Can the use of laughing gas really relieve labour pains?

One alternative to epidurals is the use of an entonox machine which allows the moms during labour to breathe in a mixture of laughing gas and oxygen to numb the brain’s pain centre, making labour more bearable. This would involve inhaling through the entonox mouthpiece for at least a minute prior to the peak of the contraction. To be effective however, your LMC should be able to guide you in the right timing and proper breathing. Nitrous oxide has no harmful side effects for you or baby and cannot adversely affect the progress of labour.