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Natural Birth
Would You Use Nitrous Oxide?
I had my L&D tour on Wednesday and found out that Vanderbilt is one of maybe four or five hospitals in the country that allow you to have nitro during labor! I'm really excited about this option being available to me, but I don't really know much about it due to not realizing it was even an option until now. From what I understand, most other countries use it pretty regularly, and it doesn't have any short-term affects on baby and only minor ones on the mother. There are no studies in the US that disprove any long-term effects on the child, but it's a very common practice in other countries, and they don't seem to have a problem with it.
I'm really wanting a med-free birth, and from the articles I've read, nitro is the perfect tool to get you over that hump when you start to want to give up. It's not necessarily the best pain reliever, but it helps relax you and make it where you don't care that it hurts so much.
So, if the option were available to you, would you use it if needed?
Has anyone here actually gotten to use it?
This was such an unexpected option, I'm super excited about what it could mean for my birth!
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Re: Would You Use Nitrous Oxide?
DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)
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I'm at Vandy too and just recently found out they have nitrous. The MWs gave me a handout about it, just in case I decided for it. Right now, my plan is not to have it, but if the pain were to get to be too much, I'd try that before any other plan.
I'd talk to your Dr. about their view, I'm sure they feel one way or the other about it.
I used it with DD1. At first I inhaled really hard on the mask and it made me feel really dizzy and sick.
Then my MW turned it down (here the birth centres don't have the option to turn it down, but the hospital does because it also pipes in oxygen, so if they think you need oxygen they turn down the nitrous oxide), and then she coached me through how to inhale.
From memory you need to inhale as you feel the contraction come on (count to 3 as you inhale) then take the gas away. But it didn't make any difference for me so I didn't bother.
Until I was in the tub (in a different room) which also had nitrous oxide piped in, and I decided to give it another go. My DH suggested my MW turn it back up to standard level. And then for me it was great. But I needed it not set too low, and to do the right breathing to avoid sickness. I used it all through the pushing.
So for me it was a really great relaxant and helped take the edge off.
Elizabeth 5yrs old Jane 3yrs old
DH is Australian, and DS was born in AU (in the same hospital as his father, ironically).
I used nitrous in labor and, other than being a little bit loopy during (which trust me, I needed, since DS was born vaginally at 10 pounds 1 and 1/2 ounces and is nicknamed "Bowling Ball Head") I was very aware of everything that was happening. It was also pretty effective pain relief for me. DS is extremely healthy and alert and has been since the day he was born. I much prefer nitrous over the idea of an epidural or an IV (which I couldn't have had anyway, since my labor was very quick). I inhaled as each contraction happened and the midwives were there to turn the gas on or off as needed.
Overall, it was a very positive experience for me, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.