# Gas and air!



## Amherst1994

Hello ladies!

I'm in the U.S. and am going to deliver with midwives at one of only 2 birthing centers east of the Mississippi to offer gas and air (for the time being. I've been told more and more facilities are going to start offering it). This obviously isn't a hugely practiced option in the states so I haven't been able to talk to any women here who gave birth naturally whilst using gas and air. My birthing center also offers birthing pools.

I am hugely set (as in there is like no other option for me unless there is a crisis) on natural birth with no medical intervention, and it sounds like gas and air is a good compromise with getting some help, but not having to have an epidural. So I definitely am willing to give it a go! 

What are your opinions and experiences with gas and air? Did it help you? Did it make you feel sick? I just need some input as I can't find any here in the states!!


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## Button#

Loved it, especially when I was getting stitched up afterwards. It didn't make me feel sick at all and it helped me focus my breathing.


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## ClairAye

It didn't relieve pain for me but helped me with focusing on my breathing, I just felt crazy drunk in between contractions!


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## Twinmum87

I ended up with an emergency section but had to be left to labout as long as possible whilst they got something sorted for the babies as SCBU was full so I had gas and for a couple hours. It did make me feel very sick and dizzy at first but after a couple mins i got used to it and was fine but then during the section i was constantly heaving, not sure if that was down to the gas & air, the spinal or the combination of the two. Tbh I can't remember exactly how it made me feel i just knew i was still in a lot of pain. Next time thou I am hoping to do it with only gas and air because i was as active a labour as possible as active labours usually go a lot smoother, faster and much less likely to need medical intervention than labouring on your back.


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## Rhi_Rhi1

I have never really felt any benefits from it... with my first i mostly used it to bite down on haha. Gave me something to do. It does nothing for the pain for me and i find it a bit "funky" hard to explain... i just don't like it. 

With my second I was offered it but just went without. yukkk


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## SparklesHeart

I've used it for all three labours and plan to this time. I found long slow deep breaths of it to be helpful, with sips of water inbetween contractions as my mouth felt dry. Also it made me feel drunk, so make sure you're steadied by something. Though that did pass after a few breaths of normal air!!


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## Eleanor ace

Gas and air is the best thing ever and my main motivation for having a 3rd child (I'm only half joking...); I told my DH that either we had another child or I would break my leg, so I could get a taste of that sweet stuff :rofl:. Basically I really like it! I have had 2 vaginal deliveries with gas and air and for me it really helped, it kept me calm and helped me to have enjoyable experiences.


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## hanni

It's the best thing ever! 

I found it made my labour so much more of a happier & positive experience dispite the fact it was 42 hours long and ended with an emergency ceserean under a general anesthetic. I used it to just get on another planet during all the bits I'd rather forget (examinations and my bladder being emptied for me!) and it really helped.
I also found it extremely difficult to sleep given all that was going on around me but managed to get in a nice dozey state for a few hours just taking little breaths of it. And it definitely takes the edge off the pain!


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## Perplexed

It didn't do much in terms of pain relief IMO but it was amazing as it made me feel like the pain was somewhere, and I was somewhere else if it makes sense. So obviously it must have done something. I laughed when pp said it was her motivation for getting pregnant as I often also joke that it is my motivation for having another baby haha.

It didn't make me sick though. I guess some people say it made them sick.


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## eulmh82

It helped initially. Gives you a bit of a high. It didn't make me sick but I think the best thing it does is make you breathe deeply and slowly through the contraction. They made me hand it over for the pushing part... Which was three hours long in the end but that's another story!


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## k4th

I only had gas & air with dd. I do think it only just took the edge off the pain. It was great to have something to bite down on. 

That said - I also remember lying on the bed saying "my hands feel a bit tingly" whilst slurring my words. My midwife was like "riiiigghhht, we might just take your gas and air away for a minute". :rofl: 

I do remember sometimes it felt like I was there in body but my mind was somewhere else - like a pp described. Maybe the detached feeling it what takes the edge off the pain. 

I'm coming around to the idea of another birth with only gas & air so it can't have been all that bad :thumbup:


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## Sarah1508

I loved it so much I had it for my stitches too! Haha like said above it doesn't get rid of the pain but it makes you feel quite tipsy and just so giggly and happy :haha: I actually had to be told on several occasions to keep still while I was getting my stitches as I couldn't help but giggle :haha: also it helps with your breathing I found :thumbup: Can't wait to use it again! :haha:

Edit: omg yes I just read the above comment about the feeling like you are somewhere else, as I would take deep breaths of the stuff just seconds before a new contraction I would literally feel like I was laying on a sunny beach :haha: so much so I could feel the sun warm on my skin, it was bliss haha it would only last for a few seconds before it would slip away and then another contraction would come but seriously it's one thing other then tapping my foot :shrug: :haha: that got me through my labour, all I would think was and actually repeated over and over in my head was "only a few more seconds till paradise" :haha: it was a god send! :thumbup: :haha:


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## staralfur

I didn't find that it helped with the pain at all, and it actually didn't make me feel high or tipsy or anything... maybe they just gave me straight air. :haha: 

But I did love it because it helped me focus on my breathing when I started to kind of lose it. That was a huge help! 

It didn't make me feel sick but I did have an extremely dry throat and dry cough for like 2 weeks after. I have asthma so I'm not sure if that would influence it at all.


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## emyandpotato

I had it recently in hospital as I had infectious arthritis in my elbow which was excruciating. I didn't feel like it did much to help in labour except make me feel drunk but having it the second time for something different has given me a new perspective on it. It does definitely help the pain but you have to breathe slowly and deeply and it takes a few minutes to kick in. It won't relieve pain completely but it does make you forget about it and make it much more bearable. It gives you a drunk feeling but you know what's going on so it's not like you're completely tripping out. It doesn't make me feel sick, personally. 

Take lip balm and something to sip on, your lips and mouth will be really dry!


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## macydarling

This may sound silly but is gas & air the same thing as nitrous oxide? I am also in the states and plan to give birth naturally at a birthing center. They also have the birthing pools. They said the only pain relief they offer is the nitrous oxide--so wondering if that is same as you?


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## Larkspur

I used it for both my natural births.

It didn't make me feel drunk or weird, in fact it had no noticeable physical effect on me. I'm not even sure it took the edge off the pain so much as just made me care less about it. 

It definitely helped with focussing my breathing, and it was good having something to bite down on.


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## staralfur

macydarling said:


> This may sound silly but is gas & air the same thing as nitrous oxide? I am also in the states and plan to give birth naturally at a birthing center. They also have the birthing pools. They said the only pain relief they offer is the nitrous oxide--so wondering if that is same as you?

Yes, it's the same thing. :)


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## Perplexed

Sarah1508 said:


> I loved it so much I had it for my stitches too! Haha like said above it doesn't get rid of the pain but it makes you feel quite tipsy and just so giggly and happy :haha: I actually had to be told on several occasions to keep still while I was getting my stitches as I couldn't help but giggle :haha: also it helps with your breathing I found :thumbup: Can't wait to use it again! :haha:
> 
> Edit: omg yes I just read the above comment about the feeling like you are somewhere else, as I would take deep breaths of the stuff just seconds before a new contraction I would literally feel like I was laying on a sunny beach :haha: so much so I could feel the sun warm on my skin, it was bliss haha it would only last for a few seconds before it would slip away and then another contraction would come but seriously it's one thing other then tapping my foot :shrug: :haha: that got me through my labour, all I would think was and actually repeated over and over in my head was "only a few more seconds till paradise" :haha: it was a god send! :thumbup: :haha:

I hear you about the sunny beach. At some point between going into labor (due to ARM) and starting gas & air, someone drew the curtains. It was around 8 or so when I noticed that it was sunny. I felt like the view outside the window was amazing and kept telling dh, midwives & anyone who came in really that the view outside the window was amazing :haha:


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## MummyToAmberx

G&A does not agree with me it does nothing apart from make me throw up.


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## Dolly84

I loved gas and air when I was having ds. I gave birth in a birthing pool so this was one of the only pain relief options, but I didn't need anything else, I even got to keep it for the pushing stage (3mins) and being stitched up afterwards. It took the edge off the pain for me, made me feel slightly woozy but most of all it helped with regulating the breathing.
I'm due with #2 in 7 days and will DEFINATLY want to use gas and air this time x


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## lam_76

I didn't find that it did anything for the pain but it did help me concentrate on my breathing. I didn't feel sick or anything but it did make my mouth really dry and towards the end i was just going back and forth between the gas and air and my bottle of water! I was allowed to keep it while i was pushing but i don't remember using it.


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## DoubleTFun

From the sounds of it, it sounds like our laughing gas. I am definitely going to ask if they offer it when it is my time to give birth to these twins.


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## londonangel

I didn't like it. It made me feel sick and dizzy. Was better than nothing though! I found it hard to use but I think I am in the minority. Once I started breathing back into it I felt less sick but it felt really alien breathing into a mouthpiece. It is worth using though and better than an epidural in terms of you being able to move around during labour.


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## amelia26

That's great to hear they're starting to offer it in the US. I never really understood why they didn't. I think it's great stuff. It leaves your body really quickly so if you don't like it you stop and you feel normal again in a minute or two. It doesn't affect the baby either and I think using it reduces the liklihood for other pain relief, which can affect the baby or can increase the chances of further intervention. 
I find it massively helpful. I had a long, induced labour so did end up having other pain relief later on but had a good day or so of using gas and air and it made an enormous difference.


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## DoubleTFun

I know when I had nitrous oxide during my wisdom teeth removal it relieved my fears. I really hope they offer it when I go into labor.


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## smileyfaces

Both times i only got g&a at about 5cm and it does help with the pain but once you hit the serious contractions at about 8cm its no good for pain really but is a very useful distraction.

With my first i cried when they took it away for pushing because i felt like i was relying on it. With my second baby i threw it away once I was reaching the pushing stage as I knew it was doing nothing and hindering my screaming :lol:

But yes, it is good up to a point.


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## smileyfaces

Oh and yes it makes your mouth very dry and makes your voice change a bit lol


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## Tattoo

I adored the gas and air when I had my DD. I can't really remember what it did for the actual pain of the contractions, but it did make me feel pleasantly detached from the pain! I definitely had the "somewhere else" feeling others have described, and I felt a bit drunk, so perhaps I was on that beach with a cocktail! ;)
It definitely does dry your mouth and lips out. You'll want something to drink and probably some moisturiser or lipbalm, too. Have you ever been SCUBA diving? It's a lot like the dried out, parched feeling you get once you stop breathing from your SCUBA cylinder. I think SCUBA air is also a mix of nitrogen and oxygen, but obviously in different quantities from medicinal gas and air!


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## Zephram

Gas and air did absolutely nothing for me regarding pain relief. All it did was make me feel horribly dizzy and out of it. It was a complete disappointment and waste of time.


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## vickyandchick

I loved it, I'd buy a canister of it off eBay if I could. It did make me feel like it was 5am and I was stumbling home drunk but I had diamorphine too so could have been that. It didn't do much for pain relief but was good to grab when the contractions hit. Agree with the others ladies that it makes your mouth dry so make sure you drink and take lipbalm :)


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## NotNic

Really helped the first labour. It took the edge off and left me very calm, almost a little dozy. Second time I told them it wasn't really working. I was given it from 6cms but it turns out I dilated super quickly from that point so I was in transition when I said it. I found it useful for examinations and stitches afterwards.I've never felt any ill effects though the midwife suggested I did without at the pushing stage second time, as it was preventing me from really pushing productively.


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## GI_Jane

I don't think I could have managed with out it. 
I felt a bit drunk/tipsy on it and didn't feel sick. It really took the edge off.
If I have a second baby I would certainly be opting for a natural birth with just gas and air again.


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## AK89

I LOVED it! I'd been in latent labour for 18 hours already on just cocodamol and my waters had just gone and I'd been thrust into a VERY intense active labour. It really helped me. It does make you a bit dizzy at first, but you're totally under control of how much you take in. They say just breathe through that the whole time you're having a contraction but at first I couldn't take it the whole time, but it definitely helped. But as time went by I ended up pretty much breathing nothing but that! Haha.. I was so dependent on it by the time I was getting my epidural (which like you I didn't plan, but I also didn't plan on being in that much pain!! :haha:) that I nearly punched my OH when he took it more than 5 inches away from my mouth haha.. So yeah, it really helped me. I think it's good to have something to focus on too, helps with your breathing :thumbup:


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## AK89

Also, the effects of it are so shortlived that if you just don't use it for like 4-5 seconds you feel completely normal again.


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## laura109

Helped me for a while felt amazing. Never felt sick. Just drunk lol


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## Hunbun

It makes me feel sick when I first inhale it. But I push passed that feeling because the relief it provides is worth it! I used it with both my labours and I will use it with my next!


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## MummyM86

Gas & Air is the best thing on earth!!!

I unfortunately ended up in an EMCS but if I'd have managed to fully dilate ever (DD was twisted into an awkward position) I would have pushed her out on it too.

Labour'd for over 30 hours on that bad boy. The student midwife told me she'd never seen anyone laughing at 8 cm's before. I was high as a kite and loving it. (9 months is a long time without wine as far as I'm concerned).

The key is to use it correctly. As soon as you feel that first twinge of each contraction you suck on that pipe like your life depends on it and you don't stop until the contraction finishes. 

Also, don't let your husband/partner "have a go", no matter how muchh he pesters you...mine nearly lost teeth!


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## AK89

Haha! HOW, may I ask?!?! :haha:


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## MummyM86

AK89 said:


> Haha! HOW, may I ask?!?! :haha:

The teeth thing?

He insisted as he was adamant I wasn't due a contraction. So I gave in as had no will power. He took one big suck on the pipe when a contraction started so I reached up and yanked it out of his mouth. 

He left me alone about it after that :happydance:


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## glitterfly

In short it was amazing. After my first labour being horrendous with a failed epidural, being pinned to the bed and 48hrs of pain I was dreading labour. I laboured for 6 hrs at home on my birthball with no pain relief, went the hosp was 4-5cm and started g&a which was amazing given that I progressed to 10cm in an hour. It helped me focus my breathing whilst taking the edge of the pain. It didn't take it away completely but being honest I wouldn't want that as I found I needed some to understand what my body was doing. I felt my baby drop and engage, I felt her drop in to the birth canal and I felt my body push. To be honest it was a bit surreal but utterly amazing to experience and I don't think I'd have been able to do it without a bit of gas and air...

Good luck for when the time comes as hard as it is try to make the most of every moment.

Xxx


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