Pain control during labor

Cynth0104

So..I just found out that the hospital I am planning on delivering at just started having Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) as an option for pain control during childbirth. From my research, it seems pretty new to be using in the US, however, has been used overseas for years. Anybody have any experience with it or know much about it for during labor?  I know I am going to use pain control of some sort. I had an epidural with my DS, which I had no problems with. The Nitrous Oxide option is intriguing because you can still get up and walk around. You only inhale it when you want the pain control and it doesn't stay in your system. 

Sounds too good to be true and it's so new in the US, I would like to hear other opinions! Thanks!

dancegurl1118

We offer nitrous at my hospital. My experience with it is that it does not take away a lick of pain. It will not make labor hurt any less. It will make you care a bit less about the pain, and gives you something to do to regulate and focus on your breathing.

I have seen it work extraordinarily well for STM+ who need something just to get over the last transition hump. I have not seen it work well for FTM in early labor 0-5cm. We call it the "nitrous bridge" because almost all of those patients start with nitrous and after a bit get an epidural. Knowing that it is not going to take away any of your pain is good to know going into it. There have been a few unicorn first time mom's who only use that and has worked well for them, but that is really usually not the case from what I've seen.

My personal advice I always give patients is why torture yourself? If you are looking for pain relief at 4cm as a FTM this isn't going to give you what you're looking for. 

Some people find the mask makes them very claustrophobic, and that it makes them dizzy, sick or nauseous which are normal side effects. 

I'm happy this is being offered more frequently as it's a great alternative to SOMETHING besides an epidural or narcotics. 

crosenberg

I used nitrous oxide my last labor, and it was a life saver! It doesn't completely take away to pain, but it makes the contractions so much more tolerable! My only disappointment was that I started to feel fairly nauseous. But I completely plan on using it again for baby #3! I will probably use it a little more sparingly at first and really save it for transition so I don't get too sick this time! 

LuLiLaEv

I did it with DD! I was the first patient on the labor and delivery floor to use it! Like @dancegurl1118 said, it does not take ANY of the pain away, it just makes you not care what's going on. What helped me the most was it forced me to regulate my breathing and breathe deeply which helped me get through the contractions.
I didn't want an epidural so this was a great way to get through the last little bit until I started pushing. I definitely plan on asking for it again this time if I feel like I need it!

plumpous

Very interesting! I didn't get the epidural with DD and I really wished back then to get something to take the edge off (long story short I didn't have time for anything because I started delivery when I got to the hospital). I was OK with the pain for most of the time but the end got intense. I would love to avoid the epidural for my second delivery but would also love to dial it down a bit. 

I remember though that they can give some general pain relief too? I am sort of hopeful that it's fast again like my first. Some of my friends say that it was a lot faster and my ob said it's likely. Who knows! But I like to believe it. 

morgarita

Very interesting thread and great insight from posters.

So would this be considered similar to the stuff they can give you thru the iv? I forget the name but it takes the edge off as well. I received it before and while I was waiting for my epidural which makes it sound a little different. 

longhairdntcare

I read about this somewhere else and found it interesting. I wonder if they are able to change/control dosage in real time. I have only had laughing gas once (before having my wisdom teeth removed) and it totally knocked me out. 

LuLiLaEv

@Rae1 They were at my hospital. Since they never used it before on the labor floor, only the birthing center, they started really low and upped it until I felt something. Also, I was in control of the mask, so I could hold it up to my face or not put it on at all depending on how I was coping with the pain.

plumpous

Rae1 said:

I read about this somewhere else and found it interesting. I wonder if they are able to change/control dosage in real time. I have only had laughing gas once (before having my wisdom teeth removed) and it totally knocked me out. 

I had for tooth extractions as well. It does make you nauseous if it's too high and they can lower it on demand. 

longhairdntcare

LuLiLaEv said:

@Rae1 They were at my hospital. Since they never used it before on the labor floor, only the birthing center, they started really low and upped it until I felt something. Also, I was in control of the mask, so I could hold it up to my face or not put it on at all depending on how I was coping with the pain.

good to know. For sure something I will be asking when we do our hospital tour. I am team epidural but would like to wait as long as possible, to not delay labor. This would be nice to have before the epi I think. 

Cynth0104

Thank you all for the insight! I'm gonna to talk with my MD about it at my next appointment. See what her thoughts are. 

SaphireSweetie88

I have had it when I had dental work done and it knocks me on my ass for the rest of the day so I personally don't know if I would use it because it might miss some time with my baby as soon as she/he is born and because of how out of it I am the next 2 days after too but if it's something that you think would be best for you and your dr agrees then I have no issue with it.

plumpous

@SaphireSweetie88 that's actually a really good point. Yeah, I was pretty out of it after laughing gas. 

LuLiLaEv

@SaphireSweetie88 They would definitely have to lower the dose for you if you were to use it! As soon as I took the mask off my face it was out of my system in 3 seconds and I had zero side effects after. It also doesn't affect the baby at all, which I specifically asked about. I'm sure dental work they give you a much higher dosage! 

SaphireSweetie88

@LuLiLaEv  - Maybe I am not sure what the dosage was at the dentist's office vs what it would be at the hospital. lol

LuLiLaEv

@SaphireSweetie88 Yeah, no clue, at first I was thinking dental work would be higher then I was like, wait a min, I pushed a human out down there, THAT was pretty painful lol

I'm sure people's tolerance to it comes into play a lot, like I said, they started really low and raised it until I felt it. So you may just have a low tolerance...

SaphireSweetie88

@LuLiLaEv  - It wouldn't surprise me if I had low tolerance lol. Even cough medicine knocks me back for a few hours haha

caribbeanmama-2

Add me to the group with nausea - I had it for dental work and I felt seasick and nauseous.  I think they fiddled with the dose a bit to make it better and then I remember feeling relaxed and less anxious.  It wore off pretty quickly after they removed the mask though.

tuxielove93

Semi related: I'm not actually planning on getting pain medicine during labor, but if I did, I have a really high tolerance for the stuff they give you at the dentist. They normally have to double dose me, and it wears off faster than it should. Would I have the same problem with an epidural or other pain meds during labor? 

lph4248

Hmm... the idea of a lower dose is interesting, but I threw up during wisdom tooth surgery because of nitrous oxide, so I'm pretty much set on avoiding it for the rest of my life. I might be one of those women who ends up going med-free only out of fear of side effects!

zara4k

Anyone considering Hypnobabies or hypnobirthing? Have anyone of you tried it? 

morgarita

@zara4k I'm considering hypnobirthing and going in with the expectation that it's basically only going to help at home. I have a really low pain tolerance. 

@kerils do they only give you nitrous oxide once? With an epidural you are consistently getting it. Plus I also go additional meds pushed into my epidural that took a couple hours to wear off. 

tuxielove93

@morgarita They don't give me the nitrous at the dentist, I'm talking about the numbing stuff they put in my mouth with a needle. It's never strong enough. 

Cynth0104

@morgarita. From what I have read, you have control of the mask and can get the nitro whenever you want it. 

plumpous

Between birth and dental work I have to say I'd rather push a baby out (went med free) ha ha ha. But seriously, laughing gas for dental work is not a pain management tool, it's mental. They give you a shot so that you won't feel the procedure. I bet if they use it for labor it's just to calm you down. 

morgarita

Sorry to go off topic but speaking of dental work there's a local commercial that says when they do vasectomys it's only as painful as dental work. So of course dh is like nope that's not for me then. 

Cynth0104

morgarita said:

Sorry to go off topic but speaking of dental work there's a local commercial that says when they do vasectomys it's only as painful as dental work. So of course dh is like nope that's not for me then. 

@morgarita That is so funny! 

OperaSingerMommy

@Cynth0104 My hospital offers laughing gas as well and I think I'm going to give it a go this time.  I made it 12 hours with nothing last time and then didn't have the greatest epidural experience so I'm happy to have another option to try.  My midwife told me that you just put the mask on when a contraction starts and take it off as soon as it's over.  I'm not due until the 30th so if anyone else tries it, I'm excited to hear pro/con stories come July!

Mrs.EmmaLouise

FWIW- I work in the dental field, and use nitrous (on patients) all the time. Nitrous level has to be slowly increased, and than slowly decreased if you are taking it continuously. Otherwise if you just stop you end up with basically a hangover for the rest of the day- which I think may have happened to PP. Nitrous does not enter any cells, just floats around in the blood stream, which is why you stop feeling it as soon as you stop breathing it. It's a slight analgesic, but more so helps distract the mind, helps time pass quicker, and gives you something to focus on.

I would give it a try for delivery, like PP said it might work better for me as a STM. I'm sure it would not have worked as a FTM. I'm not sure if my hospital offers it though. Are you guys already taking tours, or finding out from friends what your hospitals offer?

dancegurl1118

The levels at the dentist are different than the levels given for labor FYI! It's a different mix. But some people just really don't like the "fuzzy" feeling. If you need something to just get your mind off of what's going on if you feel like you're losing control of staying with the pain then it is really helpful. The IV narcotics that are given 1)make you feel really drunk and out of it 2)make baby sleepy as well and if you deliver within 2 hours of administration baby can have trouble breathing and transition because of the effect of narcotics on respiratory status. Nitrous doesn't effect the baby at all, and is out of your system completely within 15 minutes whereas the narcotics can make you feel off for hours after the maximum effect has taken place. 

My personal hierarchy for my use in labor would be:
1-nitrous
2-epidural (working well or not)
3- IV narcotics

OperaSingerMommy

Mrs.EmmaLouise said:

FWIW- I work in the dental field, and use nitrous (on patients) all the time. Nitrous level has to be slowly increased, and than slowly decreased if you are taking it continuously. Otherwise if you just stop you end up with basically a hangover for the rest of the day- which I think may have happened to PP. Nitrous does not enter any cells, just floats around in the blood stream, which is why you stop feeling it as soon as you stop breathing it. It's a slight analgesic, but more so helps distract the mind, helps time pass quicker, and gives you something to focus on.

I would give it a try for delivery, like PP said it might work better for me as a STM. I'm sure it would not have worked as a FTM. I'm not sure if my hospital offers it though. Are you guys already taking tours, or finding out from friends what your hospitals offer?

I haven't taken a tour yet.  My midwife just listed some options for me that this hospital does.  Last time I didn't take a hospital tour until 3rd tri.  We've moved since then and I was told at my last appt to set up the tour whenever I want so I don't think it's too soon if you want to do it now!

KissMeImScottish

I may be the odd man out here, but as much as I dislike the feeling (or lack thereof) that results from an epidural, I can also honestly say that my last experience with it was fantastic and I am ALL about it this time around as well. I understand that every experience is going to to be different and that an epidiral's efficacy (and thus one's experience with it) will also depend on the experience of the anesthetist, but with my son, it allowed for a painless, completely present and enjoyable 20 hours. I watched TV, chatted with my husband, slept for a good chunk of time, had no pain through delivery or being stitched, and had no after effects (at least none related to the epidural - I have other feelings entirely about not being allowed to eat, but that's a different story). I think, based on all that, that I'm all in for the epidural again, especially since this time around it's twins and, assuming I'm allowed a vaginal delivery (come ooooonnnnnn, cooperative babies!), I still like the reassurance that the line is already in should I need a c-section. One less thing to worry about.

Cynth0104

@ktewart I had an epidural with my son. I honestly had no issues. Just thought it might be nice to not have to get a catheter and be able to walk around! That being said...I may not even want to walk around. 

The epidural allowed me to take naps which was nice!

KissMeImScottish

@Cynth0104, oh, you'll find no judgement from me regarding anyone's birth or pain management! I definitely would have appreciated more freedom with labor, for sure. I just thought an alternative perspective to the epidural (which can be super scary for first time mom's especially!) might be useful. It's definitely nice to have options in general!

lamphele

I'm just throwing this out there.  With my first I ended getting an epidural and even though the experience freaked me out (I was convinced I wasn't  breathing because I couldn't feel my chest. ) I'm glad I did it because I was rushed for an emergency C/S. Since it was already in place they were able to get baby out quickly and I didn't have to get knocked out.  With my second, I tried for a med-free VBAC. It didn't work out and baby's heart rate dropped dangerously low and I was rushed to the hospital for another C/S. I had to really fight to not be put under. (Her heart rate had picked back up and it was safe enough to take the time to do the epidural.) This delivery will be a planned C/S, so pain management is already planned too. 

lamphele

That all bring said,  I went in knowing there was a very good chance I was going to end up with a C/S. Neither my mom or my sister have been able to deliver vaginally.

zara4k

But Has anyone successfully used hypnobirthing or hypnobabies in their previous labor? 
@morgarita yeah I'm thinking along the same lines actually 

plumpous

ktewart said:

I may be the odd man out here, but as much as I dislike the feeling (or lack thereof) that results from an epidural, I can also honestly say that my last experience with it was fantastic and I am ALL about it this time around as well. I understand that every experience is going to to be different and that an epidiral's efficacy (and thus one's experience with it) will also depend on the experience of the anesthetist, but with my son, it allowed for a painless, completely present and enjoyable 20 hours. I watched TV, chatted with my husband, slept for a good chunk of time, had no pain through delivery or being stitched, and had no after effects (at least none related to the epidural - I have other feelings entirely about not being allowed to eat, but that's a different story). I think, based on all that, that I'm all in for the epidural again, especially since this time around it's twins and, assuming I'm allowed a vaginal delivery (come ooooonnnnnn, cooperative babies!), I still like the reassurance that the line is already in should I need a c-section. One less thing to worry about.

You're not the odd man out at all. Majority of births involve epidural. My previous OB, my mom and my friends, all said how wonderful it is. My mom, for the record had done it both ways so she can compare (not by choice, the anesthesiologist was busy with other moms, long time ago... ). Some people don't react well to it. I didn't get a chance to use it and after having to go naturally and knowing what that's like, I still would do it again but maybe ask for something to help me out in the final stages before delivery because I remember it was quite intense. I can still do it, but why not ask for a relief. 

MommaBean

F17 lurker... 

@dancegurl1118 @LuLiLaEv I'm curious where you got your info that nitrous doesn't affect the baby -- do you have an article or link you could share? I asked my doctor if it was an option a couple of months ago and she told me that it DOES affect the baby -- anything that affects your whole system (ex IV drugs) does.  But she had also never heard of nitrous used for L&D, so I've been looking for more info. 

dancegurl1118

@MommaBean when I am back at work next week I'll get the articles cited in our research. We rolled out using nitrous in 2015 and did a huge evidence based research project prior. 

MommaBean

Thanks, @dancegurl1118 that would be great!