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December 2015 Moms
ACarter0914
member
Nitrous Oxide during delivery?
ACarter0914
member
I was reading a booklet from my hospitals birthing suite and Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) was another option instead of an epidural. Has anyone ever heard of this or have experience with it?
I've never heard of this before so any feedback would be great.
I've never heard of this before so any feedback would be great.
Re: Nitrous Oxide during delivery?
I'm really hoping to use a birthing pool and nitrous oxide for pain relief, although I will be open to alternatives when the time comes.
Edit: because then =/= them
Edit for wordage
Make a pregnancy ticker
-you can get up and move during labor if you wish instead of being stuck on your back
-you can choose to stop using it or use less if you do not like the way it is making you feel
-you do not have to wait for someone else to administer it to you
-you won't have to worry about those epidural headaches/migraines after birth (my mom had a horrible experience with this specifically, which is why it matters to me)
Just FYI all my info came from googling, I am in no way a medical expert and I have not used it myself yet, so I'm just passing on what Google and my midwives have shared
I'm planning on requsting IV pain meds as soon as they are willing and then an epidural the moment I hit 4cm dilated (what my OB typically waits for). I've accepted I have no pain tolerance and I know I won't be able to manage without the meds. It is what it is.
I'm going to ask my OB about nitrous oxide at my next appointment because now I'm curious as to why it's so common in other countries but not the U.S.
The gas & air mix in the UK is recommended as an option that will not harm the baby (see link)
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/pain-relief-labour.aspx
Honestly, its not pain relief at all. You still feel every contraction, but you're mellow. Definitely get that drunk or high feeling...I was slurring my words a little. I remember sucking back the gas and telling DH and the nurses/OB "it's not working, this still f***ing hurts" but apparently, I slurred it and the OB asked my DH if he'd ever seen me high before. Once DD was delivered, I had 3rd degree tearing - I was quickly numbed in the area and they took awhile to stitch me internally and externally... again, only with the gas. It hurt like hell.
The good thing, is that once you stop breathing it and you're just getting oxygen, you're back to normal pretty instantly with no hangover feeling. But I found it had a funny taste and I had severe cotton mouth afterwards.
If you're using it for pain relief in place of an epidural, they're soooo not even close to the same. But it'll help calm you down and not dwell on the pain you're feeling.
Nitrous oxide — Nitrous oxide inhalation analgesia (usually a blend of 50% nitrous oxide and 50% oxygen gas) for labor pain has been commonly used for decades in Great Britain, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and other countries, but not in the United States [57-59]. The parturient self-administers the anesthetic gas, as needed, using a hand-held face mask over her nose and mouth or a mouthpiece. A demand value on the portable gas tank opens with inhalation and closes with exhalation.
Correctly timing each inhalation is important because analgesia takes up to 50 seconds to take effect, thus peak analgesia will occur out of phase with uterine contractions if the gas is administered with onset of contractions, which usually peak 30 seconds after they begin and last one minute.
Due to the time lag for nitrous oxide to take effect, inhalation should begin approximately 30 seconds before the contraction is expected to begin and should cease as the contraction begins to recede. This makes use of nitrous oxide particularly challenging during the second stage, as the parturient needs to be alert to push during the contraction.
The safety of this technique is that the parturient will be unable to hold the mask if she becomes too drowsy, and thus will cease to inhale the anesthetic. Because nitrous oxide is eliminated quickly via the lungs, it does not accumulate in the mother or fetus/neonate or cause newborn depression, and is thought to be generally safe [58,60]. An additional advantage is that it does not affect contractile activity. Pulse oximetry and gas scavenging systems are essential during its use; even so, environmental pollution is common. Also, it is known that exposure to anesthetics and sedatives causes neurodegeneration in developing animals, and although this link has not been established in humans [61], some investigators advocate avoidance of inhalation agents in pregnant women and infants, if possible [62].
The analgesic efficacy of nitrous oxide for labor is unclear. Systematic reviews have found that it relieves labor pain to a significant degree in most patients, but does not provide complete analgesia for many [60,63-65]. Some women do not respond at all. However, few fair or good quality studies were available and they did not provide clear, quantitative, objective evidence of its analgesic efficacy for the relief of labor pain. Nevertheless, for women who choose to avoid neuraxial analgesia or for those who do not have access to it, nitrous oxide may provide an alternative means to achieve some pain relief.
Nitrous oxide may be used during part or all of labor. Side effects include nausea in 5 to 40 percent of women and vomiting in up to 15 percent [59]. It should not be used in women with oxygen saturation <95 percent and some pulmonary conditions, and should be used with caution in combination with opioids because of the risk of respiratory depression.
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Committee on Obstetrical Anesthesia recommends that health care facilities have written protocols for use of nitrous oxide and that nursing and obstetric providers be educated on its safe use, with periodic assessment of competence [66]. Use of inhaled nitrous oxide for labor analgesia should conform to sedation policies established by the institution’s Department of Anesthesiology.
Lots of things (practices and medications) were once deemed safe have later shown to have negative consequences. If you're comfortable with it, great. Personally, I didn't find the pain of labor unbearable. To each their own.