To think that this could be possible - covid birth

A nurse doesn't have the training to interpret a ctg to recognise fetal distress or hypoxia, unless she has trained in midwifery? There can be quite subtle signs, it takes three years of training for midwives to be competent in interpreting ctgs. It would be bets for you to meet with someone who could go through the ctg with you. It may not have been for fetal distress, but at least you would know that for sure. Contact your hospital maternity dept and ask for a referral for a birth reflection with a pma.

That's not the case when they go early in the pregnancy. It's a different situation.

You have misunderstood my post. My reply was to the poster who said it wasn't possible for your waters to go at 31 weeks and not to have baby until weeks later. I was saying that it was, so actually agreeing with you and not being ignorant.

I can see you've edited it to change the name, thank you.

There was either fetal or maternal distress. Much more likely to have been fetal, so the baby's heartbeat would have been giving rise to concern.

That's my guess. I'm a retired midwife and I'm very sorry that you had this truly awful experience of birth. Can you ask for a debrief with someone who has access to your notes?

Unresolved conflict around labour and birth can really play on women's minds, even years later.

It is possible. If you have pprom (prolonged premature rupture of membranes) then you have regular monitoring including blood tests to monitor infection levels (FBC and crp twice weekly in my trust), once weekly high vaginal swab and ctg twice weekly dependant on gestation. We aim to keep baby in for as long as we can.

In my trust gas and air was never restricted, but I can't vouch for other trusts. The three hours for a primip tends to be a latent second stage for an hour (where you don't have the urge to push but are fully dilated). We would then do directed pushing up to two hours. We would only usually end up in an instrumental if there were signs of fetal distress which could mean it would not be safe to continue for the full two hours.

I would request a meeting with a professional midwifery advocate to discuss your notes and answer these questions.

Thought I'd just suggest it as it might give the op some clarity. Didn't want to assume they were based in UK.

If you birthed in the UK your notes should document the reason/s for all decisions made during your labour. So, in an adequate debrief, the clinician will be able to read your notes and answer your questions. For example the notes might read

Plan: for trial of instrumental due to maternal exhaustion/fetal distress etc.

I’m sorry you had a difficult experience and I’m sorry you’ve had a less than helpful birth debrief.

Perhaps getting a copy of your notes and reading them yourself might help?

I also found gas and air pretty pointless.

I’m sorry you’re still feeling scarred by your first birth OP. I also found mine traumatic (very painful, very long and dd wasn’t breathing at first which was scary as hell). Have you considered some counselling to talk it through? I had a couple of sessions and found it immensely helpful.

Your waters went at 31 weeks but you didn’t go into labour until 37 weeks? This is not possible. Once waters have gone, there is a risk of infection. My waters went and I was taken in to be delivered the day after.

Your waters went at 31 weeks but you didn’t go into labour until 37 weeks? This is not possible. Once waters have gone, there is a risk of infection. My waters went and I was taken in to be delivered the day after.

If the baby was in distress and early it may have been more important to assist the delivery. I had a ventouse delivery with ds (now late 20s!) and it was as you describe except I pushed longer, resisting intervention, and it probably ultimately helped neither of us. Your debrief should have covered this though. Ime the mw notes are pretty brief so will probably not be all that helpful. .

I had forceps with my third. I have no idea how long I was pushing. Big baby, back to back, epidural. Awful. We were both fine. I never questioned it tbh. Why is is bothering you OP?

gas and air isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
birth is birth

I had a different but equally dismissive experience resulting in ptsd.

I would genuinely think about why you're going over this and what you want? I am not recovered but realised there was no point in trying to get an explanation several years later when I felt well enough to try.

You do what you feel you need to, for me I've realised it's best not to think about it.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience. At the very beginning of the pandemic, there wasn't much understanding about how Covid was spread and I remember there were vague concerns that gas & air could increase droplet spread, so I think it was temporarily withdrawn in some places - though I worked in obstetric anaesthetics in the first wave and my hospital never stopped using it. That might explain that bit.

As for the forceps at 1.5 hours, we can't really tell you as none of us were there. Allowing up to 3 hours 2nd stage is unusual, and would be more likely in someone with an epidural already in - though some of that time would be allowing "passive descent,' not actively pushing. It may have been necessary because your baby was getting distressed, or you were becoming unwell, or were simply exhausted and no longer able to push effectively. It's incredibly unlikely to have been done with the aim of getting the room back sooner though - instrumentals increase the chances of needing stitches, or other complications, so it's not likely to have reduced the time you spent in the delivery room! I can hear how scary you must have found it, but please don't think they were just trying to rush you out of there; there will have been another reason.

It could have been because the baby was showing signs of distress but was too far down for a c section. That's what happened with my first and I ended up with a double epistiomy and forceps. I was then sewn incorrectly and needed 3 corrective surgeries afterwards.

I totally get the PTSD element of having a birth like this. Like you my second was altogether a completely different experience

It will have been to do with fetal monitoring, I.e. the baby was starting to get distressed

Everyone can automatically access their medical records here.

It is normally recommended to consider intervening after an hour of pushing, partly because it takes time to move around to theatre etc. if it is required. It is entirely reasonable to suggest intervention (forceps / ventouse / transfer to theatre) after an hour of pushing. If there were any concerns about fetal condition then that will push things forward. Because you were fully dilated on arrival in Delivery Suite then there will have been concern about how long you had actually been fully dilated for (nobody can know) and that would also lower the threshold for intervention.

During Covid there were concerns about the risk of infection to healthcare staff in the room from using gas and air. Some places stopped using Entonox completely, others would use if swabs had been reported as negative and others if there were no symptoms.

Specific hospitals also had such high numbers of patients on oxygen that it was borderline impossible to maintain the pressures in systems.

I am pleased that your second baby was a more positive experience for you - if this was also a vaginal delivery it is important to remember that the successful outcome was made much more likely by the first delivery.

I had a similar experience 17 years ago with dd1. They were so dismissive of me and told me I was very early stages and it was going to get a lot more painful so I needed to toughen up… dh requested a second opinion and the doctor was there very quickly (I was the only woman in labour that night). He discovered I was 10cm and rushed me to deliver. Dd was in my arms 25 minutes later and I was in shock. 30 minutes before they were trying to send me home but I refused to go (thank god). She was a shit mw. When I had me second pregnancy she wasn’t allowed to deliver any care to me as the relational had broken down and there was no trust (that’s what my notes said - doctor added that as he was furious with the mw). There were other bits of poor care but that’s the relevant story. I used to cry watching one born every minute because mine should have been text book but the mw failed me, made dh sit across the room from me “out of the way” so she could teach a trainee and left me feeling like I was failing in the early stages of labour. I’m not sure I found the answer as 17 years on I’m still a bit angry/bitter but my second pregnancy was so different and that did help validate my feelings.

It sounds similar to my first.

I had suction not forceps, it was traumatic, its been 16 years.

My second baby over 3lb more, came quick without much pain while I was all all fours. 😳

I think first time birth is traumatic for most people.

Hope you feel better soon.

Disgraceful that you u were deprived of gas & air.