Alternative for Pain Relief During Labor

So I read this interesting article today about using laughing gas instead of other traditional means to help with labor pain.  I found it fascinating.  It is not supposed to take away the pain but the patient is so out of it she does not care she is in pain.


Laughing gas (or nitrous oxide and oxygen) is often used in dental procedures to help patients have less anxiety and discomfort without being completely sedated.


Yeah... I'm not sure if I'd choose this option even if it was presented to me during labor.  It may be nice to have this option though if for whatever reason an epidural is not available or unable to be done in time.


The article also notes that some folks who want to go all natural can choose this option for a short period to ease discomfort during a rough patch.  And as a side note...  kudos to all you out there who have gone all natural or plan to for labor.  I like my epidural. 


You can click on this link if you are interested in the actual article.