90: Nitrous Oxide
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Episode 90 Content and Overview
Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, was first used as a labor analgesic in 1881. Today it is commonly used as a labor analgesic in countries like Great Britain, Canada, and Australia. It is not as common in the United States, and this is changing as it is becoming more widely available in both hospitals and birth centers. A benefit of using nitrous oxide during labor is that it can easily be incorporated in a natural or a low intervention birth. During labor it is administered by breathing a mixture of 50% nitrous oxide and 50% oxygen, which you time with your contractions to manage the intensity. It induces feelings of euphoria, and creates a disassociation with discomfort of contractions. This episode dives into everything you need to know about nitrous oxide, and the risks and benefits of using it during labor and birth.
Included in This Episode
- What is nitrous oxide?
- Use in dental procedures
- Nitrous Oxide for Labor Analgesia: Expanding Analgesic Options for Women in the United States
- Contraindications for use
- Severe B12 deficiency
- Collapsed lung or gastric bypass
- Inner ear surgery
- MTHFR mutation
- How it works
- Benefits
- Risks
- Natural birth (hormones during labor)
- How it affects your baby
- Nitrous Oxide for the Management of Labor Pain: A Systematic Review
- Opiate addiction in adult offspring through possible imprinting after obstetric treatment
- Safety and Risks of Nitrous Oxide Labor Anagelsia: A Review
- The American College of Nurse-Midwives Nitrous Oxide for Labor Analgesia
- Considerations for health care workers
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