Ventouse labour

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I gave birth to my babygirl a few months ago but had a delayed 2nd stage of labour and heart rate went low so had to go to the delivery suite and needed the ventouse. I found that part all very traumatizing and painful and the contractions were so painful and close together it was so difficult sitting in a chair to change wards. Doctor said the babies head wasnt straight so needed the ventouse. I was in the water bath before all this and wanted to deliver naturally in there. I want another baby and I am so worried about labour and what to do as I dont want to go through the same experience. Also had a epiosotomy and tears which took weeks to heal from couldn't sit down for a week.

My first son was born back to back and because I was a bit naive and was fully dilated when I got to hospital, they had to ventouse him out. They also have me the oxytocin drip without any pain relief, just a bit of gas and air. Plus an episiotomy.

Looking back it was traumatic.

Second son was a straight forward after birth, only a couple of stitches.

So there is hope don’t worry!

I’m due my 3rd in a few weeks and the only thing I’ve said in my birth plan is if I can’t have a repeat of labour number 2 keep that bloody drip away from me and send me for a section!

That's reassuring to know was your recovery any easier the 2nd time? What pain relief did u have? I really want a water birth next but thinking of epidural due to pain last time. Congrats on your 2nd baby and the 3rd soon too x

I had a back to back baby first time with a ventouse delivery and episiotomy following an induced labour as I was two weeks overdue.
Second time around I was six days overdue, but went into labour by myself. I had a water birth with gas and air at first but nothing towards the end. Had a slight tear but nothing major.
In my experience no two births are the same.

Just deal with recovering now and looking after your baby. A traumatic birth takes time to overcome, you'll likely see it differently once you have a bit more distance from it.

I had difficult first birth ending in CS, second time was a breeze in comparison. Be kind to yourself, let go of any feelings that you've failed in some way.

DS was a ventouse delivery, he had got stuck and I'd been in slow labour for 2 weeks. I didn't want an epidural but was given two choices - epidural or c-section. I was more scared of the c-section so went for the epidural. It was weird but did help a lot. I don't remember the birth in terms of the pain 19 years on, but I do remember vividly being told off by my mum for swearing at the midwife ("this lovely lady doesn't come to work to be sworn at")

Another with DS1 back to back (and a short umbilical core to boot) with a forceps delivery in the end. DS2 I had a tiny episiotomy but otherwise no interventions. Both were gas and air (I love that stuff!).

I found the pushing stage so hard as was so knackered and painful what did everyone find the hardest? What's an epidural like towards the end ?

I had a very long (38 hour), very traumatic, also back to back, large baby ventouse delivery with DS1. I had an epidural after 18 hours of active labour because I was so knackered and the contractions stopped. I ended up with a ventouse and episiotomy and stitches and god knows what else.

It was extremely traumatising but we knew we wanted more children, so we ended up with a v small age gap because I just wanted to 'get on with it' and not over think my first labour because I knew I would never do it again if I had to analyse what had happened.

Baby number 2 arrived after 4 hours and no pain relief and I ended up having 2 more after that (4 in total) all without any pain relief, further stitches or anything longer than 2 hours in labour....so try not to fret too much about how the second (or subsequent ones) go!

Wow that's good to know I definitely want more children too I suppose its still fresh for me as DD is only 3 months. How was it with the epidural ?

My second honestly was brilliant, just had a bit of gas and air at the end before I started pushing. Don’t get me wrong there was the temptation to have an epidural at one point and I’m not ruling it out this time round either.
I think if you go with the idea of taking all the drugs possible then anything else is a bonus

My first (over 20 years ago now) was a ventouse and forceps delivery. Second was gas and air and quite quick. Don’t think any two births are the same.

My first was delivered by ventouse and forceps after a long back to back labour. Episiotomy and tear also.
My second was completely different - quicker, no intervention and no episiotomy or tears.

Hey, DC1 was awful: episiotomy, failed ventouse and forceps. Had spinal anaesthetic as they were going to do Eemergency C section if the forceps didn’t work so I was on a catheter afterwards too.
Took ages for me to recover and she looked like she’d been swung against the wall she was so bruised. I was nervous about DC2 too because of this. I also wanted water for both of mine. Didn’t get it for DC2 either but that’s because he was out before they could turn the taps on! I ended up just needing a little gas and air for him and did it all myself.
With DC1 it took around 20 hours to get from 2cm to 10cm. With DC2 it was around 3 hours. I think it’s pretty common to have less complicated second births, that said the most important thing is that you and they are healthy in the long term regardless of how dramatically they enter the world.

First was ventouse and difficult. Second was a much bigger baby and much quicker and easier. Barely any pain relief but didnt last long so fine. Honestly every labour is different. Try not to worry.

I had a really short labour (4.5 hrs) and a ventouse as back to back and heart rate dropping. She’s an only so can’t compare.

OP, you can ask for a debrief from the hospital if you think it might help you to understand what happened in the birth. A friend did this and said it did help her come to terms with her difficult birth.

It's good to hear better 2nd outcomes I need to stop worrying. Has anyone had an epidural ?

I had a ventouse delivery with a epidural. She was” back to back” and a decent size and obviously in some distress. I went into labour on Tuesday evening and she was born in the early hours of Thursday morning. There was a delay in getting the epidural so I was given something else ( pethidine... sorry can’t spell it) which I think I reacted to because I was throwing up after every major contraction. I have to be honest ..... it was the longest 36 hours of my life. My labour just didn’t progress and my hands and feet swelled so much I had to take my wedding ring off it was digging into me. I was exhausted from pushing and throwing up. I couldn’t move. As my mother tells me every time the story is mentioned I swore profusely at the Consultant who dared to suggest I wasn’t trying ( this is after 24 hours of active labour) I don’t know how I would have survived without the epidural tbh. When I went into theatre I couldn’t believe how many staff there were in there. I was very moved that all these people were working at 01.00 in the morning for me and my DD and I am very grateful for all of them. When she was born I was obviously relieved but also completely numb. I didn’t get the euphoria that women talk about. Looking back I have some perspective on it but at the time I was fucking traumatised. I certainly was not over it at 3 months. In reality although I feel some huge misgivings about the way things went I was an older mother (41) and the truth is that generations ago my DD probably wouldn’t have survived that delivery and possibly not me too and it seems a price worth paying to have both of us here safe and well ( 7 years down the line)

I had an epidural midway through my first labour (ended in CS).

It was bliss in that the pain stopped and I could snooze.

Weird that the muscle tightening continued with contractions but I couldn't feel pain. Very strange to be unable to move or feel my body and to be wired up to so many machines. Midwives come to check the machines, less focus on you. You're stuck in bed. Interventions like episiotomy and forceps more likely. I don't know if gravity would have helped DD get in better position and come out eventually. So good elements and bad elements. It made me feel a bit like an object basically, but not in pain.

If you go for a second, just go in with a plan.

My first was a forceps delivery and was horrendous and traumatising. Long physical recovery and was in a lot of pain from my episiotomy for a while. I actually suffered with ptsd after it. With therapy I recovered and as I wanted a second baby tentatively went for it.

My second delivery was amazing. 1.5 hour labour and he was out with 3 pushes, no interventions, was up and about straight away.

I’ve heard so many similar stories, 2nd ones generally seem to be so much easier.

Give yourself time to mentally recover. It sounds like you had a really hard time.

Thanks for the advice. My labour lasted 4 days in total slow labour for 2days went into hospital monday delivered weds with ventouse epiosotomy and no pain relief had been pushing just under 3 hours I told the midwife baby was not coming. I couldn't of pushed baby out without ventouse

My first was a ventous delivery, with episiotomy, baby was stuck for some reason and I felt pretty crappy about not being able to push hard enough to get him out, as it seemed in my head.

Second, two years later, completely "normal" delivery, different kind of pain so baby must've been in a different position, and he came quite quickly. It sounds stupid but I felt so much better about my first, as I really thought I was a bit of a weed for not being able to push him out, when it was nothing to do with that anyway. It does take time to process it all, and it felt ages for me to feel like i could do it again.

Yeah I feel the same would love to do it all myself. Maybe next time. I found the recovery hard was unable to sit. Did anyone have long latent phase of labour?