Asking what people's birth experiences were after having a forceps delivery

[claire0209]

I had quite a traumatic forceps delivery for my first baby. It's not put me off having another but just wondering what others experiences were second time round? We're forceps required again etc. My baby was also back to back and I was in agony as soon as my waters broke and contractions started, have others found this?

I had forceps with my first, they weren't needed with my second.

Second time around it was textbook and i was home 4 hours later.

Had them first tine round. Second time she was out in 6 pushes. Hone the next day. Healed very quickly x

Had them with my first, didn't need them for my second, he practically shot out!

I had forceps with 1st, he was eventually delivered via ventouse after horrible labour (but not back to back).

Wanted more control with second so opted for home birth and had him in a pool with no assistance or pain relief - complete opposite experience.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for the next one then :) so glad people seem to have had better experiences second time round. The healing process was awful, especially staying in hospital with a poorly baby, looking back don't know how I managed like I did!

First baby was a back to back baby here too , had forceps delivery , episiotomy and huge blood loss ( needed transfusion ) in hospital for 3 days
Second baby born an hour after we arrived at hospital , home 2 hours later

Icanseethepigeon - I'm hoping mine isn't as clinical next time. Did want to give birth on the birthing unit with pool etc. But had to go to labour ward due to bleeding loads, don't think that helped the situation, not to mention going into labour at bed time and not sleeping/eating and being in labour 21 hours - horrendous, hoping next time is better!

#2 was a precipitous labour, about an hour and a half start to finish with a 9lb11ozer.

#3 was a textbook 4 hour labour with an 8lb6ozer.

I had a terrible forceps experience with my first, 40hr labour, haemorrhage, baby not breathing etc and both of us in hospital for a week.

Second labour 7 hours from waters breaking to delivery and I didn’t even need to push - she whooshed out with last contraction!

Horror show forceps 1st time around, so awful gave me PTSD.

2nd popped out after 1.5 hrs labour

Rotational forceps first time for back-to-back. Number 2 and 3 were very straightforward.

I had forceps & episiotomy after a failed ventouse with ds1 & it took me a good 4 - 5 weeks to recover. Ds2 was was quicker (much) & although I needed an episiotomy again (he had an enormous head) it was a normal delivery, home next day & back on school run when he was 3 days old as I felt great. Is expected a much longer recovery tbh so it was a surprise to feel so good so soon.

First delivery forceps 3c year, second delivery caesarean

OP I just felt that after the first experience, I knew what to expect and didn't want to leave it up to other people to make decisions for me, which I had had to the first time around.

Fortunately I had trouble free pregnancies and home birth was encouraged in my area. It was honestly the best decision I ever made and was a wonderful experience. I understand it's not for everyone but I felt in control the whole time and held my DS as he took his first breath and opened his eyes. I still needed stitches!

Complicated forceps with first, not even a stitch with last.

Forceps with number one, not with number two. My recovery after my second baby was so much quicker. After baby number one I could barely sit down for a week, and barely walk further than the kitchen for 2. After baby number 2 I don’t recall much pain at all.

Forceps for my 1st. Didnt need them for 2nd and 3rd births. Much quicker and easier.

Exactly the same as you, back2back and emergency forceps.

Second time around was a standing delivery with gravity on my side! Out in 5 or 6 pushes with only minimal grazing.

I believe our bodies tend to know what they're doing a bit better second time around!

DS was premature and because I laboured so quickly (2 hours from first contraction) I hadn’t had any pain relief and then he ended up being forceps! They also stitched me up without numbing me first and that was as bad as the delivery. While he was in Special Care, I had people parading in to see the woman who had a forceps delivery on 2 paracetamols.

Anyway, DD was also a very quick drug free labour but no forceps required. I did need stitches but because I told the, about my first experience, they gave me lots of local anaesthetic and I didn’t feel a thing.

First baby - back to back position, 3 day labour, TENS, gas & air, pethidine, epidural x 2, keillands rotational forceps in theatre, large episiotomy, five days in hospital, PTSD. Second and third babies both TENS, gas & air & waterbirth. Much faster recoveries all round.

Had a very traumatic forceps delivery that took more than 6 months recovery. Second delivery was a breeze and took only a few weeks recovery - mainly because it was a planned c-section! Part of me was disappointed I didn’t get a chance to “do it properly” but mostly I’m grateful that we both survived without the trauma of my first.

Thank you for starting this op, I too had forceps with my first and I'm due again in December so was feeling a bit anxious but these responses are quite reassuring!

Gruesome forceps with my first. Back to back, Keilands Rotation. In hospital for nearly a week afterwards. Just horrendous.

Second baby easy. I had no pain relief, baby was in the right position - I didn't even need to push. Contractions did all the work for me. Home 4 hours later - even called at Tesco on the way back.

DD1 was back to back, Keilland's forceps with episiotomy. I was prepped for a c-section so very relieved to get her out with just forceps. The surgeon was incredibly neat with stitches so recovery from them was fine.
DD2 was much quicker - born within 30 minutes of getting to hospital. She shot out on the 2nd push so I tore a bit. Stitching not so good this time. We would have been home later that day, but DD2 has a minor condition that needed to be monitored.