Gas and air during pushing. Did you have it/want it, was it taken off you if you wanted to keep it etc?

[DontSweatTheSmallStuff]

Just wondering about this after watching some OBEM's and reading the transition thread. Lots of people seem to have had G&A during the pushing stage.

Mine was taken off me at transition with some comment like "you don't need it now". Well I bloody wanted it!! but at the time didn't know any better, just assumed that's what happened at transition and just went with it.

Am planning to hang on to it with a vice like grip this time. Am I likely to to meet resistance from the midwives again?

Well I got to keep it in the end. Thanks for all the comments. Helped me have the confidence to ask for and keep it during pushing.

I do think it helped, (even if it was only all in my mind) If i just copy Lamours post word for word that describes perfectly how it went, especially everyone else being able to tell when i was about to push.

At one point someone did say "shall we try without the gas and air". I said very firmly "NO!" and they all laughed and said "well that was a definate no" and didn't dare ask again. They would've has trouble priseing it out of my mouth though i was biting it so hard, - saved me crushing dh's hand!

Congrats op

My gas and air was wrenched out of my hands with a very firm "you don't need that anymore" not long before DD was delivered. Sounds harsh, but to be fair to the midwife, I'd had a full spinal block by that stage and was completely numb from the chest down. I was very, very attached to the gas and air after 24 hours of a back to back labour, and was in no mood to hand it over!

Thanks offcolour

Not needed durig labour but I did have it when a catheter was insered the same time as an injection. (After birth.)Two pronged attack there. 2nd baby not at all.

I hated it, so definitely didn't want it during pushing. I tried it twice, once during first stage and then they bought it back when I started pushing, but I still hated it. Too distracting from breathing techniques. To be honest though the pain subsided hugely for me, once I started pushing, so I didn't feel I needed it anyway.