That instrumental delivery should be banned?

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I know it’s the DM but this is shocking:

www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6797199/As-doctors-midwives-finally-act-searing-expos-childbirths-shameful-secret.html

They say 10 percent of mums suffer from some sort of anal incontinence! Claims forceps are the biggest cause so why are they still used? AIBU to say they should be banned? Why couldn’t you just get a C-sec at that point?

And what are the comparable rates of CS between Sweden and the other countries using forceps?

It varies by region, but the average is 16%

I’m really surprised i don’t have more problems than I have as I was pushing for four hours and forty three minutes. I still have no idea what the midwife was thinking and I’ve never met another person that was made to push so long. Eventually the baby got distressed and the locum doctor turned up, had a bit of a go at her, told her he was over ruling her and whipped me straight down to surgery. He said he’d try one pull with the forceps and if it didn’t work he needed to move straight to c - section. My son came out on first pull.

I do have mild prolapse and not that good bladder control- coughing and sneezing etc. are sometimes a problem but I read that DM article and feel very lucky now.

Sometimes I wonder what on earth went on and wish I’d have chased up the awful decisions of the midwife but I suppose what’s done is done.

After my DP insisted they do a c section the DR very carefully went through all the risks with me, I was barely conscious. At no point were the risks of continuing with labour mentioned.

If I hadn't have had a forceps delivery, both myself and my son would be dead. Me from a massive haemorrhage and him from swallowing too much merconium and being unable to breathe.

Newyearnewunicorn that seems to be the case- c section? Oh no, let's tell you all of the possible risks and make it sound as terrible as possible

VB- oh, don't be silly it'll be fine, women have been doing it since the beginning of time.

I can't remember who was waxing on about how natural it is and me replying that so is arsenic...

Cheshirecat you’re entirely correct about natural not being safer.
It’s interesting to see so many saying they would be dead or lost their baby without forceps as if I’d have been left to the too late for anything else stage DS wouldn’t have made it and god knows what mess I’d have been in. It was very obvious (with hindsight) why it wasn’t happening so why didn’t the midwives spot this after all they’re the experts. I’ve read countless articles in the media about woman who’ve had very similar labours to mine and lost their baby it makes me cry every time, how close we came.
I suffered double incontinence during pregnancy and I’m extremely grateful it had all cleared up by 6 weeks after birth. It is so life restricting very difficult to understand if you’ve not experienced it and it’s unacceptable women are left to live like this.
Full facts of the risks of birth should be given to woman, I suspect most would still try for a VB but have an earlier cut of point for cs.

Wel I think I have anal incontinence now that I did some reading m, I lost my ability to control my wind as much as it became very painful to hold things in and certainly very sudden...

They didn’t use any forcepts on me but they did induce me and didn’t believe I was pushing until baby was out. The speed of pushing was too high it traumatised borh me and the baby. I’m angry but just glad my baby is safe.

My heart goes out to the women who developed feaceal incintinence..

The women in my family (maternal line) are pretty terrible at giving birth naturally- my mum nearly died (during c section actually, though labour wasn't progressing anyway), my grandma nearly died, suffered a prolapse later in life and nearly lost my mum, my great grandma lost one baby and had a disabled son due to the traumatic birth - brain injuries probably...

I had an ELCS which was great, though my placenta had pretty much disintegrated (DS had skin so dry he had bloody scabs ). If I hadn't pushed for a c section and had potentially gone overdue I dread to think what would've happened.

We're not much better at BF!

One fact routinely not mentioned is that c sections are a lot better at preventing brain injuries due to lack of oxygen. Wonder why .

CheshireCat mine too! I think it does run in families and more notice should be taken.

user1457017537 of course, if you were to ask for a c section or extra scans based on this...

My mum and I joke our line is the reason the human gene pool is getting worse .

I had an emergency c section after failed forceps and my baby was in the birth canal (the head was slightly visible). I remember my baby being pushed back, which was very uncomfortable though not painful because of the epidural.

@vinylsamso

I’m sorry that happened to you. I started pushing at 11:50pm and my son was born at 6:30am via emergency c section after failed forceps. I don’t know why they even bothered with the forceps!

Tf Bundy I agree.

I wasn't made aware of this one however.
I chose elc for different risks too be mitigated.

St Thomas sounds awful. Maybe we should be approaching them and demanding to know what is going on and why they are using these procedures?

LOLing at the posters saying things like "forceps are used in CSs too, you know." Yes, we all know that. Except with a CS, forceps are basically being used to guide the baby gently through soft tissue. Not being used to clamp round the baby and drag them out through a bony pelvis, tearing through elevator and sphincter muscles on the way. Forceps were used in my cesarean--baby was just lightly eased out, and her face wasn't even reddened. She had an Apgar or 9 and was perfect and happy.

This is a really interesting thread and thank you OP for starting it.

I have a question though, in a lot of the previous posts, people have said that Forceps saved the baby's life but also their own. Can I ask why the mums life would be in danger?

I had emergency forceps after a 24 hour labour where my baby was stuck in the birth canal with the cord round his neck, and as I delivered in a country where I don't speak the language, it has taken me many years to gather information about what happened/happens during an instrumental delivery. I had no idea that my life was also in danger (if it was?). What danger is there to the mum in these cases?

Thank you and unmumsnetty hugs to all of us who have gone through this!

I do wonder if it would that bad to resort to a c section sooner and bypass most instrumental deliveries?

For one, the mother isn't going to be absolutely exhausted and will probably recover more easily.

Well that's the key point. We could avert more instrumental deliveries if we were prepared to offer more sections at an earlier stage. It's very legit to ask why we dont.

Yes I don't know why they don't. Cesarean is often better than an instrumental.

Sorry, but I thought of this

It would also probably save both heartache and money as the NHS spends a fortune on law suits due to mismanaged births, primarily vaginal births.

Ideological bias against sections. An underlying belief that vaginal birth is more desirable.

sit I've noticed that too!

Dear God you determine your opinions from the daily mail, GO AWAY.