Minnesota Birth Center in Minneapolis is now offering nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, as an option to women in labor. Laughing gas could prove as a better alternative of pain relief while giving birth. The gas was once popular in the US but was sidelined after the arrival of the epidural in the 1930’s.

But now the birth centers in America are getting reacquainted with laughing gas as a self-administered pain control option for labor pain management.

The gas is a combination of nitrous oxide and oxygen and is self-administered through a mask. It has proved effective in many women who have tried the gas as an alternative.

Many moms who have tried nitrous oxide (laughing gas) informed that they used laughing gas because they wanted to have a completely natural childbirth experience and escape epidural.

Since nitrous oxide has been used by mothers for labor in the United Kingdom, Europe and Canada for decades, it has probably been quite easy to persuade some women in the United States to give it a try.

Although the gas does not alleviate pain as quickly as an epidural, it has the potential to relieve pain and reduce anxiety during childbirth.

Also, the gas not only allows women to relax and control their pain, it's also budget friendly. The average cost for a woman opting for nitrous oxide is less than a $100, while an epidural can run up to $1,000.