Nitrous Oxide

What are the effects of nitrous oxide on labor pain?

How is nitrous oxide administered?

What are the advantages of nitrous oxide?

• provides enough labor pain relief for many women
• may enable you to avoid, postpone, or limit narcotic or epidural pain medication, which have more serious adverse effects
• has a short lag time between requesting the gas and obtaining relief
• can be used at any time in labor right up to the birth
• increases your sense of personal control, as you choose when you use it
• does not appear to interfere with labor progress or ability to push
• does not lower your blood oxygen level
• does not appear to have adverse effects on the baby's condition at birth
• can be discontinued more quickly than other pain medication, as its effects reverse rapidly when you stop inhaling it
• does not require the presence of an anesthesiologist for its administration and monitoring.

What are the drawbacks of nitrous oxide?

• is not available in many maternity units in the U.S.
• is tricky to time correctly: the lag time to achieving maximum effect is almost a minute, which means if you start inhaling the gas when you feel the contraction, you may not get enough benefit; continuous use, though, can make you feel dizzy and light-headed and increases the risk of grogginess or losing consciousness
• limits your ability to move about: the mouthpiece or mask is connected to a gas tank or other supply source
• can cause drowsiness, hazy memory of labor, dizziness, pins and needles, or numbness
• poses a small risk of losing consciousness: this is why it's important that you hold the mask or mouthpiece; if you lose consciousness, your hand falls away and the situation rapidly corrects itself
• has the potential for increased problems with sedation and decreasing your blood oxygen level: if used in combination with injected narcotics
• has unknown effects on the alertness of newborns and their ability to interact with their new environment: still, nitrous oxide dissipates rapidly and may not cause any problems.