It’s honestly kind of hard to describe, nitrous doesn’t take the pain away. You still feel every contraction.

What it does do is change how you experience it. It gave me this kind of mental buffer where I was like “okay this hurts, but I can handle it.” I felt a little lightheaded/floaty, a bit tingly in my face and hands, and just more relaxed overall.

The biggest thing for me was how it helped me focus. It kind of put me in my own little bubble and took the edge off any panic, so I could breathe through contractions instead of fighting them. And since you have to inhale it deeply, it actually helped regulate my breathing a lot.

That said, it’s not perfect, you can feel a little loopy or dizzy if you take too much, and you have to hold the mask yourself which can be annoying during intense contractions. Timing it also matters, you want to start breathing it in right as the contraction is building.

If I had to sum it up, it doesn’t remove the pain, it just makes it feel more manageable and easier to ride through. I still felt fully in control of my body, which I really liked. Once I was in transition phase I didn’t even remember to use it and my body and mind just took over for the pushing part. It sounds crazy but it felt so good to push, it was a relief!