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.

'I can't understand how the baby's head doesn't come off! Seriously! I could hardly watch the forceps delivery in OBEM.'

Oh, the mother is pushing, too!

I couldn't feel it, but the midwife put her hand on my bump and would feel the contraction and tell me to push and believe you me, I wanted her OUT so I pushed hard as I could.

They do not use them in the US- they are horrified by them and think them unsafe and damaging- my ob said " just think if you were in the UK they might be doing that medieval forceps stuff on you. Why do they still do that?"

I had a c section thank goodness and I just hope I can stay here long enough to have my second( automatic c section).

I think it is for cost reasons that they avoid c sections in the UK. But sadly there are I think more cases of cerebral palsy and other birth related defects in the UK than a place like the US where they are all to quick to do a c section.

To be honest I know which I prefer. Whatever is lowest risk to the baby.

I had a forceps delivery with DD1 and it was utter hell. The registrar had her feet on the bed and was pulling on the forceps to get DD out. Over 4 years later things are still not right down there and I wish I'd never consented to a forceps delivery and had gone straight for a CS (it was a trial by forceps in theatre as they weren't sure they'd get DD out without a CS). After the damage done to me, I seriously think forceps should only be used if a CS cannot be done.

What Oumarusks said

I'm 8 years on from forceps delivery and suffer everyday from the effects of the forceps as I now have a large rectocele.

I would never have consented if I had known what the effects could be. I was in theatre, prepped for a cs if the forceps hadn't worked, I so wish I had just had the c-section.

I am aware of what the recovery is like, I have since had 2 abdominal ops with recovery much like c-section. I'd still go for a cs over forceps.

cat64: too right!

It's interesting (and significant) if they don't use forceps in the USA, and are much quicker to go to CS if problems are looming.

Possibly related to the fact that people there are much more likely to sue for 'damage'? There have been a fair few sad details of damage on this thread alone.

And yes, obviously CS carries risks too. But the Americans seem to be of the opinion that it's a smaller risk than some of the more barbaric interventions which women and babies suffer here.

This isn't the US. They may not use forceps, but in hospitals rather than birthing centres, they try to bully you into have an epidural and you see most women giving birth on that their backs with their legs in stirrups.

Many hospitals there have a 25% CS rate. VBAC nearly unheard of now.

Land of lawsuit.

Oh, and there's that small matter of health insurance. As in, you have a CS and hospital charges your insurance more for that than for a vaginal delivery.

You don't have health insurance and, well, it depends on that state you live and your income but you could find yourself in tens of thousands of dollars in debt.

My uncle had a triple bypass there in 2009. Pretty routine stuff. He has excellent insurance.

His 'share'/co-pay for all the care he needed: $20,000.

Hardly a role model of healthcare.

Yes, DS was born with forceps. They tried ventouse first but that didn't work. They did it in theatre with a spinal block as reading between the lines I think they thought a CS was likely, and that in any event in was going to be tough going. Thank god for the spinal block! I was actually able to enjoy the birth. Didn't really see the forceps themselves, I was concentrating on pushing (yes, you do still have to push like crazy). I did get a third degree tear though. I remember being gutted when the midwife explained the tear to me afterwards. I don't know whether it was completely down to the forceps, but I do know tearing is much more likely, and likely to be worse, with forceps.

DS had a cut on his head which caused him grief for a few hours but that was actually from the ventouse. Didn't seem to be affected by the forceps. Don't know what type they were.

The bottom line is that as bad as it looks, it is still considered preferable to a CS, although I think that's debatable.

I was really pleased to see that woman on OBEM being proud of herself for having a natural birth with forceps. I hate it when people talk about forceps deliveries as if they've been a total disaster because the woman needed 'help'.

The USA also has twice the maternal mortality rate of the UK.

Expat - Obviously the insurance-based financial model of healthcare in the US sucks, my point was more that in the 'land of lawsuit' they will go down the less risky road, non? But yes, can understand that this may also be biased by the fact they charge more to do CS's.

btw I gave birth in a UK hospital on my back, strapped to monitors. I think stirrups may have been involved when I had the episiotomy and ventouse, but tbh I can't remember.

And nobody would have had to bully me into an epidural, I would have killed for one once all the chopping about started, but I had been talked out of one earlier as I was 'doing so well'.

I am not sure statistically that it is less risky tbh. I think risk of injury may be higher with forceps, but fatality is actually slightly higher. I am sure I have seen figures reflecting that somewhere, but would need to find them.

slug - isn't that more to do with the fact that many women just don't have proper access to healthcare, full stop?

I'm not saying the US healthcare system is better (it certainly isn't), my point was whether they are quicker to go to CS because they are less likely to get sued, and why that is?

'btw I gave birth in a UK hospital on my back, strapped to monitors. I think stirrups may have been involved when I had the episiotomy and ventouse, but tbh I can't remember.'

I did, too, House. I'm from the US. Lived there for 31 years. I have a bankrupcy from getting injured with no insurance. And that was fortunate, because now, unless you are seriously on the bones of your arse, you can't go bankrupt for medical debt.

Nice! What a great, equal, fair system!

I would never want to give birth in teh US because it is, unless you go down the birth centre route (which your insurance might not cover), largely a highly medicalised affair always regardless of whether you need it or not.

If you give birth age of 35, regardless of anything, you're considered 'high-risk' and have even more medically invasive tests.

Yes, I had a forceps delivery. Yes, I had a ventouse delivery.

I loved my epidurals.

I still think there's about nothing to good to model from a place where the CS rate is 25% and where people can easily wind up losing their home and bankrupt (possibly still having to pay tens of thousands of dollars) over a relatively routine occurrence like cancer or a car accident, where you can work all the hours God sends and be unable to afford health insurance for yourself or your children.

In fact, I find it a deplorable system all around.

Hence, why I no longer live there.

'I'm not saying the US healthcare system is better (it certainly isn't), my point was whether they are quicker to go to CS because they are less likely to get sued, and why that is?'

It's a whole set of reasons.

Many hospitals have protocol about how long a woman can be in labour, for example.

I kid you not.

Doh! I meant to say that statistically injury may be higher but fatality lower than CS.

I had forceps with DD - I was induced on her due date because her amniotic fluid had become very sparse (not sure where it went!)

I had the drip and an epidural - my labour was recorded as 37 hours. Was pushing for 3 plus hours, and was "clinically" exhausted (ie shaking and getting very out of it) -consultant thought it was going to be a cx, but my midwife told her to give us another 30 mins and we would do it. So I found a new lease of life, pushed my head off - had episiotomy and two pulls with the forceps. I don't really know how "yanky" it was, but DH has seen OBEM and says that in our case it was much less full on - the registrar just used them with the last 2 contractions to add a bit of traction and help me out a bit. On OBEM she had only been pushing 30 mins and perhaps the baby was still very far up and so it was more full on.

DD did have a red forceps mark and was a bit puffy, but this had gone within 12 hours. She fed straightaway and bf-ing was a dream. She didnt seem to be in pain from the forceps or anything.

My episiotomy was fine - was sore to sit down for a few days after, but didn't seem any different to my NCT friends who had had natural tears etc.

So I guess the conclusion is that with forceps there is actually a massive range of experiences. Some people have a very full on experience and very painful episiotomies. For others its not that big a deal. I guess a lot depends on the baby's position and exactly why it is that forceps are being used. If the baby is stuck, that is a different scenario to where the baby is just there ready to come out but the poor mum has been labouring for days and is just too exhausted to carry on without a bit of help.

HouseofBamboo CS carry a higher risk of maternal death than forceps deliveries.

I think Bumpsa is right - range of experiences and probably depends on the user's expertise/preference?

My ds was born by forceps, used by a consultant who was obviously an expert, so despite him being 4.7kg (my son, not the dr!), he barely had a mark. The cons did think he had fractured his shoulder during the delivery, but it turned out he just has clicky joints. My dd was delivered by a registrar by Ventouse at a different hospital, and again shoulder/arm issues (stretched nerve, so she had a few sessions of physio), but completely fine within weeks.

I think that these "instruments" are used when they think it is the safest way to get your baby out - I'd have them any day over a labour then CS!!

Yes it does seem as though there is a huge range of situations in which they are used, and for some people any resultant problems are relatively minor.

But there are also lots of 'shitty end of the stick' experiences where people would have benefited from having a CS in the first place.

I had a forceps delivery as i didn't get to the pushing stage. DS was back to back and had the cord wrapped around his neck twice. I had my DH and a midwife holding my arms back, legs in stirrups as the baby was tugged out of me. My arms were covered in black bruises afterwards. My bladder was in a right state and i lost control over my bladder for weeks. My bum felt like it had been run over by a train :(

What scares me now looking back is that i don't remember consenting to forceps? I was so off my face on gas and air and morphine that i probably just nodded 'whatever'. It wasn't a happy positive experience and i haven't had another baby yet....the term 'instrumental delivery' fills me with fear but after reading these threads i won't be watching OBEM this week!!!

and i am a bit obsessed with the idea of giving birth 'naturally' coz if i don't go on to have another baby i will never know what it is really like!!!

I had my second baby 'naturally' showmewine. I think I was less afraid of birthing my second baby. I never got the urge to push with my first, I was told I was ready to push by the MW. I hope you get what you want ~ whatever that is in the future...

I had failed ventouse, failed epidural, successful second epidural and forceps (the nasty big 'salad servers') with DS - he had a huge blood blister on his head from ventouse (NEVER have a ventouse if you can help it - the injury rate is pretty high) and scarring from the forceps. Unsurprisingly he was in distress during delivery; had colic for 3 months and couldn't bf! Oh, and he was born to a bolt of lightning and clap of thunder!!

I on the other hand had an episiotomy which took 9 months to get over and endomitritis (sp?) - infection of the womb which resulted in multiple A&E trips, lots of antibiotics and 'internals'. If I could have had a CS I would have done.

DD - induced but then very fast (3 hours) natural delivery - born in sac. Oddly I was more traumatised about this birth and could now never willingly have a third but the recovery was brilliant.

I had forceps with DS1. Yup doc had to pull like crazy - lifted me off the bed. I was terribly bruised - literally had trouble sitting for a few weeks. Only one stitch though. DS didn't seem particularly bruised or sore.

A friend of mine had her DS1 with forceps. He's about 14 now. She didn't go into the details of her fanjo but I assume her DS had a bad time of it as the poor thing's eye was mishapen for years as he was growing up and he has physical scars on his head from his birth.