Gas is the simplest and is considered the safest form of medical pain relief, available to women in labour. It also has the advantage of not requiring a medical procedure or a doctor present to administer it. If the woman chooses to use nitrous oxide for pain relief in her labour, there are a few things you might like to consider. These include:
Side effects for the woman
Effects on the baby
Enhancement of narcotics
Side effects for the woman
The potential side effects for the woman using nitrous oxide can include:
Drowsiness
Feeling nauseated or vomiting
Suppression of breathing
Hallucinations
Addiction
Drowsiness. It is normal for the woman to feel drowsy with the gas. Even to doze in between the contractions. Sometimes the woman will become heavily sedated to the point where she is unable to be roused between the contractions. This is usually the case if she continues to use the gas in between as well as during the contractions for a couple in a row or the gas is on higher concentrations (such as 60:40 or 70:30). In this case the caregiver may try to encourage the woman to stop using the gas in between the contractions or turn the mix of nitrous oxide and oxygen down to 50:50.
Feeling nauseated or vomiting. Some women find the gas makes them feel nauseated and occasionally it will make them vomit. Nitrous is less likely to do this than other gas alternatives used in the past, but it is still possible.
At times the use of gas coincides with the transitional phase of labour. It is at this time that it is not uncommon for the woman to feel nauseous for short periods and vomit once or twice anyway (even if she is not using gas). If the gas is effectively relieving the pain, you may wish to persevere for a while to see whether this is the case.
Suppression of Breathing. In combination with drowsiness the gas can suppress the woman's breathing and therefore her intake of oxygen for herself and her baby.