[lilgsmommy]

My mom said that she used it with my younger brothers for pain relief.

I have been reading birth stories on a few mainstream boards and it seems to pretty popular right now as pain relief during labor.

Anyone know much about it and why it is used??? Is it safe? Effective?

I dont know how helpful it is, because they gave it to my twins during thier dental procedures and it didnt seem to effect them at all.

ETA: Im not going to use it, just was wondering about it, since it seems to be becoming popular right now.

 

[Ammaarah]

I didn't use it in labor, although I think it would be a better choice for some than narcotics or epidural (for those who choose to use pharmaceutical pain relief.) It's fast-acting and you sober up from it quickly, so even if you didn't care for the feeling, you would get over in a decent time.

I'm in the Midwest US and I don't know anyone who's had nitrous in labor in the US.

 

[lilgsmommy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ammaarah I didn't use it in labor, although I think it would be a better choice for some than narcotics or epidural (for those who choose to use pharmaceutical pain relief.) It's fast-acting and you sober up from it quickly, so even if you didn't care for the feeling, you would get over in a decent time. I'm in the Midwest US and I don't know anyone who's had nitrous in labor in the US.

I dont personally know anyone either..well other than my mom...but half the time I dont claim her

:

I saw a woman on A Baby Story using it too.

Im doing a little reading on it. I dont think they offer it where I live either, but if they did I might try it as pain relief for my cerclage removal rather than getting an epi for it. An epi seems alot for a 5 minute procedure, but it hurts like hell to get it out and if I go from 0 to 10 in 15 seconds flat again, Im gunna need something...LOL

 

[runes]

don't quote me, but i think that they don't use nitrous here in the us, but it may be available in the uk.

i would have been the perfect candidate for nitrous during labour, and it's sad that they don't offer it as an option here. it's all or nothing here in the us and quite frankly i call bullsh!t on a system that talks about how we shouldn't even have one drop of alcohol or certain over the counter pain medications at any point during pregnancy but then dope us up and pump us and our soon to be born babies full of narcotics during birth. there has to be a better way.

even though i prepared for and desperately wanted a natural birth, i reached a point in labor when i was so exhausted and dehydrated that i needed some pain relief as i was no longer coping well, and i was SO upset about having to get an epidural. it would have been great to have been more active and just use the gas during some really bad contractions to get to transition and pushing. (of course it would have been greater if i wasn't in so much pain, but this was a clear case of "compassionate use of painkillers during birth", i assure you!!)

 

[rabbitmum]

It is very commonly used during labour in Norway. I tried it during my first birth, but it didn't do anything for me, except make me throw up.

:

Many people say that it helps them, though, not so much because it alleviates pain but because breathing the gas through the mask gives them something to focus on and helps them relax.

 

[linzogonzerelli]

My Mom was given nitrous with me, she lived in Moab, UT (a pretty crunchy place

) and birthed in a hospital that didn't offer epis or spinals at all (at the time). When my brother was born 6 years later she was given a spinal for a c-sec in the same hospital.

This was 27 years ago though (for the nitrous)...

 

[xekomaya]

My midwife, here in the US is going to start offering it for home-birth. I plan to UC anyway, but I'm going to do some research on it soon just in case, seeing as it may be an option that I have. I don't know much about it right now though, but it made me think about the "brown spots" they always said you'd get for abusing inhaled drugs. I don't really want to kill any braincells, TY.

 

[zoeyzoo]

I've used it for dental procedures and prefer it over novacane. Glad to see this is another option for those who need it.

 

[Ironica]

Hmmm... I'd worry most about the effect on mom's O2 levels from breathing nitrous.

OTOH, I've never had nitrous administered by a licensed professional, just from cream chargers... ;-) it is fun stuff, and I can see how it would "take the edge off," but it LITERALLY only lasts a couple of minutes at most, so you'd have to keep dosing to maintain the effect, which wouldn't be so good for mom/baby I don't think.

 

[halo8]

I used nitrous for my first birth about three years ago - I'm in Canada, btw. It did absolutely nothing for me, felt like breathing air. But then again, my labour was induced and it went from feeling nothing to just pain instantly. Maybe if you have a natural labour that starts a bit more slowly, it could be more helpful?

 

[Ammaarah]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ironica Hmmm... I'd worry most about the effect on mom's O2 levels from breathing nitrous.

My online UK pals call it "gas and air." It's a mix of O2 and nitrous, so Mom's O2 levels are supposed to stay up. Not sure if they always do.

 

[wannabe]

It's used everywhere in the world apart from the US (apparently it's too cheap for them to use

: )

The argument goes: it's a drug, so the anaesthesiologist has to come and consent you and give you the canister/mask. They need to cover costs, and to have the anaesthesiologist come in for five minutes to give you 10 cents worth of drugs is not worth it for them.

Lots of people love it, and the good thing is that if you don't you wait five seconds and it's gone. You're also totally mobile, and the dose is adjusted virtually instantly.

I know nothing about safety, though - I never researched it because my hospital doesn't offer it.

Quote:

even though i prepared for and desperately wanted a natural birth, i reached a point in labor when i was so exhausted and dehydrated that i needed some pain relief as i was no longer coping well, and i was SO upset about having to get an epidural. it would have been great to have been more active and just use the gas during some really bad contractions to get to transition and pushing. (of course it would have been greater if i wasn't in so much pain, but this was a clear case of "compassionate use of painkillers during birth", i assure you!!)

That! Why the hell can't you try something short of a narcotic in the spine that paralyses you? it makes me so angry that they keep it from women in the US.

 

[jerawo]

Looks like Charlotte Church just used laughing gas during her home waterbirth.

 

[loulie]

Here in the UK it's standard practice (gas and air). I'm so surprised you don't use it in the US. In the UK though it's generally only used as a frist stage pain relief (well, when tens machine's aren't helping any more for some). Then the next step would be pethidine or more common now is diamorphine. Final step would be epidural, but in my experience the medical staff here are very loath to give those.

I didn't think it offered much pain relief (and for that reason i class my birth as unmedicated!) but i did find it a help as a way of concentrating my breathing through contrax. It was less helpful than being in the bath, but I was definitely clinging on to the mouthpiece for dear life towards the end!!! ha ha...