Gas in labour: what was your experience?

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?

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 :(

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.

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.

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.

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 :)

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

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.

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!)

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.

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.

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 :lol:

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.

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!

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 :lol:). 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.

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.

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. :lol:
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. :lol:

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

I used it with all four of my labours and found it helpful each time, especially as something to focus on - I think that was as important as the pain relief.

With DD2 I was stuck on the bed for my whole labour, I got through it almost all the way without it and used gas for the last three or four contractions before she finally engaged. I didn't find it great then for pain relief but it was distracting.
What I really wanted to do was move around, I think if I had been able to move around I would have done without the gas (in that instance).

I LOVED it! :lol: I used it first time up until I got an epidural. Second time it was all I used. I found it really helpful, gave me something to focus on while breathing, took the edge of the contractions nicely.

LOVED it too! I think it saved me. I had natural labour with 2 paracetamol first, then got the gas just after transition I think. Then I was squatting at end of the bed with gas in hand and tens, and stayed there until i delivered. It was amazing, good pain relief and I still knew what was going on but wasn't freaked out about it any more. But I also used it for stitches after and had a very bad experience- she started stitching before the local had started working and I was sucking SO hard on that thing and had a wierd out of body experience and it felt like it was just me and the pain in the world. Was very scary. So I'd use it again for labour in a heartbeat, but for stitches I want some hard core drugs next time!

I was in the middle of a posterior labour and my midwife handed me the gas for me to try. I had one suck and hated it. It tasted awful and felt like I was breathing in powdered air. Ergh. Didn't even go near it with DD2.

yeah I'm a gas fan too :)

We had already decided before the labour that gas was as strong as I was getting regarding drugs (for various reasons but mainly i don't react well to heavier drugs, anasethtic etc and didn't want the bub affected regarding peth etc).

So after exhausting stressballs, walking, humming, breathing and the tens machine. We used the gas. We dialled it down very low to begin with cos i wanted something in reserve iykwim.

It took me a few sucks to get the hang of it... a few big sucks in as contraction starts and then remove it and deep breaths worked really well.

I got dizzy and yuky once when DH dialled it up a bit too much.

It and a warm shower got me to full dliation and the beautiful birth of my DS.

I plan on using it again this time round, if needs be.

I think the key to gas is using it correctly and only using the bare min for your pain level. I know if i had of jumped in at the level the nurse had set, I would have been off my face.

I used it my first labour and it made me throw up. Not a fan, although I quite liked biting on on it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk so forgive spelling mistakes :)

I got onto it with my first labour, had just the TENS at home and headed into hospital then got onto the gas. It took me a while to get the hang of it though - for a while I I was pacing the room sucking the gas and then vomiting. But once the MW and DH coached me on how to use it, I found it invaluable.

Like some others - I found it just as useful for focus.

A key for me was to stop using it once the contraction had peaked and just take deep breaths of normal air. That helped clear my head in between ctxs.

I even took it into the shower - they had no gas point in there (major design flaw if you ask me!) and the hose wasn't long enough to reach, so DH decided to make an extension for me. He did a bit of a Macguyver - knocked it together so it reached the shower. Bless him!

Second time round, didn't need it!

I had gas but it wasn't turned up much - it actually distracted me away from the pain of the contractions b/c of the rattling sound when you breathe. My experience was good - no side effects

I used gas for all three of my births, and all three were inductions - so I was hooked up to a monitor. Dh could read the machine and knew when strong contractions were coming, and told me when to breathe.
With my first I also had pethidine, so was quite out of it. With my 2nd and 3rd (no peth) Dh kept turning the gas down, as I know he wanted me to be in control.
I agree with some of the other ladies, it was great for biting down on :)

i used it with my first 2. yes it worked, i dont care what you tell me!!

my first the only problem i had was when they uped the mix, from 30/70 to 70/30 the gas was weak one minute, then BAM strong as all the next, it gave me a headspin and made my face tingle for a few mins after they upped it. my seccond, i didnt realy need it untill the last 2 hours when they upped the drip i was on to move things alone, not sure what that was but it hurt like a ****!
i would have loved the gas on my 3rd, but we dont have any lying arround the house :lol: i tell you what gas is much better and more effective then those green "disco sticks" the ambos give you for pain :sick: taste like nail polish remover.
i didnt have time to think let-alone ask for gas with my fourth.

Only had it was DS after about 48hrs of labour and it was great in the beginning but once contractions were ontop of each other it just made me space out (in a good way) but then i just wanted to pass out as i think i was sucking to much back :P

I used gas in both labours and it made feel like I was floating on air (I think I may become addicted to it if I ever have more kids in future lol it was a great feeling for me) the pain faded into the background (it was still there but wasn't as "in my face" as it had been and I was able to drift and relax a bit).
They said it distracted me when I was pushing my DD out, but honestly I think it helped prevent me from tearing as every contraction while pushing I would suck on the gas and push at the same time and as the contraction ebbed away I would stop pushing and DD would slip back up a bit. If I hadn't have used the gas while pushing DD would have been born after less than 10 minutes of pushing and I most likely would have needed stitches.
I did feel queasy at first both times I used it, with DS they gave me the maxalon injection which made me throw up (I now know I'm allergic to it and it makes me throw up every time), but I refused the injection with DD and after a minute the nausea went away.
I was also sucking on it so much and so hard during labours that I passed out lol hubby would try to take it away from me while I was passed out and I'd tighten my grip, it was like a lifeline for me, keeping me centered.
With DD I had a pethideine injection just after starting the gas when I was 5cm dilated, and was fully dilated and had to push 20 minutes later, so it must have worked for me :)

I used it in my first birth. I didn't find it did much for the pain but it did help in getting me to focus on my breathing more. Second birth I had the breathing down pat and never felt I needed any pain relief.

I found it didn't help me at all, it just made me vomit!

I hated it, couldn't even get the mask near to my face as I found the 'bitter smell' about it terrible. So I never actually used it, only attempted.