Pure Births is excited to offer Nitrous Oxide as option for pain relief & relaxation during labor! Nitrous oxide is a colorless, odorless gas that's usually mixed 50/50 with oxygen for laboring moms. When breathed in, it reduces anxiety and increases feelings of relaxation and well-being!
Unlike an epidural, laughing gas won't completely numb any parts of the body. And it won't significantly relieve pain, like narcotics do. Laughing gas is more often described as a disassociation from pain: You might still feel pain, but you won't be as bothered or anxious about it.
There's not much you need to do to prepare for laughing gas — it's fine to eat and drink like usual up until labor. You won't have to wait for an anesthesiologist to set you up (like you do with an epidural); a trained nurse can show you how to breathe through the mask. When and how much of the drug you take is up to you, since you'll be holding the mask to breathe when you need it.
Benefits of Nitrous Oxide
In places where nitrous oxide is frequently used in labor and delivery wards, practitioners report that it helps women by both easing pain and lessening anxiety. Laughing gas can:
Help you to relax and stay in position while a doctor is setting up an epidural (which can cause discomfort and/or anxiety, since it involves putting a small tube into the spinal column).
Ease needle phobia if you're uneasy about having an IV placed.
Offer a small amount of pain relief during the most painful stages of labor and pushing if you aren't using other pain-relief medications (practitioners often recommend taking a breath of the gas about 30 seconds before a contraction starts to get the maximum effectiveness).
Help you to relax and concentrate on your brand new baby while your practitioner inspects the perineum or repairs vaginal tears after labor.
Nitrous Oxide vs. Other Pain Relief Options
A few benefits of the epidural versus other pain relief options:
It's quick to start: Unlike some pain relief techniques, you'll begin feeling the effects of the drug after taking just a few breaths.
You can move around: Unlike with an epidural, you won’t be hooked up to an IV and. Monitor, so if you want to walk or sit on a birthing ball, or change your position, you’ll be able to.
You can stop at any time: Similarly, if you aren't enjoying the effects or don't feel it's helping you anymore, simply breathing regular air for a few minutes makes the effects disappear.
There are usually fewer side effects. Compared to narcotics or epidurals, since the drug is so short-lasting, most people experience fewer side effects — it doesn't cause drowsiness or cloudy thinking after it's worn off, for instance.
Possible Risks
Experts generally agree that, for most people, nitrous oxide in the concentration recommended for labor is relatively safe. The side effects are similar to those from narcotics, though they're shorter-lasting. Some women feel dizzy or nauseous while they're breathing the gas until a few minutes after they stop.
Although research is still ongoing, past studies have found that the amount of nitrous oxide currently used during labor usually given during labor has no effects on the health of a baby at birth or a newborn's alertness or ability to breastfeed. That said, there are some questions about long-term effects and whether it carries risks from crossing the placenta. This lack of research has made some clinicians hesitant to use the gas, especially since other well-studied options for pain relief already exist.
Who Can't Use Laughing Gas During Labor
If you have any of the following conditions, your Midwife likely won't recommend nitrous oxide:
Severe vitamin B12 deficiency (the gas can lower B12 levels, so if they're already very low, that can be dangerous)
Musculoskeletal disease or any impairment that keeps you from holding that mask yourself
Past gastric bypass or inner ear surgery (these can lead to air pockets in your body, which nitrous oxide can enter and cause to expand even more)
Is It For You?
Just as every pregnancy is different, every birth is unique, too — and moms have a variety of ideas about how they want their experience to go down. You may, for instance, want to feel as little pain as possible; or it might be more important to experience all the sensations of labor, including pain. If you're looking for pain relief that's faster-acting and has fewer side effects than narcotics or an epidural, laughing gas might help you get through labor.
Even if you think you want to try nitrous oxide, you'll have to ask your health-care practitioner whether it's an option for you in labor.
Will my Insurance cover Nitrous Oxide use?
We are not accepting insurance for Nitrous Oxide use. If you are a patient interested in using Nitrous Oxide during your labor at Pure Births let us know! We will discuss your options & cost with you in person at your prenatal care appointments.
