Gas in labour: what was your experience?

[BellyBelly]

Gas is often seen as the first step in medical pain relief. Some women find it to be great and all they need, other women hate it. What was your experience?

[BellyBelly]

For my first birth I used gas after syntocinon was put up. I was really nauseous and felt out of control using gas. It made me throw up

[Glamourcide]

My first labour was induced with synto and came on far too quickly. Gas didn't touch it, but it gave me something to focus on other than the excruciating pain. I felt a bit stoned, but it was more of a distraction technique. With my second labour, I requested it only after I'd begun pushing, DD2 was posterior and the gas helped take the edge off the back pain so I could keep pushing without becoming too overwhelmed by the contractions.

All in all, it was pretty average for me. It didn't relieve the pain so much as gave me something else to concentrate on so I could labour more efficiently.

[Kazzo]

My gas experience was like Kelly's it was followed by a shot of that anti-nauseous drug(will insert correct name when I can remember it) to help with the vomiting.

With DD2 I just said nope to drugs and was much happier and felt 100%better.

[onthefly]

I found it slightly useful in focusing myself a bit. This was my first birth when I was distressed and nobody could do a thing for me (aside from offering me drugs apparently). It made me nauseous and dizzy. It did nothing for the pain (was on synto too).
I would never use it again. Having good medical and personal support was much more helpful to me.

[Pandora]

i used gas/air in my first (gel induced) labour, after the bath was no longer enough to help with the pain.
i found it extremely useful and it helped to have something to focus (and bite) on. I used it up until the second highest amount.
At no point did it make me feel sick, it did make me feel a tad drunk though and I said some really weird stuff.

With DS2 there was no time for drugs

[kaze]

i was given the gas in the time after i had the morphine injection and while we were waiting for the anesthetist to do his rounds on the ward and reach me to give me an epidural. i wasn't instructed on how to use it until just before the dr came in to do the epidural. i felt no affects from it, however i hadn't been sucking it correctly so for me, had no affect. ultimately i disliked it as it was another piece of puzzle that lead me to the caesarean

[Lenny]

I used gas as my pain relief. So did DH. (lol). I think it gave me something to focus on. It seemed to hep with the pain, then it started to get in the way. I had been throwing up since i went into labour, so it made no difference to my nausea.

So, i would say positive/average.

[prama]

with DS, it just made me very woozy. I didn't have much time for anything else, walked into the hospital and I was 8-9cm. And I didn't want any other drugs.
With DD, they broke my waters at 2pm at 4cm and she was born at 2.28pm. Labour was so intense I couldn't even inhale the gas. But holding onto it, helped I think. Except DH yelling in my ear "BREATHE! BREATHE!" I should have used the gas to hit him. (He was so much better with DS, probably cos he was inexperienced!)

[STARRYSKY]

I had the gas when the cx were a bit much for me to go with after the synto was started (water broken first~ 2 hrs later drip started, then turned up every 1/2- 1 hr)

At first yes, I felt drunk/stoned, but I managed to find my "place" bouncing/rocking on a yoga ball sucking that gas like a cigarette, but when I was told t get on the bed due to the monitor slipping and not tracking properly I promptly threw up everywhere

when I was pressured into having the epi, I sucked the gas like there was no tomorrow, till I basically passed out, I was petrified of having the epi, mum had to hold me up while they put it in.

I regret having it now as I find all those bits really hazy and fuzzy now, can't quite remember it all, I said some crazy stuff too.

I do remeber having a good time and it all kinda being fun up until that point, oh well, I know better for next time.

[Glass half full]

I had a great experience with it. I had used a TENS machine throughout the whole labour and then used the gas for the last hour or so. The main reason I headed into hospital was so I could try the gas as the contractions were getting a little tough to deal with at home.

Even though I had a good experience I would try and avoid it if I were to have another baby. As mentioned by starrysky, my memory is pretty fuzzy from the time I had the gas and would like to remember the experience a bit clearer.

[luna moth]

I used it when in transition (gel-induced labour, no Synto) and baby's heartbeat was going a bit disco, and I had to be on the bed for a while. I had three or four big long sucks, which helped me focus, and concentrate, and then decide I didn't really need it. So I guess I used it more as an experiment than anything else

[~clover~]

My first labour was spontaneous. I was given gas to start followed by pethidine. For me I didn't see a difference in the pain. It was the same I was just too spaced out to know what was really happening.

The gas alone made me hyperventilate. By the time I had the peth I was over having to hold the tube in my mouth.

Not sure if it was the gas, the mixture with peth, the hyperventilation or all that along with pure exhaustion, but I passed out 3 times between contractions.

I was offered gas with DD2. I took about 2 breaths on it & my mouth/face started to tingle, so I didn't touch it again.

I didn't have it in my last 2 labours.

[Catastrophic]

I'm the same as you Kelly, I had it with my first after the Syntocinon was put up. The gas was horrible I felt "out of it" and was so nausea i threw up everwhere!

[sloane]

i was induced & i found the synto contractions crazy as well as having back labour. i had the saline injections first (which were useful & made me declare that i acutally now knew what pain on a scale of 10 was ). they seemed to be turning the synto up ALOT & at one point they had to stop it completely because the contractions were just coming right on top of each other. i asked for gas around then & i found it good. i think it was the idea of focusing on something else other than the contraction that was really good but i did also feel stoned. they only turned it up once & turned it off when i started pushing. i would definitely consider it again.

[kristi14]

I could not stand the gas. Had it with #1, had a few sucks and didnt like how it made my head feel.

Ive never used it again and ive had 6 babies since.

[Epacris]

I LOVED using gas, it was great. Biting down on the mouthpiece was as important as what was coming out of the end of it for me.

DS1 - I used it and it was brilliant. When it was time to push the midwife said “no more gas”. I protested and though I had “won” because I kept on using it. Much later DH told me that when she said that she turned it off at the wall so I was just breathing air.
DD - I sucked too hard and fast and completely knocked myself out. They wouldn’t let me have it at all again after that. My experience was still great though and being knocked out gave me a just a minute’s break from it all so I could focus and get back into it.
DS2 - Again it was brilliant. But I’ve got a bit of a loose clicky jaw and I bit down too hard and dislocated it. It took me a good few hours to get it to click back into place properly.

[Asparagus and Lemons]

The gas just made me feel drunk and say silly things during labour. It helped only because it distracted me.