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 am truly shocked by how many people are saying they would opt for cs over forceps. CS can be dangerous too and are fraught with complications my CS 4 years ago left me being rushed back into theater with only a 30% chance of living so am very lucky to be here but still have many problems. CS is most definitely not always the way to go, i have read as many horror story's about CS as i have about forceps

I had a cs with DS as he was breech and turning didn't work, even under spinal block in theatre. With DD I had forceps as she was stuck. I had always been terrified of childbirth from being a child and reflecting on this its because I was scared of being cut or tearing. At the time though the registrar could have done what he wanted to get her out safely. Its not like I had so many more appealing options!

DD didn't have a mark on her. It took the registrar longer to put me together after the 'natural' birth than it did after the section. He said my insides were shredded. I have healed well, the bruising was worse than the stitches. That said if I knew then what I know now I would have definitely had a section. A good section beats a bad birth IMO!

My DS was born using forceps. I'd laboured for 5 hours on just gas and air and got to 8cm, then had an epidural which was beautiful after all that pain. This slowed my contractions down though and it took another 4 hours to get to 10cm. Then after pushing for an hour DS wasn't appearing. I was prepped for a CS with a spinal and wheeled to theatre. They were going to try forceps first and if that didn't work then go for the CS. Thankfully the forceps got my DS out, with an episiotomy for me and a couple of red marks on his face. The marks on his face faded the next day but my stitches took about 3 weeks to heal properly after getting infected (huge ouch!). DS was 9lb2oz and I'm quite small framed so that's probably why he got stuck.

Although it was on my birth plan that no-way ever did I want forceps (after reading horror stories on MN) I'm actually very glad that they did try them before going for a CS, which would have been a much longer recovery. My fanjo has healed and is I think ok now. And DS is gorgeous and absolutely no side effects from his birth. If I was young enough (now 43) I'd have them again if it was necessary to get the baby out.

lalamom Wed 09-Feb-11 01:02:05
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?"

They do use forceps in the US. Unless the state of Michigan was recently annexed by Canada.
I'd shared the details of DS's gruesome forceps delivery with my friend, who was due four months after me. Sadly, she forgot to tell her husband to insist on no forceps if she was too out of it to speak for herself. Guess what was used on her :(. Baby was fine, she tore terribly.

I had an epidural, and then a forceps and ventouse delivery. My son's head was a bit squished, and they told me he would have a headache. His heartbeat dropped during labour so I think they were trying to get him out asap. He took a while to start breathing when he was first born.

Forgot to say, I had 6 stitches, which meant that I was in agony for 2 weeks plus.

DD was born using failed ventouse and forceps. I was cut. DH said the doctor (big well built guy) was really using all his muscle to get her out. DD's head was cut from ventouse but it was superficial and healed well. My bits healed very well (after 4 months slight struggle to find scar) and I don't seem much less, ahem, 'tight' than before during horizontal dancing activities.
I would choose this over cs ANY day of the week but then I have a medical condition which makes cs a very dangerous thing indeed.
I knew my birth would be difficult, medical and a bit harrowing and it was. Hey ho. DD's only 10 months and I'm totally ready to do it again. Means to an end.
I have been told that forcep use is a very skilled activity which is why it is now recommended that ventouse is used first.
I was born using forceps too - must be a genetic thing :)

Just to add to the positive stories re forceps: ds was born using mid-cavity forceps (not sure what type) - he was stuch mid-cavity and turned to the side. I have no recollection of any desparate force being used (but then, I was exhausted).

I'd had a puddendal block which worked (I was tild it was a bit hit or miss as to whether it would work but I did not want an epidural - quite apart from the time it would have taken to sort one out) so was in no pain.

In fact, dh, who was openly squeamish about the whole thing in advance was quite happy to walk across the blood stained floor to chnge his trainers (or something equally banal) and watch as they stitched me up (had had an episiotomy but still tore). He said it looked like a butcher's shop - but it didn't bother him 'cos I was obvioulsy in no discomfort.

Ds only had s light cut/mark on his forehead.

I was told that for a subsequent birth I would probably have no problems - but unfortuantely that never came to pass :(

With hindsight, the stupid midwife I got after a shift change had been getting me to push during transsition, as I never actually had the urge to push, so no wonder I ended up exhausted. I was semi aware that I was actually snoring during contractions

I had forceps delivery with first baby as she turned round. I had already had an epidural so it didn't hurt (at the time) but the doctor spent 45 minutes sewing me up afterwards...

Also, because DD was turning, the forceps didn't fit properly round her head, and ended up sort of diagonally. One of her facial nerves that runs along the jaw was pinched so she had no control over one side of her mouth and I couldn't bf as she couldn't latch on.

I used to get very upset when people watched me bottle feeding with that look on their faces that suggested they thought I was the lowest form of scum for not bf my baby. Please, everyone reading this, if you see someone bottle feeding, don't assume they can't be bothered to bf, it could be that there are other reasons they genuinely can't do it.

BTW, DD's nerve repaired itself and we were signed off by the paeds when she was 6 months old. She's now a beautiful teenager...

I had forceps with Ds1. No pain relief, I was horrifically torn and my son still has a scar on his face (he's now 17). Honestly it was one of the worst experiences of my life, give me the emergency CS with DS2 any day!

expatinscoltand

I agree it is messed up that you must have health insurance here and it needs reforming but I have to say that i got excellent treatment and care and felt very relieved that they would do a c section if it was needed. They put no pressure on me to have an epidural- i asked at about 5 cm. They let me labour for 26 hours before they offered a c section.

My point is that in the UK they seem a lot more reluctant to offer it which is also wrong if it will prevent the kind of damage that you hear about.....so I suspect it comes down to money in the UK too.

The point is that whilst there are risks involved in a c section sometimes i is the best course of action.

I have heard only horror stories from friends who have given birth in London hospitals so dread having to have a baby there.

I had the most peaceful and caring experience here in the states.....but if I had not been insured yes it would have cost $40 000 for my 4 days of care.

But the point is women in the UK are not always given that choice to have a c section soon enough when things get difficult and I think that is wrong.

I haven't read the whole thread, but my ds1 was forcep delivered.
The doc pulled so hard that he moved me (all 16 stone of me) down the bed!!

'but I have to say that i got excellent treatment and care and felt very relieved that they would do a c section if it was needed'

Of course they did! You have insurance.

For $10,000/day you'd better believe I'd expect a peaceful and caring experience.

This isn't the US. Thank fuck.

Expat - I don't think anyone is disagreeing with you about the fallacies and morality of the US insurance-based healthcare system.

The question is whether here, where the financial boot is on the other foot, as it were, the best decisions are always made on behalf of women in labour. Are decisions sometimes made on the basis of cost rather than medical need, to the detriment of mother and baby?

I don't know, as I don't work in the system. But it's a valid question to ask, surely?

'The question is whether here, where the financial boot is on the other foot, as it were, the best decisions are always made on behalf of women in labour. Are decisions sometimes made on the basis of cost rather than medical need, to the detriment of mother and baby?'

Well, of course there is! I already wrote that farther down in the thread when I wrote that it is like this because it is women who give birth.

But this is not a thread comparing the UK to the US however much some posters try to make it so.

It was started about women's experiences in the UK

come on pedantinscotland

threads are open for people to express themselves- the point is that the question should be asked why there is a reluctance in UK NHS hospitals to go to the c section option rather than other options that can cause lasting damage and suffering to women....like forceps can and does?

I am relieved to be in the US- after UK midwives scaremongered me about how medicalised it would be- I had a great experiencee and am grateful that I am insured but my friends in the UK have not said the same thing- some were so traumatised they have chosen to not have a second child.

My experience here makes me reflect upon the UK system and stories on here just make me eager to have a second child here rather than in the UK.

'the point is that the question should be asked why there is a reluctance in UK NHS hospitals to go to the c section option rather than other options that can cause lasting damage and suffering to women....like forceps can and does?'

there's no question, though. it's a no-brainer, self-evident, strikingly obvious.

of course it does!

and of course, it is cost-driven.

i'm very glad you had good insurance.

Well having had a forceps delivery in the UK and an instrumental birth in another country all I can say is I was not impressed with forceps or the hospital - the whole experience was far gentler outside the UK!

I did have a semi-working epidural but still felt a great deal with the forceps - and DD had huge dents on her head for her first week. She has had constant problems with hearing and ear infections and it has been suggested that part of the problem may have been compression of the ear canal from forceps. No idea if that's a likely explanation though ....

Also it took me 4 years to fully heal from the scars/tears etc.

"there's no question, though. it's a no-brainer, self-evident, strikingly obvious."

There are a lot of people who WOULD question that though Expat, who say that CS should be avoided if at all possible due to it being major surgery and all, ie NOT for cost-related reasons. Or am I misunderstanding your point?

My brother is blind in one eye due to forceps. I was lucky enough to give birth without having to make a decision about having them used on me!!!!!

It is worse than it looks. Had totally unnecessary forceps delivery with DD1 (she was in perfect position, I wasn't too tired to push, no other clinical reason - they just wanted to speed things up). Docs didn't even tell me I was going to have forceps. Agony like big white explosion of pain when they shoved the things in. DD1 big bruises and very unsettled and clingy baby for first year. Couldn't walk or sit down properly for weeks. Came out of experience feeling like I had been sexually assaulted. Ban these hellish things.

I had the high rotational Kiellands' forceps for DS1 - it was either that or an emergency CS as he was well and truly stuck (3 hours of pushing) - turned out the cord was arond his neck and looped under his arm so he wasn't going to come out on his own - got stuck inside me with his head sideways.

Fortunately the senior consultant obstetrician on duty did my forceps (in theatre under spinal anaesthetic, as would have gone straight to CS if unsuccessful) - he was an older guy who had done loads apparently, was as gentle as he could be under the circumstances and DS came out really quickly once he was turned. There was no wild pulling or anything like that. I had an episiotomy, which wasn't great afterwards, it was very sore at home for a week or two, but it healed. DS was a bit bruised & swollen but not too bad. I think a lot of the swelling was because he had got so stuck, rather than because of the forceps. There was a small bruise on his forehead from the forceps but it faded quickly. He slept for almost 3 days though, and it took until the 3rd day before he would take even a tiny bit of breastmilk. The midwives said he probably had a sore head and needed time to recover.

DS2 was a very quick vaginal delivery with no intervention.

Getthosethingsawayfromme - that sounds horrendous! Did you complain?

I had forceps in the operating theatre as a last ditch before a c-section. I had thought beforehand that I'd rather go for the c-section than the forceps but actually I'm glad I didn't. My recovery was a lot better than a friend of mine who had an emcs at the same time.

DD was born using forceps after a 5 day induction(!) Established labour only really lasted 24hrs as when i finally got 1cm dilated on day 4 they broke my waters and gave me an epidural.. 24hrs and 10cms later, I was out of it, but pushed for an hour and not much happened, so they took me to theatre to give assisted delivery, or emcs if still not happening. I had a spinal so felt absolutely nothing, just pulled around the bed and tied into stirrups(!)..

Dont remember being told i was having an episiotomy, but i did, the midwife told me when to push, 2 big pushes and they said her head was out, DH had a look and saw the doc with her foot on the bed tugging away, which shocked him, then one more push and DD was out! She had a red mark down her face over her eye (which went after a couple of days) but i was so relieved she was ok and alive, as id had 4 recurrent miscarriages beforehand and spent my whole pregnancy scared to believe it was real.. So, i didnt care about the stitches, sore fanjo, or marks on DD, as i was just so grateful she was ok.. I didnt see it as a traumatic experience at all and would do it all again, i think my hospital was fantastic.

However im now aware I was fairly lucky in my experience, and im a little freaked out now reading some of your experiences, and of the permanent injuries caused to babies, I do think the skill of the docs and urgency of individual situations has alot to do with it though..

Hi Treadmillmom

Forceps aren't as bad as what it looks, yes it did hurt and yes my doctor was four foot nothing and had to really put some effort in to get DS out. DS has a slight scar over his right eye and was a little bloodshot for a while, but I'd rather that than have something bad happen to him.

In my case, DS was back-to-back and I was in labour for a very long time. I wanted to give birth using a birthing pool, but by day 3 of established labour (and having had contractions for over a week beforehand without me realising!!) we were both knackered so the midwife decided to get him out! I had an epidural in the end (no choice of my own) and eventually the doctor tried ventuose as his heart rate dropped drastically. This didn't work. So the forceps came out. All I could do was close my eyes and push. The room was full of doctors, midwives and paediatricians! And this was my first! Scary!

I had an episiotomy and lost a lot of blood after but the pain and discomfort was worth it. DS was born with a cone-head. My beautiful baby is now 5 weeks old and is thriving.