is something I personally know nothing about because I never had children.
I do know my mother had four with no pain relief. It would have been against her "Christian Science" principles to accept any form of pain relief or indeed any intervention during child birth at all. (As a result she nearly died when the Black Cat was born and did have an emergency procedure following the delivery.) It was the same for almost all women of her generation. In many rural areas women gave birth at home, mostly with the help of the nearest woman (who might be many miles away) but sometimes with no assistance at all
Apparently about half of all women now give birth using "laughing gas" - nitrous oxide". It apparently makes one of the most excruciating times known only to females more bearable. There are women who give birth quickly and apparently easily of course but I suspect that, for most, it is very difficult. I certainly don't envy those who have experienced it.
And now there is apparently a debate going on about whether the use of "laughing gas" should cease - on the grounds that it is "bad for the environment". There are some who are demanding that women be given opioid drugs to relieve pain instead. This would apparently be "better for the environment". (Yes, there have been some concerns that there can be an increased risk of Covid with the use of aerosols but the arguments about nitrous oxide are related to climate change not the possible spread of a virus.)
I really cannot comment on the medical side but I find it a ridiculous argument with respect to the environment and the welfare of the mothers of new born babies. To the best of my knowledge nitrous oxide is not addictive. Opioid drugs are addictive and it takes very little for some people to become addicted. Is this really preferable to a miniscule amount of the "wrong" gas entering the atmosphere?
I'd like an informed opinion about this from those who really know about these things. As an uninformed cat however I think I would be inclined to come down on the side of using nitrous oxide and planting more trees.
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Three children - nitrous oxide every time! No opioids, but have had them post operatively and they were less than helpful. How many women are there, worldwide, giving birth at any one time?
The good thing about nitrous oxide is that one only takes as much as is needed, but whack in a needkeful of whatever, and it can't be taken out if it doesn't help.
If I can be any help to you Cat I was a member of the NCT when I was young and one of their team of lecturers, which was very interesting. Later a group of us discovered that the same techniques could be used to ease period pain, and I lectured about that too and eventually wrote a book about all the techniques that could be used. It was my first published book. I called it 'Lifting the curse.' And just to show you that it wasn't all books and lectures, I had three kids of my own, each with a different labour, the first wonderfully straightforward and without drugs, the second a transverse presentation which was long and difficult and needed gas and air and forceps, the third premature, quick and easy and needing no drugs but an incubator for my very little one.
Thanks for your comments - I am just catching up on them after a very busy few days!
Beryl, I have sent your reference on to a friend who teaches about childbirth in the Philippines
She is always looking for new material. Thanks!
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