One Born Every Minute - Who's had a Forceps delivery?

[Treadmillmom]

Mum of 3 fortunately all text book natural un aided deliveries.
I've just watched tonights One Born Every Minute and the forceps delivery, I am stunned!
The midwife seems to be putting her back into it, dragging the baby out, is that okay for the baby? How is it possible the baby isn't born with neck injuries?
Also mom, doesn't having 2 metal tongs inside you not shred and bruise you?
Tell me please, I was totally grimacing as if I were there.

[paddypoopants]

Ds was born with Neville Barnes forceps. His heart rate fell as he had the cord round his neck a couple of times. I remember it all being a big rush. I had had an epidural half an hour before it all kicked off so it was fine for me and I had no after effects and neither did my ds - just a bruised cheek. I feel grateful that they did it as it meant I avoided a emergency section and they got him out really quickly.
I don't know if I would've felt so positive about the experience if I hadn't had the epidural ( thanks to the senior consultant anaesthetist about to go off shift and the junior midwife not daring to hold him up to check how dilated I was i.e. fully.)

[Northumberlandlass]

Girnythecat - no, I didn't note the type of forceps either.

And yes, my DS is an only.

[Nippolopolis]

Thisfeelsweird - we are all sharing our experiences, good and bad. You had a good experience, as did several other posters on this thread. Shall the women with bad experiences not bother contributing?

[Doyouthinktheysaurus]

Thisfeelsweird, for alot of women their experiences of foceps are not so positive. Doesn't make what we have to say any less valid though.

[NeedCoffee]

I had one and it was exacly like in OBEM. Doctor tried suction first and pulled so hard that it came off dds head so they moived onto forceps.

[ThisFeelsWeird]

Sorry - I didn't mean to sound patronising. I am probably remembering a thread recently where the OP had not had any experience of forceps, just had read an article about a baby in the US dying after being born that way. Loads of posters piled in to say things along the lines of "Forceps should be banned, they kill babies" or some such crap. It really upset me that so many people who had no knowledge of the procedure weighed in to say what a bad thing it was, based on scaremongering.

Apologies though, I can get a bit carried away. I feel quite sensitive about the issue because for me it wasn't an horrific botch job but so many people when you say you had forceps assume it must have been. Hearing people constantly denigrate the means by which your child was born gets you down.

[EMS23]

My DD was born by Neville Barnes forceps 13 weeks ago after a prolonged pushing stage. I had a pudendal block and episiotomy. She had a small mark on her head which is still visible.
She was unable to breastfeed from me and would just scream and scream whenever I held her neck. I don't know if that is because of the forceps or not.
I felt sad for a while about my "failure" to deliver her myself and my "failure" to breastfeed but I am beginning to get over all that now.

[chitchatingagain]

Not everyone is denigrating it - I feel that my birth was crap, but the forceps was the best of a lot of bad options. DS has a scar on his forehead, big deal, he's here and alive, and so am I. To me that's a GOOD birth. TBH the head midwife was the worst part of the birthing process (mean cow!!!!). The doctor holding the forceps was a saint to me, he saved us both.

[8rubberduckies]

Thisfeelsweird I'm really glad your forceps experience was not as negative as some people's. Part of the joy of Mumsnet for me is that it is a safe space to share good and bad experiences with other Mums (excepting AIBU of course . Traumatic births are exactly that - traumatic - and I feel the women who have suffered from them should be able to voice their trauma without being ridiculed or judged by the more fortunate.

[8rubberduckies]

Sorry Thisfeelsweird, completely cross-posted with you .

[MissJanuary]

8rubberduckies thank you for this very sensible reply to Thisfeelsweird

[Lainey1981]

Ds was forceps delivery- keillands i think as they needed to rotate him as was brow presentation and therefore stuck (explains the 19 hrs of active labour)
Had had epidural a few hours before but not topped up in a while, also had local anaesthetic but screamed and swore my heart out as felt like my bones were being broken manually. as had been fairly quiet up til then. Had to have episiotomy and still tore(2nd degree i think)
Ds came outa bit swollen and with funny shaped head but ok after a couple of days.
I still hvae lots of discomfort etc and am wondering if have permanent damage as can't isolate pelvic floor muscles to do exercises.

[Lainey1981]

That was 10 weeks ago

[moonstone1201]

I had a forceps delivery with my first - epidural was working fine and was topped up before the procedure. However I remember the insertion of the forceps in vivid detail and it hurt like nothing I have ever experienced. In saying that though, the baby was fine (two faint lines on his head that were gone before we got home from hospital), and physically I healed pretty quickly. Emotionally I was not so good as I kept having nightmares and flashbacks about being in theatre. Couldn't have sex for a year afterwards!

During my second pregnancy (despite being mocked by a consultant who said I couldn't possibly have felt pain under epidural!) I worked through it with kind and patient midwives who promised I could have a spinal if I needed forceps. Despite my experience I understand the need for the procedure and wasn't completely ruling it out.

My second labour was an absolute doddle - I popped out a 10lb 6oz girl (with a rather large head!) within about half an hour of getting to the delivery room, with no pain relief! Found the actual birth to be pretty painless until afterwards when it was discovered I had torn in both directions and needed stitches. The only reason I mention this is that despite the lovely easy birth my recovery was much harder and took a lot longer than with the forceps delivery.

[Northumberlandlass]

Chitchatagain - please don't 'big deal' the issue of having a scar of DS face, this was one the most traumatic experience of my life.

Of course, the end result was good (we are both alive), but I have struggled with the effects ever since.

x

[Northumberlandlass]

Yes, I know it could be A LOT worse (before anyone else says it).

x

[LAlady]

I had failed forceps with my first. It was a long labour and they decided to try this (DS was prosterior). I remember two big burly gentlemen having to hold me as the force was such that I was nearly being pulled off the operating table.

I ended up with an emergency c-section. DS ended up with a bruised head, black eye and sessions at a cranial osteopath. She was certain it was as a result of the forceps that DS needed them.

[megansmummy1]

I also had keillands in theatre after hours of pushing on gas and air, they rushed me in and gave me an epidural. It was pretty scary at the time but DD and i were fine in the end which is all that matters. I had large epesiotomy and a tear, it took longer to stitch me up than it did to deliver her. To be fair, midwife said they only had one consultant qualified to deliver this way and if he wasn't in then it would be a c section, i do understand people being concerned about junior docs doing this though, it is a very specialised technique, i had him showing 3 others how to do it at the time. I had a tent up so couldn't see anything so OBEM was first time i have seen this and was pretty shocked.

[chitchatingagain]

Northumberlandlass - Hey, I'm not happy about the scar on DS's face either. It's not nothing, and I hate seeing it. As I said, I still view the birth as 'crap', but before I let myself get too upset over it, I remind myself that it could have been worse.

Besides, both my DSs have already built up a nice collection of scars on their heads all on their own, DS1 has had his head glued twice and is not yet 4, and DS2 once, and has only turned 18 months.

[PureBloodMuggle]

Òh dear I thought the forceps delivery wasn't too bad last night!!

It's actually the fist time in 4 and a bit years I've ever watched a birth on TV without crying (watch 10 mins of One Born last night to 'test' myself - I passed).

DS1s birth was pretty naff, but DS2's was something else!! Failed vontouse and then attempted high forceps as he was only just at the instrumental attempt level (wherever that is)

I actually thought I'd imagine the foot on bed bit but after reading this thread I've found out it wasn't my imagination running wild!!

Hurt like something else too (no pain relief - was regretting that choice at that stage!!!) DH says the sight and sounds aren't something that'll leave him in a hurry.

DS2, born in the end by emergency section, had bruised and swollen eyes (as well as a little ring on the top of his head from the vontouse.

He's perfect now though

[fishandlilacs]

I would never ever let them go near me with forceps again if I ever find myself in that situation. I would go straight to c section.

The use of forceps during my labour was directly responsible for my Post traumatic stress and Post natal depression. I still feel like crying when I think about it and my daughter is 3.5.

I have flashbacks of it now. It can still make me physically sick.

I have not yet been able to have the courage to have another child despite my age is creeping up on me. I blame the forceps attempt.

[redandyellowandpinkandgreen]

I had a positive experience really. A long labour and then at the end the baby was in distress so they took me to theatre and said they would try forceps but if that failed they would go to a c section. I must admit I hadn't read much about assisted deliveries so I didn't really know what to expect. I just knew I didn't want a C section so was more than happy that they pulled DS out!

There was no foot on the bed - well not that I saw! DS was a little bit bashed but not bruised or anything and I had an epidural that they topped up with something so didn't feel a thing. I was just glad to have him out. The theatre bit was a bit scary, there were so many people. But I didn't have any pain. Was a bit sore afterwards but nothing terrible.

Sorry for those who had bad experiences.

[Oscalito]

I had a forceps delivery in November. It was fine, in that it was fast, well managed and my baby came out with just a red mark on his face. The consultant was totally confident and had clearly done it a million times before, and it was a huge relief after four days of contractions.

But I still can't get over the fact that medical students watched the whole thing happen. It is bad enough when a complete stranger comes into the room, pulls out tongs and sticks them into you. But it's worse somehow that people were sitting at the business end watching it all happen, completely detached from me and seeing it as just a procedure. I wasn't told that they were coming in, so I feel a bit violated, and would think hard about consenting to them again on my birth plan. I don't mind if you get to know them, and are told they are there, but it's as if they hang around like vultures waiting for a forceps delivery to tick that box and stuff the person attached to the procedure. They probably never even looked at my face.

If it happened in any other setting than a labour ward you'd be in therapy for life. But somehow because it's childbirth you're supposed to just be happy with whatever happens, as long as you're baby is OK. And I am of course happy that my baby is OK, but I still cringe whenever I think about it.

I loved that she was so proud of herself last night for delivering naturally - good for her - and her forceps procedure looked gruelling, mine were 'low forceps' so not that deep. I don't want to complain too much, I wasn't left with any long term damage. Anyway, rant over. I just had to vent....

[Northernlurker]

This is a very interesting thread. I've had three unassisted deliveries and I thought I was pretty aware ff all the options and what they meant. Until last night I would have said forceps over c-section any day.
Not any more.

Forceps are a fabulous life saving device. Through history they've saved so many countless thousands BUT what I saw on OBEM was uterly brutal and given a choice I would not subject myself to that kind of possibility.
For the woman concerned and for many on here it's worked out really well. For me - were I making a decision about birth options - I would not now contemplate forceps. I find that interesting in myself because I am fully aware of the risks involved in c-section - but still I would not want that type of treatment.

[Northernlurker]

fishandlilacs - have you contacted the Birth Trauma assocition? They are supposed to be very, very good. link here