No one wants to experience unnecessary pain, and this could not be more true than when it comes to enduring pain in otherwise positive experiences such as giving birth.

Some clinics have started to offer a different alternative for labor pain management, which not only might be healthier for both mom and baby, but also might be a little more fun. The clinics have started to offer patients laughing gas to cut down on the pain of giving birth, instead of the more commonly used epidural option.

Laughing gas, which is nitrous oxide mixed with oxygen, might actually provide a safer alternative to pain management than an epidural. Laughing gas does not affect the baby in any way because it does not linger in the body the way that other pain management drugs do. An epidural is a more intensive procedure where anesthesia is injected into the spinal cord to cut off feeling to the surrounding lower body nerves. Epidurals are not without risk and may cause headaches, anxiety, fever, and sleeplessness among other things, none of which are ideal for welcoming a child into the world.

Laughing gas is also cheaper to provide than an epidural is, and it also puts the mother in control of her pain management as opposed to accepting the fate of an intense epidural. When treated with laughing gas, the mothers are provided the mask that emits the gas and are free to take as many or as few breaths from the mask that they would like, which acts quite quickly on the body. A laughing gas birth might cost around $100 in comparison to $1,000 for an epidural, which is a fairly significant difference.

While laughing gas is currently considered a viable option for labor pain on the rise, others suggest that it is not quite strong enough to take the place of all pain medicine. However, many women elect to give birth without any pain treatment of any kind, so naturally it can be done and might be a great alternative for people who avoid other pain medications.

Most of the laughing gas offered for labor has been outside of the United States so far, but a few different places stateside are currently offering the option. Laughing gas has been offered during labor since the 1930s in the United Kingdom, but self administering laughing gas machines were only approved in the United States in 2012, which might be why this trend is only now starting to catch on.

Currently it can be found at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and Tufts Medical Center is planning to add the option as well. So far one percent of U.S. women have tried the alternative, while 62 percent of women in the U.K. are already on board.

Besides just relieving the physical pain of giving birth, laughing gas can also reduce feelings of anxiety during the process. Laughing gas has also made the news recently for being considered a potential treatment for depression. Studies have shown that providing depressed patients with a nitrous oxide treatment elevated their mood immediately and into the following day.