Shoulder Dystocia 1st birth - now petrified of my second birth...

[Lolabelle]

I had a shoulder Dystocia occur when i had my DD1 and now i am pregnant with my second i am aware from the internet that there is a risk of having a SD again but am petrified of a ceasarean. Then again I am petrified of a SD hapening again as it can cause brain damage and even death to my baby but it is only a risk...

I'm SO unsure what to do - has anyone else experienced one??

[divastrop]

i did with my 2nd baby,i think she was stck for about 15 minutes before they got her out and she had to have oxygen to get her breathing.i cant remember much about it as it was nearly 8 years ago and i was drugged up to the eyeballs on pethidine.all i can say is ive had 2 more babies since and both births were fine.i dont know if its anything to do with it but with 3 and 4 i didnt have any drugs(except g+a)so i had more energy to push,plus i gave birth kneeling up as opposed to on my back like with dd1,which was easier.

[lulumama]

did she get stuck due to position or her size....

it might not happen again! and when you give birth they can keep a close eye on it

as divastrop suggests...birthing without as many drugs and a different position where gravity can help is good


if you want to be on your back to deliver..i think it can help
to get your legs back and up...your DH can help! to really open the pelvis that bit more that should give LO plenty of room to get out safely!

[belgo]

Lolabelle - was your dd born naturally in the end? Or did you have an emergency c setion?

[poppynic]

Wow, what a great surprise to find your message. I'm in exactly the same boat. I had a wonderful private consultant last time (in NZ where they are much cheaper) and he turned it into nothing - easy peasy. If you have the $$ I'd definitely be hiring someone who was very experienced.

But, unfortunately I don't and am stuck with NHS. Very scary. There was a great article in New Yorker magazine recently about the increase in caesarians - they covered shoulder dystocia and about six different ways of dealing with it - I'm thinking of taking the article to the hospital to show the (no doubt) trainee doctor. One of the ways is to break the baby's collar bones . The article said there is 5-8 minutes in which to get the baby out so I'm surprised that divastrop managed 15 minutes. I don't know what the answer is???

The doctor I saw at the hospital said it wasn't likely to happen again - it depended on "the passenger" not the mother. "The passenger", wtf - I think he knew diddly squat........... Where was the reference you found on the internet?

[poppynic]

AFter reading the other posts, I remember I felt like I wanted to be on my hands and knees to give birth. Coz I was induced and hooked up they managed to get me onto my back at the last minute and I couldn't get round again - my to my annoyance. A midwife friend told me that hands and knees is supposed to be a good way with shoulder dystocia. (contrary to the previous posts - but that's childbirth for you - 20 opinions for every situation).

[coppertop]

Ds1 had shoulder dystocia due to his size (9lbs 8oz). I had to have an episiotomy to help get him out but there was no shoulder-breaking etc. In my 2nd pregnancy I was offered an early induction so that the baby wouldn't be so big and was less likely to get stuck. I think this policy has been stopped in my local area now though. In addition it was arranged that the doctors would be in the room when it came to the pushing stage just in case any intervention was needed. Ds2 was born at 38wks weighing 9lbs. His shoulders got stuck but the doctors released him very quickly. With my 3rd pregnancy the doctors were on standby when I reached the pushing stage. Dd weighed 8lbs 4oz and needed no help whatsoever.

HTH.

[lulumama]

poppynic

passenger is an obstetric term-

the passenger being the baby

the passages ( i think ) being the pelvis

the powers being contractions

all 3 need to be doing the right thing as it were for birth to happen!!

[lulumama]

the best position for birth is the one the mother feels she needs to be in and if left to choose her own position,often gravitates towards the optimal position for her own baby to be born in!

[Lolabelle]

HI - i had her naturally in the end - well as naturally as a ventouse with an epidural is but i didn't have a ceasarean but they had to put my legs practically behind my head and pressed the emergency button so the room was suddenly full with staff all shouting commands and it was really scary in fact ui have just spontaneously burst int tears which has shocked me, i think it affected me more than i have realised.

I basically typed it in to the internet and read up on all sorts of reports about what can possibly increase your chances of having one and the side effects which scared me as i know its brain damage and death but i hate seeing it in black and white as i sort of remember that horrid fear that something was seriously wrong and this time round i will be more fearful.

I wanted an epidural again as i had an episiotomy last time and ventouse etc and it was quite brutal and i was bruised all down my legs from all the staff holding my legs behnd my head and the epidural was a godsend as god knows what pain i would've gone through without it but i am now absolutely petrified of childbirth and can't even type to you lt without bursting into tears, i am due to see my obstretician soon to discuss this but i don't see what he can say to help me as surely i'll have to wait and see what happens...

[Lolabelle]

my dd1 was 8lbs 6oz so not overly large, i read somewhere that it culd be to do with my pelvis etc and how i am internally that could cause problems again but its all 'coulds' and 'maybes'..

[lulumama]

Lolabelle _ you might have PTSD

you are obviously still troubled by the birth-- try and get it resolved before this LO arrives...the position they put you in is recognized as being helpful for babies who get stuck..in the heat of the moment, you were probably not handled too gently

if still crying about the birth..need to talk it through ...your fears will hang over you otherwise and possibly affect this next birth...

googling a topic like this does bring the worst outcome to the forefront.....i hope your obstetrician will take on board your fears and reassure you...

[poppynic]

Hmmm - yes, but I'm a woman having a "baby" - I don't want to have impersonal nuemonically (sp?) organised terms used to me to describe my experience, although they may have been fun for medical profession when swatting up for their exams.

[lulumama]

your pelvis can be checked to ensure it is 'correct' ..depsite your bad birth..your LO did pass through the pelvis..albeit with some help...

[lulumama]

absolutely Poppynic.....not all obs get that we don;t understand their language all the time!

[poppynic]

Lolabelle - you poor thing - reading your story made me cry too!!! - but then we are pregnant ... how did you get to see your obstetrician. I have a named one on my file but I don't think I ever get to see them??

[Lolabelle]

I was offrede birth counselling after the birth but i was so busy with a newborn i sort of decided i'd get over it, everyone was telling me that theirs was also bad so i figured with no other birth to compare to maybe this was childbirth! The obs wil no doubt tell me he'll put it on my pink notes etc etc but i guess noone cares for your unborn child as much as you do so i will need to push (excuse the pun!) for my concerns to be dealt with i reckon.

I broke my pelvis 5 years ago but noone seemed to care about this piece of information and it struck me afterwards that surely there could be a link??I'm no doctor but it seemed coincidental...

[Lolabelle]

Poppynic maybe its our pregnancy hormones making us blub so easily!!! Its an emotional block for me though and i tend to make light of it, its only when my DH was talking about her birth the other day and i told him it was the worst moment of my life that he looked at me shocked and couldn't believe what he was hearing - i'm great at covering up with a joke and a smile you see. Opened up he floodgates a bit though as however much she is worth it it was so scary and closing my eyes and seperating myself from the whole situation was the only way i could deal with it all. Afterwards i barely noticed her as i think i was in shock and put on my best smile and cracked a few jokes and have just got on with it ever since, i don't think the olds ie my mum and mil etc like you to dwell on childbirth - its almost like 'yes well dear we've all done it, best not go over old ground' etc etc and so you tend to give up trying to speak about it which is why MNET is so helpful.

Its reassuring to hear a few of you went on to have better second births and hopefully they will reassure me at the hospital.

Poppynic i expressed my concerns to my GP who wrote a letter to the obstretician and i got an appt card through - ask your gp as it seemed very easy for him to do this.

[lulumama]

lolablle--

it is fine to need help to get over a traumatic birth...i did! and had a fantastic second birth....no need to sweep it under the carpet and pretend...glad you are being referred to your obs...

and i would mention the broken pelvis ...and make sure you get answers to all your questions, no matter how trivial they seem...they are important to you.....

if you get some 'closure' ( hate that word?!?!) on your first birth, you are helping yourself to a better second birth....

[divastrop]

maybe it wasnt 15 minutes,i know it was quite a long time but i was very drugged and i tore very badly when she did come out.she was 8lb 11oz so not huge but the biggest ive had out of 4.
i was induced with all of mine,and with the first 2 was told i had to lay on my back as they couldnt remove the heart monitor under any circumstances.with no.3 and 4 i told them i wanted to be upright and no way was i lying down,so they just listened in between contractions.

[McWitch]

I had sd with ds (2nd birth) - he was 9.4lb. it was quickly resolved with McRoberts and didn't tear (amazingly) but it seemed he was stuck for an eternity and I was so freaked out for a long time.

I'm not planning on having any more, Lolabelle, but (fwiw) if I was I'd definitely consider having a C-section as would worry I'd panic at delivery, whether there was sd or not. am also terrified of the idea of a C-section!

really hope you have a stress-free delivery, regardless of the method. xx

[McWitch]

should add - both my deliveries were fast and natural (no drugs except bit of gas first time). had a doula for my second and was planning a homebirth that didn't happen (had Strep B) and got in birthing pool and hated it (definitely body knew what was going to happen....??)

[binkacat]

Lollabelle - did you know that a ventouse can cause a shoulder dystocia?