which wasn’t an issue for me but I did ask if the pushing phase would be more painful as I didn’t think I could cope with just that if it would be. She said no that was the easy part (spoiler: it wasn’t!), so I agreed.

When it got to the pushing part, she told me I couldn’t have the gas and air because I needed to concentrate on my breathing to push. So I ended up pushing for three hours with no pain relief until they finally came in to scan and found baby was head up. Has anyone else ever experienced this with the gas and air?

I didn’t think much of it until I told someone who also had gas and air as their pain relief at the same hospital, and they said they had it during pushing too.

OP posts:
Original poster
Melly1801 · 19/07/2021 03:09

Thanks everyone!

I have no problem if they think it’s hindering, but I do think this should have been explained beforehand that I wouldn’t have it as I was in a lot of pain during contractions so wanted some pain relief then was basically told to just stick with the gas and air but if I knew I wouldn’t have that for pushing I probably would’ve asked for something else.

And after pushing for three hours when they finally scanned and saw he was head up I had to go to theatre for a spinal block, forceps and episiotomy but at this point I was in so much pain I wanted just wanted anything to get rid of it. Was a thoroughly unpleasant experience all round, and not sure I would ever do it again because of it!

OP posts:
5475878237NC · 19/07/2021 03:19

I wasn't out of it, gas and air helped me cope with the pain during pushing. I don't think they can take pain relief away just in case! Never heard of that as a precaution before, only where someone was totally out of it.

BertieBotts · 19/07/2021 06:34

I don't think it's normally taken away as a blanket thing. It does seem to be in response to pushing not going well or something like that. Maybe it's just when they want you to be a bit more lucid? It might have been based on something you were /weren't doing at the time Weltkarte you weren't aware of.

Or maybe your particular midwife was doing it as a power trip even though most wouldn't!

CallMeRisley · 19/07/2021 06:37

I had the gas and air taken away (well I wouldn’t say taken away as in “confiscated”- it was a discussion and I had sort of been expecting it and I agreed) so that I could concentrate on breathing through the pushes rather than taking big sucks of G&A. I was only pushing for about 10 minutes though. Sorry you had a tough experience, OP, I hope you’re doing ok xx

grey12 · 19/07/2021 06:42

3hr pushing?! You're a hero OP! I had some terrible experiences but that tops it!

How come they didn't notice the baby was head up? Hmm did she turn during labour?

grey12 · 19/07/2021 06:43

I do find that communication isn't up to standard when it comes to labour. Women can labour alone so in a hospital it should work like a partnership between mother and medical staff and a lot of times that's just not the case.......

Nextchapterofmybook · 19/07/2021 06:44

First baby I had it taken away for pushing it second baby I had it for pushing

breadbinbaby · 19/07/2021 06:48

One of the consultants suggested I stop using it. I did not stop using it but I admired her gall in even letting it cross her mind.

billiebeeme · 19/07/2021 07:22

I think it's pretty standard tbh. Most women can't push properly/successfully when out of it with gas and air. She should have seen you were struggling and offered you something else to help you through though.

My friend was actually refused an epidural. They kept telling her she was doing so well, it won't be long now and eventually said oh yes it's on the way. Bare face lie as the epidural never came! They thought she was going to deliver quickly but she didn't and was in agony for hours. I told her to complain but she was a bit like she well it's done now kinda attitude.

Foxglovesandlilacs86 · 19/07/2021 07:28

I had gas and air with all 7 (soon to be 8) of mine and they never took it away when I was pushing. I did have quite fast pushing stages though (don’t think I’ve ever pushed for longer than ten minutes) so it obviously wasn’t doing me any harm.

I can’t believe they didn’t notice the baby was head up!?

Hardbackwriter · 19/07/2021 07:31

I had only had gas and air for the pushing stage, no earlier in both my labours - DS1 because they only believed I was in labour, examined me and moved me from triage to labour ward when I was already pushing so I had absolutely no other pain relief options, DS2 just because I didn't feel I needed it until then. I definitely found pushing the most painful bit both times and would have been furious if they'd taken the G&A away! I did find it quite hard to get into a rhythm of pushing and breathing the G&A the first time but the midwife helped me and I found it fine the second time (though it was a very, very much shorter pushing stage second time round anyway)

Hardbackwriter · 19/07/2021 07:32

I think it's pretty standard tbh. Most women can't push properly/successfully when out of it with gas and air. She should have seen you were struggling and offered you something else to help you through though.

My understanding from my first labour - happy to be corrected on this - is that if you're pushing already you haven't really got any other pain relief options

HorriderHenry · 19/07/2021 07:33

I had it taken away in my first (long) pushing session. I was very upset.

I had it but didn’t usd it much during my next two births. It was more of a distraction

Soubriquet · 19/07/2021 07:36

I had G&A taken off me during my first labour for the same reason.

I was allowed to keep the mouthpiece which I bit down on.

My second birth, was in a different hospital in a different county, and I was allowed G&A through the whole labour. I was encouraged to take a breath of it before I started pushing, and breathe normally during that time. Once I stopped pushing, I could suck on it again

Woeismethischristmas · 19/07/2021 07:42

@Maggiesfarm

Flipping heck, you were given heroin during labour? I've heard of pethidine being offered but not diamorphine.

Cool.

I've missed out, too late to do it again.

I had diamorphine too and kept ahold of the gas and air.
WildfirePonie · 19/07/2021 07:42

I had it throughout pushing both times and was encouraged to use it.

dementedpixie · 19/07/2021 07:47

I also had diamorphine (I'm in scotland) and gas and air in both my labours

SummerTimeIsLovely · 19/07/2021 07:49

With gas and air - I never had it taken away in 4 births - but I was biting down on it, rather than breathing it as labour went on.
My DH had a shot of it in one birth, as he reckoned it looked good!

I’d be wanting to know why it took so long for them to realise your baby was breech - that’s much more important to your baby’s health. Surely a competent mid wife should have realised sooner?

MarvEll · 19/07/2021 07:52

I had it throughout, all I had as no time for anything else. They did tell me to ease off tho as I'd had a lot and was quite spacey. I was induced and did find pushing stage less painful, but mine was very short so not really comparable. I think I kept using it so much because having the mouthpiece in was a genuine help as much as the gas!

mafted · 19/07/2021 07:59

I had it removed in my second birth as I 'was concentrating on pain not pushing'
I didn't have the urge to push though either like I did in my subsequent births. With DC3 and 4 my body completely took over, with DC1 and 2 I pushed because I was told to and it was much more difficult.

SwayingInTime · 19/07/2021 08:04

I think the OP means the baby was back to back not breech.

Poppins2016 · 19/07/2021 08:33

I used gas and air all the way through the pushing stage. It was gently suggested by the midwife that I might like to put it down during the final few contractions (literally 2 or 3) so that I could focus on the final pushes and then catching my baby (water birth) and I agreed but I didn't feel pressure to do so. I felt surprisingly OK without it, but I think that's probably because I knew it was the end!

I'd ask about it in the debrief...

Original poster
Melly1801 · 19/07/2021 09:18

Sorry yes baby was back to back, not breech. I don’t know if he moved during labour as the first midwife felt his position and didn’t mention anything. I then got moved to the consultant led ward because he had done a poo in the womb.

When he was born they found the cord was wrapped round his head twice too, plus he was quite large so no wonder he didn’t want to come out but the three hours of pushing was horrendous!

OP posts:
Original poster
Melly1801 · 19/07/2021 09:22

@grey12 haha thank you! I am not sure, I originally went to the midwife led unit where one midwife felt baby’s position and didn’t comment on anything. Then I had to move as he had done a poo in the womb, so it was a different midwife I had on the consultant led unit. She didn’t feel again so I’m not sure if he moved during labour, I’m guessing he did if it wasn’t mentioned earlier but I really have no idea. But I would have thought they would have checked sooner than waiting three hours as he wasn’t coming down far enough after pushing for that long.

it definitely wasn’t up to standard, you’re right.

OP posts:
Maggiesfarm · 19/07/2021 10:30

WoeismethisChristmas: I had diamorphine too and kept ahold of the gas and air.

.......
I am green with envy!

Mind you I was given diamorphine post operatively for a while when I was thirteen. I have never forgotten it :-).

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