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SALT LAKE CITY — Six-week-old Natalie is Missy Hardman's fourth baby. "All of my other babies were born fairly quickly, but she took a lot longer," Hardman said.
Hardman, who lives in Salt Lake City, didn't have an epidural but used nitrous oxide to help her get through 12 hours of labor. "She was a bigger baby and it was so long that I said, 'Let's talk about that nitrous,'" Hardman said.
Laughing gas has been used fo for pain relief since the 1800s. It's usually associated with dental procedures.
"They use an approximate 80 percent nitrous oxide mix," said Sara Hake, a nurse midwife at University Hospital. "Here we use a 50 percent, so it is a little bit lower. We're finding it's a great option for women who want to have something that helps them take the edge off, but they don't want an epidural."
Midwives say women are also using it to ease discomfort when an epidural is placed. Although nitrous oxide doesn't block pain, it allows the laboring mother to get in a different head space, so she can relax and not be so intimidated by each oncoming contraction.
"It can help you disassociate a little bit from your pain as well so that you're able to cope with your pain," Hake said.
The laboring mother controls the medicine and it's only released when the mask is on and she inhales.
It also wears off quickly in just a few minutes. Hardman said it helped get her mind off the pain and read to focus on what matters most.
"It really helped calm me down," Hardman said. "I felt like I wasn't as focused on how long it was taking, I was just able to relax a little bit in between contractions."
Nitrous oxide is less expensive than epidurals and doctors say it's safe for mother and baby.
