Laughing Gas for Women in Labor

Yes, laughing gas the same stuff you get at the dentists office. Scientifically known as nitrous oxide is making a come back it has not been used in several decades for women in labor in the United States.

Nitrous Oxide for Labor

Nitrous oxide is commonly used for women in labor in Canada, Great Britain and other countries; it was abandoned in the United States in for other options, such as epidurals, said Judith Bishop a certified nurse midwife at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center and leader in the effort to reintroduce nitrous oxide for labor.

Epidural for Labor

An epidural is the most popular choice for women in labor in the United States the medication to block pain seeps through a tube into space surrounding the spinal cord. “Because it must be administered by an anesthesiologist, an epidural is significantly more expensive than nitrous oxide.”

Statement about Nitrous Oxide

"In this country, most people when they hear about nitrous, they think it sounds pretty retro, that it sounds very old-fashioned and they're sure there's something bad or dangerous about it and we must've chosen to eliminate it. But I think we eliminated it because we went for the more specialized, higher-tech options," said Bishop, who will be among the speakers Monday at a conference for New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine hospital officials.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock to Reintroduce Nitrous oxide

Dartmouth-Hitchcock, where officials plan to order two machines, nurse midwife Suzanne Serat estimated that 10-20 percent of her patients might try the nitrous oxide. The hospital hopes to begin offering nitrous oxide for labor by summer.

Sources: http://www.todayonline.com/BreakingNews/EDC110214-0000059/Laughing-gas-r...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110213/ap_on_he_me/us_laughing_gas_labor