After three years of planning, Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women recently began offering nitrous oxide for women in labor. On Tuesday, June 20, Karmen Thompson, a first-time mother who wanted a natural birthing experience, became the first patient at the hospital to use nitrous oxide during labor to help her relax and decrease her perception of labor pain.
Nitrous oxide can be a good option for patients who want a natural delivery. It does not affect breastfeeding or infant alertness during the early bonding period between a mother and her newborn. It is self-administered, and patients decide how much to use. In the doses given during labor, nitrous oxide is not a strong analgesic.
Patients using nitrous oxide may still have an awareness of labor pain, and they can stop using it and try another method of pain relief if they choose. Nitrous oxide can be easily discontinued, and its effects disappear within five minutes after cessation.
Karmen had a birth plan for a natural birthing experience with Swandra Cowlie and Tara White, apprentice midwives at Full Circle Midwifery who work with certified professional midwives Melissa Padgett and Lanai Fields. Using nitrous oxide allowed Karmen to relax and rest during her natural birthing experience.
Baptist Women’s Hospital team members, including Assistant Director of Nursing Gina Horne, Labor and Delivery Manager Lindsey Graham, Dr. Kristal Taylor and Dr. Judy Williams, spearheaded efforts to offer nitrous oxide to patients during labor. They researched literature, queried the Council of Women’s and Infants’ Specialty Hospitals (CWISH), developed a policy with consent agreements and vetted it through various physician committees. The group also worked on advancing processes, providing nurse and physician education, and building order sets in the Baptist OneCare electronic health record.
The Baptist Women’s Hospital Pharmacy, System OB Advisory Group and physicians and nursing leaders from Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union County also collaborated in the process of bringing nitrous oxide to patients in labor.
