Why are More and More Pregnant Women These Days Opting For Laughing Gas During Labor?

Mothers share their experiences of using laughing gas during delivery

Mothers who had used it before talked about how they felt when they did. Stephanie Knapp, a mother from Delaware, explained that using nitrous oxide during labor instead of drugs helped her feel calmer and stronger.

Laura, a 41-year-old mother from NY, stated- “You’re cognitively aware of everything that’s going on. If you don’t want its effects, you can simply stop using it. You’re not confined. With the epidural, there’s a lot of movement restriction.”

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There still are some concerns regarding the use of laughing gas

There are some worries about using laughing gas during labor, even though it hasn’t been shown to harm the mother or the baby. Experts warn, “Some animal studies have shown effects on animal babies, and it is unknown if in the future there may be proven negative effect on human babies.”

Some women feel sick or dizzy while breathing the gas and for a few minutes afterwards. But these side effects are like those of narcotics- they only last a short time. Even though research is still going on, studies done in the past have shown that the amount of nitrous oxide currently used during labor has no effect on a baby’s health at birth or on a newborn’s ability to be awake and feed. Still, there are some questions about how it will affect people in the long run and whether it poses risks when it crosses the placenta. Since there hasn’t been much research on the gas, some doctors are hesitant to use it, especially when there already are other well-studied options to relieve pain.

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It’s still good to have many options to deal with labor pain

At the end of the day, it’s good to have choices, and pregnant women can learn about their options, listen to what their doctors say, and choose the best painkiller for them. In the video below, a mother talks about how laughing gas helped her during labor.