Nitrous Oxide
Nitrous oxide also referred to as laughing gas has been a pain relief option during in labor in parts of Europe for years but has picked up more popularity in the US in the past few years.
Nitrous oxide is not meant to take away all the pain, it just takes the edge off to help relax the birthing person and decrease anxiety. It’s similar to IV pain medication without the adverse risks for the baby. It’s a less invasive pain relief option versus the epidural. It’s administered through a mask that the birthing person has control over.
When a contraction starts, the birthing person is advised to put the mask on their face and start taking deep breaths in and out to build up the nitrous oxide in their system so that when the peak of the contraction hits that the nitrous has started working to help them relax. It starts to work within 30-50secs after you have taken the first breath of air. Some advice is to start breathing it 30 seconds before the contraction so the peak of the contraction is in line with the peak of the nitrous.
It can be used during all stages of labor, early and active labor, pushing, and placenta removal. It can also help with procedures such as foley bulb/cook catheter placement, laceration repair, manual removal of placenta, manual uterine exploration due to bleeding, or even the epidural placement!
The most common side effects are nausea and dizziness. Some do not like the feeling of the mask on their face.
Since it’s self-administered, birthing people like this option because it gives them more control in their labor, and offers pain relief without limiting mobility or affecting the laboring process.
Generally safe for both birthing person and baby to be used during labor and birth because it has a short half-life, meaning it leaves the mother system quickly after taking the mask off and breathing in room air. So it doesn’t affect the baby as much as IV pain medication. Studies have no found any significant adverse effects on babies of birthing people who used nitrous oxide during labor.
The risks associated with nitrous oxide are more for the healthcare providers being exposed to it for long periods of time. Some say it’s not recommended for those with the MTHFR gene mutation as could maybe increase the cardiac risk since it inactivates vitamin B12, but current guidelines state if the birthing person could benefit from nitrous to not withhold it.
On our instagram post about nitrous oxide, tons of folks shared their personal experiences with using it during their labors! Some loved it; some hated it; and others felt it wasn’t anything special. But, if you want to learn more from others personal experiences, head to the the post to read their stories!