Imagine breezing through labor with a giggle instead of a grimace! Across the nation, hospitals are expanding their array of pain relief options for childbirth, harking back to the days of 19th-century doctors and those high school parties where you might have inhaled a little something from a balloon. NPR reports that nitrous oxide—often known as laughing gas—is increasingly available as a way to ease the pain of childbirth, offering a delightful alternative to the traditional epidural.
Forget about the agonizing choice between feeling absolutely nothing and enduring excruciating pain that could make you resent your loved ones. Now, there’s a third option: laughing gas (yes, that same stuff that had you rolling on the floor during your teenage years). Administered through a mask connected to a mobile cart, this mid-ground solution allows women to inhale the gas as needed, giving them a brief euphoric sensation that helps dull the intensity of contractions.
“When the contractions started getting really intense, I was like, wow, this is pretty rough,” shared Jenna, a new mom from New Jersey. “So they brought in the laughing gas, and it truly took the edge off.”
Before 2011, when the FDA greenlit new nitrous oxide equipment for delivery rooms, only a handful of hospitals in the U.S. offered this option to laboring women. Now, almost 300 hospitals and birthing centers have embraced it. Other countries have long used nitrous oxide safely for this purpose, and many healthcare professionals agree it is safe for both mom and baby in small doses. While it doesn’t numb pain like an epidural, it creates a sense of relaxation that diverts attention from discomfort. Plus, it’s significantly less expensive than an epidural, making it a favorite among many midwives. “It gives you this euphoric feeling that helps you sort of forget about the pain for a bit,” noted Lucy, a midwife.
But why stop at childbirth? One might wonder if we could get a prescription for laughing gas to ease the trials of toddler tantrums and teenage drama too!
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In summary, nitrous oxide is transforming labor pain management, providing a happy middle ground between complete numbness and enduring pain. With its growing popularity in hospitals, it’s becoming a go-to option for many expecting mothers. Who wouldn’t want to giggle their way through childbirth?