Everyone in my active birth yoga class seems to end up with forceps or ventouse...

[LoveInASnowyClimate]

...does anyone know the stats for their use in a first birth (as nearly everyone who does the class is a first timer)? I have googled but can't find it. It really does seem to be virtually everyone (we get an email round up of that week's births, which covers about ten classes a week, so always quite a few each week). I am wondering if our local hospital, where most of the births take place, has an incredibly high number of interventions. I am trying not to think that the yoga class somehow causes it . Thanks.

Just instruments rather than a c-section might be a positive for the class though! I'm not sure what the statistics are - though of 4 in my ante-natal group there was 1 intervention free birth, two forceps and 1 c-section.

I'm not sure of national rates but in my local NHS Trust rates for ventouse/forceps deliveries hovers around the 13-17% and for C/S is around the 23% (which is good compared to the national rate, this also goes up for first time mothers - closer to 30%).

In my NCT class there were 2EMCS, a premature baby, 1 augmentation and forceps, an induction and 1 normal delivery. Not great stats, for a group that were all aiming for natural births, but all healthy in the end.

We decided that it was likely a combination of being first timers with being, ahem, slightly older than the average first time mothers.

you can find out intervention rates at your local hospital, i believe the info is on the NHS Choices website. it tells you rates of c section and rates of intervention.

btw your yoga will still help you whatever your birth outcome. i had forceps and my yoga was amazingly helpful, in fact i honestly believe that i learnt skills for life through pregnancy yoga, as the breathing exercises have been amazing for other things. i remember when i had the norovirus and i was getting mild contraction like pains and the breathing helped me through.

"They" also say that a lot of what you learn in antenatal classes is more useful in your 2nd/subsequent pregnancies than your first...

Thanks, everyone. I'll ask my midwife for the hospital's statistics - based on yoga it is way higher than Stranded's! It seriously does seem to be virtually everyone...

I was the only one in my NCT class of 7 to have an unassisted, natural birth, and I found the whole experience horrendous! This is not to scare you, but just to say that a natural birth isn't the be all and end all...

In our group first babies: 4 inductions, 1 unassisted hospital birth, 2 unassisted homebirths and 1 early natural arrival in hospital. 2nd babies: 2 inductions, 1 unassisted hospital birth, 4 homebirths. No forceps, ventouse or c sections...

I have no idea, rates do vary hugely though. I found out shortly before DS was born that one of teh local hospitals has a 40% CSec rate!

I teach prenatal yoga, and although I don't live in the UK, see similar rates among first time mothers. It seems to be different for women who took the class throughout their second pregnancies. So I don't think bloody hope not that it's the class :)

Rita, I really have to disagree though that just instruments might be a positive for the class stats. The damage forceps can do can be utterly horrendous. If I'd had a c-section I might have been able to have another child. However, I do realize its not that way for everyone.

My first time class of 5: 2 c-sections, 2 'normal' hospital deliveries and 1 (mine) hospital induced birth. 2 of them were supposed to be home births (1 ended as a c-section, the other was my induced birth)
2nd time around class of 6: 2 planned homebirths (mine included YAY!), 4 'normal' hospital deliveries

I'd b interested in seeing stats for first timers vs subsequent, just as a baseline. That'd be really interesting.

Class of 7 first timers - 1 natural, 1 EMCS, 5 forceps (with 2 induced). You are right that the stats are misleading. I thought that a 25% instrumental rate gave me a 75% chance of avoiding it (well actually more like 45% when you take out the 30% CS rate) but I didn't realise that most of the instrumental births are first time mothers and most of the non-intervention births are second or later time mothers. If I had realised that then I might have considered asking for a CS rather than induction. My list of preferences would have put CS higher than forceps, and I got forceps plus a lot of subsequent complications.

Yup, so did I :(

In my NCT class of 7 we had 1 planned CS, 2 EMCS, 1 vontouse, 1 forceps, 2 natural births which both ended in 2nd degree tears and MROPs.

Of us all though only one lady found the whole experience to be worse than she had anticipated. I also think the stats are misleading as they don't separate first births.

I did everything to help myself - no epidural, perineum massage, active birth etc and still ended up with forceps when DD got distressed. Personally I didn't find it too bad but that might be because DD was at risk and turned out perfect because they got her out so quick so the forceps did their job and I've recovered well.

Some hospitals have c/s rates of well over 30%. First time mums, particularly those over the age of 30 who give birth in these places are more likely than not to have interventions in the birth.

Statistically, if you want to optimise your chances of having a natural birth, get a private midwife or a doula, and stay away from the hospital! (ie, either book a homebirth, or don't go to hospital until you're very late on in labour).

Of course you could do all these things and STILL end up with an emergency c/s......

I think it's a mistake to think that doing lots of personal preparation can make a huge difference. If a labour is slow, or if you have a malpositioned baby, it's the skill, confidence and the commitment of the staff that make all the difference as to whether you'll get a normal birth, as well as the culture within the hospital. Short staffing and lack of one to one care, as well as a highly interventionist focus birth culture mean the ONLY women who get out without having their births assisted are those who have more or less completely straightforward labours..... Also high levels of induction in first time mums are very much to blame for complicated births.

In my NCT class we had seven natural births, one with forceps and one with augmentation. Our teacher was astonished. I was the only one to be overdue.

I had a planned homebirth and the comment above very much chimes with something I was thinking this morning. I had four days of latent labour, with a midwife visiting every day when called (usually around 3am when I was sure This Was It!). During that time, my baby moved from being malpositioned to being birth able. I was told throughout that I could go to hospital for MROM if I wanted but they supported me staying at home. I had contractions every five minutes throughout except when the midwives appeared, when they would slow. I have no way of knowing but I suspect, given that, that my contractions could have slowed or stopped if I'd gone to hospital. I also think if my waters had been broken before the baby moved (on day four) then I would have needed intervention. How many women are lucky enough to be given the space and support to do what I did-labour over days, active throughout, ludicrous positions to move the baby-and maximise my chance of no interventions. I was really lucky the baby did turn and the labour from then on was uncomplicated, and she was never in distress, but I had expert staff willing to sit it out with me.

In our ante-natal class there was one induction (but no further interventions), 1 natural, 1 vontouse, 1 forceps and 1 EMCS - so pretty much the full range!
There is a website providing the stats for each PCT - not sure if it breaks the figures down into first/subsequent births though. I'll have a look for it and see if I can do a link.

The website I was think of is www.drfosterhealth.co.uk, but I've just checked and the birth guide seems to have gone. There is still loads of info about each hospital on there, so might be worth a rumage around to see if you can find what you're looking for.

Class of 8 first births - 3 natural home births, 1 home birth transfer but natural birth in hospital, 1 natural planned hospital birth, 1 ELCS for breech, 2 inductions both followed by EMCS.

No forceps or ventouse.

As my DD is no longer a baby I'm able to tell you what the class of 8 did for their second births too.

1 induction for natural birth in hospital, 1 ELCS. 1 hospital VBAC with forceps.
1 birthing centre natural birth, 1 HBAC in water. 3 natural home births.

People can end up with ventouse/forceps for all kinds of reasons - including being quite fatigued after a long labour, positional issues etc. I was induced - but had a natural birth (in the labour ward) with no intervention. Of my NCT group there was 1 natural birth, 1 natural birth with forceps and 6 C sections...

Thanks, everyone. Maybe if I don't think about it then the baby will just stay inside for ever and I won't actually have to get him out?

Please don't flame me but might this be linked to ages of women involved?

I would guess that slightly older women are bit more affluent, etc and more likely to go to a class like this? Obviously not all, but enough to tip the percentages?

Hmmm, we are quite an aged bunch . I am, I think, one of the youngest at 31. Would say almost no-one in 20s. You may be onto something, Pootles...

NCT class of 8

1 CS at 34weeks due to IUGR
1 CS due to breech
2 intervention free but with 3rd degree tears
1 forceps
3 intervention free