I had an epidural for my last delivery, it was only in for less than two hours and I don’t feel like it had enough time to fully take affect and I feel like I felt way more than I should have. The contractions definitely were reduced but delivery I feel like I felt all of it! Thank you for sharing your experiences!
Has anyone tried nitrous oxide for one pregnancy and epidural for another? Pros& cons?
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Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. Has anyone tried nitrous oxide ( laughing gas) for labor pains? - Mamas Uncut
I had the gas I took the edge off for a little while then stopped working
I have done both. First was epidural and second was laughing gas. I didn’t mind the laughing gas it did help with the contractions I was having, but everyone is different. I felt gross too while on it.
I had the gas before my epidural, francally I felt high and didn’t know why it was okay to feel high during labor 
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Yep doesn’t feel like it does anything for the pain just blows ya mind a bit helps you relax. Iv had epidurals with all my labour’s (3). The last time (9 weeks ago) I remember feeling the pain coming back because they need you to have some type of feeling to be able to push baby out, I just asked for the gas back once I started feelings pains again.
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I had the epidural and then the gas due to my epidural not working. Didn’t notice a difference. (Had 2 more csections after)
I had a epidural with my first and it made my legs useless for a couple hours after but the pain wasnt to bad.
I used the gas with my second birth and unfortunately I was in so much pain still , I needed it so often that by the time I had to start pushing I wanted to throw up.
Be very very careful. There are plenty of unknown conditions that make it dangerous (unknown as in your unaware you have a mutation that makes it dangerous). This is why they don’t like using it in ambulances.
My daughter did. It help for the early labor pains. It just takes the edge off. She still has pain but it helped her attitude
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I tried it with my 2nd, didn’t do me any good. Went with an epidural.
You can use a tens unit
My first child I had both and the gas did nothing for me. The epidural made it completely painless I felt nothing!
With my second I had no gas and the epidural failed, meaning it reduced some of the pain but barely any in comparison to my first and it felt very natural.
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Well it should work like 15 -30 min after it’s inserted. It doesn’t take 2 hours. And it’s really only supposed to take the edge off, it’s not complete pain relief. With my second and third I knew when my contractions had changed and told the nurses when I was ready to push (I went from 6cm to crowning in less than 15 minutes for both). Haven’t used gas just explaining that you’re not going to be pain free with an Epi. Good luck 
I gave birth naturally and by myself with my boyfriend and 1 nurse! I was supposed to die during birth, but somehow ended up passing more than 16 blood clots the size of geese eggs.
Pain was 
, but never tried the gas!
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Wait… they give laughing gas now??? This wasnt an option when I was giving birth and I had 4 kids!!! I had all 4 of mine completely natural with no meds so I’m of no help.
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Yes I laughed through contractions but still had the pain eventually I was like bring on that epi ( my first one I didn’t use anything and it was hard labor so I wanted some relief this time)
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I had epidural first two and natural second two . They offered laughing gas and I begged for it my third one but then back down and just went natural. Natural hands down is the best to me
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Yes I had the laughing gas and it didn’t help me at all.
I already couldn’t breathe doing do too being super hot and uncomfortable that I didn’t like the mask being on my face at all.
And I didn’t feel my was helping at all. I still felt everything.
Epidural: you really shouldnt be 100% numb, you should be able to feel stuff so you know when to push and all. I had one with my first and I was laughing, talking and smiling throughout, even though I could still feel stuff. But feeling stuff did help me with pushing and knowing what my body needed. Loved it and planned to use it again.
Laughing gas: tried it with my 2nd. You have to take like 3-4 big inhales of it for it to even work, and it’s only a short spurt worth of pain relief. I was able to only do that one time because the other times I couldn’t get that far because it felt like I was suffocating. The one time I did enough, it just made me really dizzy and I did not like it. So that birth was unmedicated (because he came too fast for epidural).
I tried it but it made me sooo nauseous I felt like I was gonna be sick
Nitrous did nothing for me. As soon as they needed to start pitocin I gave up hope on it. I was, however, VERY glad I had it for the placement of my epidural because that shit is no joke
Loved laughing gas with my 2nd-5th, I had the mouth piece you could bite not a mask! Hated my epidural with my 1st!
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I tried and it made me puke.
I regretted getting the epidural. Try the laughing gas and see if it helps. Talk to yout doctor about any dangers if any.
I’ve never been offered a laughing gas for labor. But I was offered 1 shot for pain to take the edge off before they allowed me to have epidural.
I used it only to scream into lol and bounced on the ball
I did both mine naturally but they were super fast labor and delivery. I tore both times and the stitches were the worst part for me
Entinox …laughing gas mixed with oxygen …during both labours.
First one was forceps eventually so got a spinal…same as epidural but not topped up incase I needed surgery …was completely numb immediately after insertion . Was already fully dilated and had been pushing for hours before it was given . Only thing I hated was lying flat for 24hours after…made breast feeding awkward .
2nd time round entinox was what I used…it takes the edge off but if labour is long its not great. Tens I found very effective
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I used laughing gas for my second and it just pushed all my labor pains into my back.
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Loved it until the pain got really heavy, then I ended up puking.
I only had the gas with my daughter nothing else but a friend before me had the epidural, i loved that i was up and about 30 minutes after having her, my friend was in bed for a few hours after
I’ve done all 3. Epidural, gas and no pain meds. I hated the 2 epidurals I had. Only took the edge off. Gas took the edge off and made me feel weird. The 3 of 5 I did naturally were the best. I could get up after. Didn’t feel weird. Didn’t have to get poked in my back. Labor with those 3 were less stressful for me. And with the epidural, your going to feel birth pain. You have to be able to feel to push.
Did all 3 of mine natural just breathing
My wife had gas for all 3 labour’s. She said it did make her go all light headed and took her mind slightly off the pain. Her opinion was always start at the bottom and work your way up the pain relief according to how painful it felt. She done all 3 on just gas in the end. Good luck with what you decide
Epidural on first that only worked partially. i had gas on second and it didn’t help with the pain but it made me feel like it was further away if that makes sense 
I felt better after the second as I was up and walking straight away after having baby.
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There is no way it would be enough for pain for me.
Im one of those rare breeds that didnt use anything for any of my 4.but my best friend had an epideral and lost feeling in her foot for several months.
Epidural helped me a lot. Never had gas except during dental work. It needs to be over your nose to really work well. You take a couple deep breaths in through the nose and out the nose. It feels like a weird spaceship ride. And I swear it feels like the dentist and assistants kept saying the same thing as the ones who did work before. Like it was the same exact script used in each dental setting
And due to meds I was on… they had mine a bit higher.
But it helped tremendously with my anxiety and panic.
For me, I don’t think it would be the best for child birth. Might be a lil freaky. Lol
I know they have a walking epidural.idk much about it.
I’ve never heard of laughing gas as an option
No way that would do anything for labor pains. At least it would never for me. It hardly does anything at all.
I didn’t have anything with the first one and I tried laughing gas with the second one and it didn’t do anything
They actually did not have that at my hospital
Girl… I thought the epidural did nothing with my first and didnt get it with my second… It definitely did something… I only had one dose in my epidural opted out for my second and holy crap… Thank god i was only in labour 45 mins and pushed for 5 because i was trying to leap off the bed the whole time. So much pressure with the second. Gas did nothing… Fentanyl did nothing
Epidural with first, nitrous with 2nd. Nitrous was way better for me. I was literally laughing I was so high
I had epidural with first, nitrous with 2nd. First delivery was absolute hell. Nitrous for 2nd was definitely better for me. I was literally laughing while pushing, I was so high. It was great.
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I tried it. Lasted about an hour before I changed my mind and got an epidural instead. Did NOTHING but make me wanna pass out
Epidural all the way. Made by contractions completely painless and birth way more manageable I still felt some but I can’t imagine what it would have felt like without
Nitrous is likely to make you nauseated. And you are going to feel some pain once you start pushing with the epidural.
I did,the epidural with my first it didnt work after aboit 2 hrs in so i was stuck,in bed and could feel everything i dif,laughing gas with my second and it helped so much. I could walk right away, my labor wasnt slowed, No back pain for weeks after, I even,had a 10lb baby who started to come out shoulder first and had to get stiches with no time for local numbing. I say try it out and se if you like it and if its not enough youbcan always get the epidural or interfecal (what I think other may refer to as walking epidural) later in labor. But the no back pain was def a big plus for me,
Laughing gas will not take pain away it makes you care less about the pain you still feel it.
It depends in the type of birth you want
I tried it for one breathe one contraction and couldn’t hold it on my face. No comment on epidural. At my hospital it’s not a mask you put in your face you have to hold this heavy thing. And my husband got yelled at for trying to hold it for me. See if morphine is an option I haven’t used it but have heard it helps.
It did absolutely nothing.
Epidural didn’t do crap for my contractions with my first, but didn’t feel anything during actual birth. I had to do it without pain meds with my second due to preeclampsia and having low blood platelets. I was only dilated to a 7 when my second born came. It was crazy. 6 nurses delivered my boy in a panic 
I will definitely never forget it.
NO2 doesn’t numb or remove any pain, it just makes you care about it less.
It actually worked for me pretty well in early labor before i needed other pain management.
It makes you lightheaded tbh. No thanks. I’d never recommend an epidural after the horrible experiences I had with it lmao. Had to have 3! Got a spinal headache on the first one, horrible fucking pain, didn’t work at all, made my legs numb but felt every contraction, got another one, same thing, had to have a blood patch after baby to get rid of it. And because the epidural didn’t work and I was 24 hours into labor and only 5cm, I had to be completely out to sleep for csection which really sucked. Not trying to scare you, just telling my story lol
When having the gas I felt too high to be able to hold my baby once I delivered. Will never have it again, though I don’t plan on having another baby.
They shouldn’t be removing your epidural. They can leave it in with a drip so you get a continuous dose of the epidural
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I had nitrous oxide for teeth extractions before I could get my braces and it was awesome. Just made me a bit dizzy.
I tried it again during labor and it worked at first until I got light headed again and almost passed out. I ended up needing the epidural eventually but I do not regret trying nitrous oxide first!
Yes had epidural with my first. Same, they put it in late, and only got 2 hours of relief… I said I needed more, and they said can’t you’re close to pushing. That was enough to not want it again. My second I only had iv, my 3rd I had nothing, and my 4th I did the laughing gas. I was worried about having to hold the mask to my face, but I did fine with it. The best thing it does is it makes you take slow deep breaths otherwise you don’t hear the rattling noise it makes to let you know it’s working. So you want to work and you focus on the breathing. I wasn’t sure how much it was working for the pain but after he came out I still was breathing it in and it made me pass out for a few seconds so it must have been doing something.
I did nitrous and it helped until I got to 7cm and I had to get the epidural but I didnt get like a full dose so it was just enough to take the edge off for a while. I still felt contractions in my back and I felt everything still just wasnt unbearable. It wore off not even an hour after delivery and I was able to walk to the bathroom on my own
With both my kids I didn’t feel a thing after my epidural. Except after labor contractions
Yep! My first was born via epidural and I was really groggy for days following. My second was born via happy gas and I found it quite helpful. Key tip is - if that’s the method you choose, make sure you breathe in and out of the tube. Not breathe in the tube and then blow it out away from the tube.
I was the idiot who did this in the beginning and wondered why it wasn’t working. But when done properly I found it very effective.
Epidural you won’t feel contractions but you deff feel alot of the pressure down there when baby is ready to come out. My 2nd birth the epidural didnt work but they gave me demerol (idk how to spell it) made me feel really high or drunk so I didnt care about the pain but it didnt last the entire time.
Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. Has anyone tried nitrous oxide ( laughing gas) for labor pains? - Mamas Uncut
I loved the gas. Huffed it like a motherfucker through every contraction lol
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I had the gas with both of mine. Absolutely loved it until it came to push and they said they had to take it away 
I went through labor for about 21 hours and the laughing gas for sure helped with the contractions. I got an epidural after that so didn’t give birth with it, but it made labor manageable
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Haven’t done laughing gas but I had an epidural and I slept through my entire labor and didn’t feel anything when it came time to push. I pushed three times, had an episiotomy, and felt nothing but pressure the entire time. No pain, nothing. I’ll never go without an epidural for any birth after how amazingly smooth it went
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I had gas with a posterior birth. Definitely helped also gave me something else to concentrate on… 
I did, it was the first thing I tried and it gave me a massive headache, then went to dalatin and eventually a walking epidural. Personally I won’t do gas this go around.
I had the gas first time around, it was awful, I had major headaches, vomiting, I didn’t know where I was or who was who and I don’t remember anything about the birth.
Had an epidural second time around due to likelyhood of needing a caeserian if she didn’t hurry up and do something lol and would 100% do that again. I remember everything pushing was so much easier. It was overall was a nicer experience although it took 6 goes to get the needle in place so that was the only downside.
If you still feel it you need more medicine in there. My body has trouble taking epidurals and they usually have to give me more medicine through the cath…
Never tried it, or heard of it 
I had epidurals with 4 and went natural with my 5th.
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I didn’t know they offered that. I had an epidural but mine was just enough to where I was numb but could still tell when I needed to push and everything. Best of luck to you either way you go!
First I had epidural - labour was 3 days. 2nd I had only gas and air and labour was 2.5 hours. Would choose my first labour again 
pain was unimaginable. I have no idea how I never passed out.
They gave me nitrous oxide for the epidural (stress induced epilepsy)
Still felt it. A lot. Obviously, child birth
There could have been a problem with your epidural
I tried using it at first, but it wasn’t working for me, so I got the epidural instead, as soon as my son was born, my chest hurt and it was hard for me to breathe, come to find out my lung collapsed. Not sure what it was caused by (neither were the doctors) but I definitely won’t be using it again this time around!
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I had the gas with an epidural. My labor was very long and very intense and I do think it helped calm me down.
However, the last like 14hrs of my labor is kind of a blur.
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I had it with all 3 births, had nothing else and all natural deliveries its not as strong as other methods but takes the edge off contractions and by the end i was off chops haha i was hearing my own voice sounded like a man deep and slow and music went all weird in back ground haha … i held the mouth bit between my teeth and took it in with every breath. Once you stop breathn it in it wears off fast…
Ive had 5 and love the gas u forget it all and chat crap u dont even remember good shit
Was so much fun!!!
I have not had an epidural but I absolutely recommend the laughing gas. I had one birth with no pain meds and the other with laughing gas and it was amazing.
My crna said that if the epidural doesn’t work within 15 minutes it’s not going to or the amount it is is all that it will. I had an epidural with the last 2 pregnancies both times it didn’t work and the last time I went into respiratory distress/low blood pressure and it was critical for me & baby. I won’t get one again, considering I felt everything anyway. Certain people don’t respond to it for a variety of reasons!
Epidurals have a time frame. I dont think the needle can be inserted, when the labours progressed too far.
My breathing goes too shallow for gas, but gives me something to concentrate on
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I tried the nitrous oxide after like 13 hours of labor, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Did NOTHING for the pain. I felt like I was hyperventilating. Then I Tried to tough it out and like 10 hours later got the epidural. This time I’m def getting the epidural right away lol.
Nope. Not for 300/30min lol
I never had that option. When I had my kids it was stadol or the stupid epidural or all natural.
Delivered all 3 of mine with only gas and air. And I loved my births
I’m sure your baby will be born full of joy
Tried it. made me nauseated which sucked. But still made it natural. (And a VBA2C)
Now what the madder with women these days. Labor is supposed to be pain. The contractions help the baby through my the vagina. I had three babies they were all natural first two I was young 20 and 21 they are a year and 5 days a part. Easy 20 minute labor for each now the third one. I was 35 he kept me in labor 13 hours then I ask can I stand up I did then he came right out 8lb 13 oz. All natural you need to know when to push. Good luck.
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The gas isn’t meant to take away the pain like an epidural, it’s meant to take the edge off instead.
Ive had gas and epidural and pethidine and nitrous once, ive had 6 kids, felt most of them
I didn’t like the laughing gas stuff. They told me hold the mask to my face whenever I started to feel the contraction but by the time the gas kicked in the contraction was already going away and then I would literally pass out from the gas for a few seconds. My husband said I looked drugged and I also felt like I was hyperventilating whenever I was using it.
As for the epidural, it didn’t work at all with my last baby. It did with my first by as far as feeling the actual delivery, that’s gonna happen cause they take it out once it’s time to start pushing. I still plan on trying the epidural again this time in the hopes it was a fluke it didn’t work last time cause it was great with my first, I didn’t feel ANYTHING till delivery with him.
Only had gas for my births. Make sure you have someone there to hold it for you and feed it to you with a bottle of water. Makes some nauseous and drys your mouth
yes the gas was my favorite lol