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.

The registrar who used forceps to get my DS out was amazing. Had a second degree tear only which felt fine after a couple of weeks, and there were only two small red marks on the baby's temples for 24 hours, even though his head had to be turned.

Mind you, he said he'd done about 2000 of these. You do wonder how the first few might have gone.....

I had a low cavity forceps delivery as DS had his head flexed to the side. I was in labour for over 24 hours and by that point, I was just glad to get it over with. Recovery was by no means a walk in the park and DS was a bit battered. But compared to the people recovering from c-sections I felt I got off lightly.

That being said I have no wish to ever ever repeat the experience and the next time round I will do everything I possibly can to have those things no where near me.

'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.'

My consultant asked me, using my name and not 'Mum' if 4 students she chose herself could observe.

Whilst we waited for the topped up epi to take effect, she had each introduce him/herself to me and told them, 'She is to be addressed as Mrs Expat. I hear anything else and you leave the room I am only asking once.'

When they came to visit after DD1 was born, they all said she was very strict, but said she was the best teacher they'd had yet, a 'genius' and that obstetric students fought over who'd get to observe her in action.

Even when the midwife went to get her I could hear her outside the door saying, 'Oh, brilliant, Dr X is on!'

But she introduced herself as 'Mrs'. Why do consultants here use Mr or Mrs?

For DS I had 2 failed ventouse followed by forceps. For DD I had to have a planned c-section.

C-section over forceps any day..... In fact I would do anything in my power not to have a natural birth again...

Fishandlilacs, I couldn't face another delivery for a long time either - you may be able to request a c-section if you had post traumatic stress anyway.

Expat - it's because physicians in olden times were v snobby and wished to distinguish themselves from surgeons. So they reserved 'Dr' for themselves to mark their learbing. Surgeons including ob/gyn still use this convention denoting their consultant status - after all any newly qualified medic can call themselves Dr......

Oh, well, that midwife was Canadian, anyhow :o.

I had forceps delivery with DS but had a spinal block, to be honest by the time it got to that point I just wanted smeone to save me! OH won't talk about it!!!! No severe bruising on the baby but I was a bit bashed about.....to put it mildly. Am saving this weeks One Born EverMinie for a quiet moment

DS1 was elective cs (breech) DS2 was back to back and had to have forceps delivery after four days in labour. He was distressed so was just pleased to get him out. DH said it was the scariest thing he had seen. Consultant foot on bed to pull - like other posters had said. Had epidural so didn't hurt at the time but had third degree tears and took a long time to recover. DS2 had chunks out of his head and still has facial scar at 18. HOWEVER, the consultant said that we could have both died so rather glad of the forceps. would vote for a CS any day though. It took MUCH less time to recover.

I had Kielland's forceps delivery on DS - really scary, everyone freaking in the theatre shouting their disagreement about how they should section etc. DS had low Apgar score from shock and was a very screamy baby, massive black eyes, scars on cheeks. Still has marks on one eye. I had severe issues "down there" - not stitching which was fine, thank God, but bruising in the pelvis/muscular damage from the force of the delivery. Took about 6-8 months to fully recover but most difficult for first three months.

I try not to think about it but it was fairly horrific, I will admit. I didn't realise there were different types of forceps and was quite frightened to read that Kielland's are quite a controversy due to birth injuries etc.

I was born by a high forceps delivery under General anasethetic - I'm not quite sure why. My mother was told when she came round that I looked a terible mess and it would be best not to see me until the next day because it would upset her. As it was 1956 and you did as you were told in those days she just agreed to it and waited to see me for the first time the following day!

Trouble is, there is no crystal ball to see how things would have gone if you go down a different route. People can have bad experiences/ be damaged by any type of labour.

Prime example: a friend and I were in labour at same time in same hospital. We got to the same point about 2 hours apart, were both told we needed to go into theatre for ECS but that they would try ventouse 1st.

I had ventouse and forceps and they got DC1 out. However I'm not really sure how I have managed to conceive DC2 . Think I will have to call baby after the local anaesthetc cream I got from the doctor after 5 months of not being able to have sex, still have to use it after 16 months!

Meanwhile my friend refused the ventouse and had ECS. In the long term she has healed better than me and her baby didnt have squished ears. But they went ahead with the CS despite her screaming she wasn't numb on one side, she felt it, her uterous didn't contract, absolutely hurrendous and traumatic. So yes to forceps over that!

That said I am going to do everything in my power to avoid forceps next time, even [gulp!] if it means not having an epidural.

PS don't want to scare anyone on CSs - friend mentioned above is very much looking forwards to having a nice planned CS when she has DC2 (just with a different anaesthetist!)

DD was born via forceps. Unfortunately the epidural only half worked so I felt everything. DH said he had his foot resting up and pulling her out. She had a huge mark on her face when she came out, and for the first 6 months had to be held. She still doesnt like things on her head, and I am convinced its down to the birth. As for me, I had severe bruising and stitches and I am still not right (this was 2 years ago!). DD also needed calpol for her first 2 days.

DD was forceps. She hardly had a mark on her, but did scream for a few hours which might have been a headache (I imagine many babies have a bit of a headache first). On the other hand I had an episiotomy which tore further and 3 other tears. I couldn't sit down for 2 months and will be having an ELCS next time to avoid a similar recovery.

Ds1 was delivered with Neville barnes forceps in theatre, after 17 hours of labour he had hardly moved down at all .I didn't see or feel anything as had a spinal block. According to dh the dr was covered in blood up to elbows and had her foot on the bed to pull him out.
Ds was very sleepy after birth and had trouble latching on (or even waking up) for the first 3 days.
I was in a lot of pain after And could hardly walk the next day. My stitches did not heal well and could not sit in comfort for weeks. had to have a skin tag burnt off with silver nitrate at 6 week check. Sex was too painful to contemplate for 6 months.
I felt the labour was mismanaged at the time but strangely had never until now really considered that the forceps contributed to my problems in recovery.

Forceps deliveries should be outlawed. I had one, it effectively ended my childbearing career. They should be fcking illegal. I think a baby is too high for the ventouse to work, they should do a section.
Fck, I shouldn't even be posting about this - too upsetting. But seriously - I've told everyone - if they say forceps, scream no.

I arrived via forceps - 2nd twin, got stuck, my mum haemorrhaging and under GA. I was scratched and bruised and somewhat shocked and had a wry neck. Apparently my mum's first words on seeing me were ' isn't she funny looking' . And she had no stitches! Twin brother paved the way perhaps?

I had to have a rolled up towel next to my head for months to correct my neck but am unable to comment on whether my looks improved!

Was told after DS1 was born that a doc was sitting outside the room with forceps ready to get down to business. Luckily DS1 got his act together just in time.

DD was born with a ventouse delivery - she was spine to spine, and I had been in labour for 48 hours.....

The episiotomy was fine, healed quickly, and DD head was a bit of a funny shape but it went down after 2 days.

I was adamant that they were not going ANYWHERE near me with forceps, and I will be the same with my next. I would rather have the hassle of recovering from a c-section, that a completely ruined, lacerated fanjo, thank-you very much.

I was born by forceps HF rotational-still have the dents in my head forty odd years later- my mum was traumatised for years by her experience. I had a c/s and forceps used to get DS head out- mild bruising.

A friend had an attempted forceps which failed then an emergency c/s ....ouch.

I had a kiellands forceps delivery with my first baby and I was so desperate to get the delivery over with after 24 hours in labour I would have done anything to deliver the baby! DH said there was a lot of pulling and tugging but I wasn't aware of it because I looked at my DH through it and he was very supportive. I wasn't aware of any pain either because they gave me good locals. I had a large episiotomy which unfortunately had to be repaired afterwards about 3 months later. The baby had no bruises or marks and I went on to have 2 other babies normally. I would rather have had that instead of a c-section as in retrospet it doesn't seem a big deal.

I had a Keilland's forceps delivery last July - DS was back to back and was stuck so after 6 hours of pushing etc they took me to theatre for a trial of forceps. I had had an epidural but it only worked on one side so they gave me a spinal (though it took 23 attempts to get the needle in...). Everything was fine for us, I felt it when they turned DS but no pain. DS didn't have a mark on him and my episiotomy was expertly stitched and I was having sex again at 6 weeks.

Just thought I'd add a happier story of Keilland's forceps!

They broke my coccyx getting DD out with forceps..I couldnt walk for 3 months and can still remember the cracking sound.

Never again...

DD was born using Forcepts. It was barbaric but saved her life. She was back to back and got stuck, her heart rate fell and didn't come back up and we had to get her out there and then.

She was really badly cut she was hooked through one eye and in her mouth, and bruised but only has one tiny mark now and will be 4 soon....

It was very traumatic for us both but I still went on to have ds 2 years later... and thats another story

DD1 was forceps, I had an epidural due to pre-eclampsia and also my waters had broken well over 24 hours earlier so they were keen to get her out. The obstetrician managed to tear my cervix with the forceps and the mood in the delivery room changed very rapidly. I lost four pints of blood and it was everywhere...it was only the following afternoon, when I finally left the delivery room 18 hours after DD was born, that I noticed the blood all up the wall near the bed.

I guess the fact that the midwife mopped the floor before my husband came in the room to see the baby should have been a bit of a giveaway!

I was incredibly sore for three weeks, but all is fine now.

Forceps for DD2 (BBQ type).

Traumatic for her- superficial facial injuries, and for me- tearing, oedema of the labia.

However, they got her out when she was in difficulty.