Gas and air?

[lilprince]

Ive been watching homebirth videos and in a few gas and air were administered. What is it and what does it do? Im from the US and my midwife carries O2 just in case but its never used during labor unless there is some type of emergency.

 

[KandyKinz]

The "gas and air" you're seeing on the shows is nitrous oxide also called laughing gas. It's a lovely pain reliever in labour as it is the one pharmaceutical pain relief option that does not affect the baby or labour progress. It can make women feel nauseous or lighthead or "stoned" but due to the nature of the drug it is excreted from the body within minutes if not seconds.... So if you don't like the effect you can just stop using it. It doesn't eliminate the pain as an epidural would but it takes the edge off.
Many women find it a godsend.

Unfortunately, use of nitrous for birth in the United States has not yet been regulated so it's not an option for you. There's an active movement to have that changed but that's been in progress for years now with no success.

Here in Canada, nitrous oxide is an option in labour however most (but not all) midwives do not carry it on their person due to insurance reasons due to transportation of the substance so it's usually not available here for homebirths.

The oxygen your midwife carries is for resuscitation purposes... Eg if baby's heart rate drops while in labour, if baby needs help breathing after birth, if you start to hemorrhage, etc, etc. Oxygen administation will not help with pain relief.... though it can act as a placebo if necessary.

 

[lilprince]

Thanks KandyKinz! Thats what I thought it was! Funny, I followed the Grateful Dead when I was younger and nitrous was sold in balloons to get high.... Ive never associated nitrous and birth

 

[kiwimama]

I wish we could have g&a for homebirths here, I assumed we would, as the UK does, but we don't have that option! I was relying on that as a backup if I needed it, I know I don't need it, but it's knocked my confidence a bit.

 

[lilprince]

I had never heard of using it till I found this site.

 

[KandyKinz]

Thanks KandyKinz! Thats what I thought it was! Funny, I followed the Grateful Dead when I was younger and nitrous was sold in balloons to get high.... Ive never associated nitrous and birth

Funny and I never associated nitrous with anything other then birth and dental work.

I must lead a very boring life!

 

[lilprince]

Thanks KandyKinz! Thats what I thought it was! Funny, I followed the Grateful Dead when I was younger and nitrous was sold in balloons to get high.... Ive never associated nitrous and birth

Funny and I never associated nitrous with anything other then birth and dental work.

I must lead a very boring life!

Funny, Ive never associated it with anything else but Dead tour and sucking down nitrous balloons when I was 18/19 yr old! lol!!

Trust me...you're weren't missing much but some brain cells.

 

[KandyKinz]

I had never heard of using it till I found this site.

Probably because it's not an option in the states.... which I wasn't even aware of until coming onto this site. Gotta love BnB! Spent years studying midwifery here in Canada yet I was completely oblivous what was happening in birthing around the globe and even next door!

Oh and I found this which I thought was of interest....
https://www.midwife.org/siteFiles/position/Nitrous_Oxide_12_09.pdf

 

[lilprince]

I had never heard of using it till I found this site.

Probably because it's not an option in the states.... which I wasn't even aware of until coming onto this site. Gotta love BnB! Spent years studying midwifery here in Canada yet I was completely oblivous what was happening in birthing around the globe and even next door!

Oh and I found this which I thought was of interest....
https://www.midwife.org/siteFiles/position/Nitrous_Oxide_12_09.pdf

Thanks for the link! Im wondering if its less potent (for lack better terms) than what I remember. It would leave me completely brain dead feeling for days afterwards! Its known for killing brain cells. It used to be commonly administered in dentist offices in the US but not anymore b/c of that fact.

 

[KandyKinz]

I had never heard of using it till I found this site.

Probably because it's not an option in the states.... which I wasn't even aware of until coming onto this site. Gotta love BnB! Spent years studying midwifery here in Canada yet I was completely oblivous what was happening in birthing around the globe and even next door!

Oh and I found this which I thought was of interest....
https://www.midwife.org/siteFiles/position/Nitrous_Oxide_12_09.pdf

Thanks for the link! Im wondering if its less potent (for lack better terms) than what I remember. It would leave me completely brain dead feeling for days afterwards! Its known for killing brain cells. It used to be commonly administered in dentist offices in the US but not anymore b/c of that fact.

They mix it up using 50% nitrous and 50% oxygen. Not sure what the concentration would have been in the balloons???? Maybe 100% if the sole purpose was to get high???? I haven't actually used nitrous myself (though I do admit I'm a bit curious) but the women I have been with who have used it have said that the stoned feeling went away very very quickly after they stopped inhaling. I did however notice that in some women it evoked a "TOUCH MY NITROUS AND DIE!!!!!" response

 

[lilprince]

I had never heard of using it till I found this site.

Probably because it's not an option in the states.... which I wasn't even aware of until coming onto this site. Gotta love BnB! Spent years studying midwifery here in Canada yet I was completely oblivous what was happening in birthing around the globe and even next door!

Oh and I found this which I thought was of interest....
https://www.midwife.org/siteFiles/position/Nitrous_Oxide_12_09.pdf

Thanks for the link! Im wondering if its less potent (for lack better terms) than what I remember. It would leave me completely brain dead feeling for days afterwards! Its known for killing brain cells. It used to be commonly administered in dentist offices in the US but not anymore b/c of that fact.

They mix it up using 50% nitrous and 50% oxygen. Not sure what the concentration would have been in the balloons???? Maybe 100% if the sole purpose was to get high???? I haven't actually used nitrous myself (though I do admit I'm a bit curious) but the women I have been with who have used it have said that the stoned feeling went away very very quickly after they stopped inhaling. I did however notice that in some women it evoked a "TOUCH MY NITROUS AND DIE!!!!!" response

HAHAHA!!!! I can see that response happening!!!!

 

[Jenniflower]

I remember getting that as a kid when I had my teeth sealed. I was flying high for ages hahaha. I had forgotten that's what Gas and Air is. I may have a puff just for the fun of it. Though I don't remember my midwfie saying she would bring any. I must ask her next time.

 

[summer rain]

In the UK its routine for them to bring 2 canisters to a home birth (in some areas of Scotland they bring only one and if its finished its tough) usually they bring it on the day but in some areas they bring it a few weeks beforehand; but minus the attachment for inhaling it so you don't get tempted. Its piped into the delivery rooms in hospitals, where they can just plug in this big bendy tube which these days is usually attached to a mouthpiece, and in my experience that one seems more potent than the one in the canisters. The one in the canisters has more of a funny taste though. It is 50% nitrogen and 50% oxygen, some hospitals they have some type of controls on the wall to adjust the mix to more oxygen but I've never personally seen this; just heard about it from ladies on here. Its better through a mouthpiece; although some hospitals still use masks. The mask its a lot harder to regulate what you're breathing in; and the rubberiness and fact its covering your mouth and nose is what I think makes many women feel sick; the mouthpiece you need to hold it in with your teeth so it gives something to bite on, and if you over do it the mouthpiece will almost certainly fall out and the excess will quickly leave your system. When I had my previous HB some idiot took the appropriate attachments out of the bag the mws had; so I couldn't have it, I really was NOT happy. Dh said the expression on my face could kill.

 

[flubdub]

Gosh, I bet its used in 98% of births over here in UK, there would be uproar if it was taken away! Its not so much of a pain reliever, but more so something to do I think, to take your mind off the pain. Its always next to every bed so you can use it as you please, and the mouth piece is great to bite on when you're pushing (rather than your OH's hand )

 

[casann]

ooh i didn't rrealise that in the uk we can have gas and air for homebirth . Is that evrywhere in the uk then ?

 

[KandyKinz]

I have a question for you UK girls.....

When nitrous is taken to homebirths is it scavenged??? Also, is it scavenged at hospitals when just the mouth piece is used instead of the mask? I just don't see how that would work. Here at hospitals, the nitrous is connected to the central suction unit in the wall for scavenging purposes and I would love to know how it would be scavenged at home. Midwives do carry little suction machines for neonatal resus but I don't imagine those wee little things would work and where would the contaminated air be stored at homebirths???

I think the issue of proper scavenging is why midwives here don't bring it to homebirths and I would love to know how the UK midwives have skirted around this issue.

 

[Mervs Mum]

Scavenging?!!! What do you mean? G&A is piped into my local birth centre (as it's a really new set up - remember we have some very OLD hospitals here !!) and they just attach a mouth piece to a hose. Here they bring 3 small cannisters to home births (if requested) and can sent for more if needs be. They dont seem to suction as a matter of course in the UK like the do in the US Kandy. I've not had any of my babies suctioned even with a manual sucker. x

 

[KandyKinz]

Scavenging?!!! What do you mean? G&A is piped into my local birth centre (as it's a really new set up - remember we have some very OLD hospitals here !!) and they just attach a mouth piece to a hose. Here they bring 3 small cannisters to home births (if requested) and can sent for more if needs be. They dont seem to suction as a matter of course in the UK like the do in the US Kandy. I've not had any of my babies suctioned even with a manual sucker. x

Scavenging is essentially taking the bad nitrous contaminated air (the air the mom breathes out after inhaling nitrous) out of the room so that everyone else in the room who is not 'using' the nitrous is not exposed to it. Long term exposure to nitrous is associated with an increase in fertility issues, miscarriages, congenital defects, neurological illness, liver damage and ear damage. Which is why scavenging is important... To protect the health care workers who work with the stuff on a regular basis. Short term exposure as a patient hasn't been shown to be an issue.

Here at hospitals the G&A is attached to wall to both the oxygen and the suction. The oxygen is mixed with the nitrous to make a 50% concentration while the suction is used to scavenge the exhaled nitrous oxide or in other words suck the "bad" air out of the room.

In terms of suctioning newborns it's not a standard practice among midwives here in Canada. Some old school obstetricians (doctors) still practice routine suctioning on the perineum despite the evidence that doing so is counterproductive (old habits die hard) but for the most part the practice is becoming more and more obsolete. The only time suction upon delivery is used is in the event of meconium (unless baby is vigorous and crying immediately following birth) and if the baby requires resuscitation. When doing a resus you must first suction and remove and mucus, guck, mec etc from the airway before you start the bag and mask otherwise you'll just push the guck deeper into the airway thus further impeding airflow and risking lung damage.... which is why midwives bring suction to births.

 

[lilprince]

Im still in shock over the fact midwives provide G&A at homebirths in other countries. If you have a homebirth in the US you can expect NOTHING in the way of pain relief. You get a pat on the back and a good job hun, you can do it.. lol!

 

[KandyKinz]

Im still in shock over the fact midwives provide G&A at homebirths in other countries. If you have a homebirth in the US you can expect NOTHING in the way of pain relief. You get a pat on the back and a good job hun, you can do it.. lol!

That's because you CAN do it!