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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

What happens in an emergency?

23 replies

Greyhorses · 21/04/2016 10:39

Sorry yet another question from someone clueless.

I was watching obem this morning and a woman needed an emergency instrumental delivery due to problem with baby.

Is it standard for this to be done without epidural/pain relief other than gas and air

Is it possible to have an epi sited just incase?

It looked pretty horrific and I won't be watching any more births on tv that's for sure

OP posts:

Julieb85 · 21/04/2016 13:57

By instrumental I presume you mean forceps? I had these and the gave me a local anaesthetic beforehand..,it was absolutely fine I didn't feel much tbh. It's not standard to get a spinal as often the have to move quickly...

twirlypoo · 21/04/2016 14:22

Ds heart rate dropped and needed a crash team. I had just arrived at the hospital (I had a really quick labour) so had the episiotomy and forceps with no pain relief. Honestly? Yeah, it was horrific, but I am forever grateful that DS was born healthy. I had a post natal briefing thing as I had PTSD and was told I could have a C Section next time (there will be no next time!!)

MrsBungle · 21/04/2016 14:28

Yep dd was born by forceps in an emergency situation and I had no pain relief whatsoever. Yes it was horrific but she needed to come out immediately. There just wasn't time to get pain relief nor go to theatre as they said they normally would and the room filled up doctors and nurses. My second birth was delightful and easy thank god!

Junosmum · 21/04/2016 19:44

Yep, forceps with no pain relief. It's horrific.

WhatwouldRuthdo · 21/04/2016 19:47

Ditto. Forceps/episiotomy with just the gas and air. Not the most pleasant few minutes of my life but it did really only last a matter of minutes.

Roobix04 · 21/04/2016 19:48

I had a crash team, episiotomy and forceps with my gas and air. I must have been pretty out of it cos I don't remember it hurting anymore then it had before the team came in.

fishcake84 · 21/04/2016 19:51

Instrumentals are only done without anaesthetic in emergencies.

Try not to panic OP. It isn't standard procedure at all. If the circumstances are anything less than life threatening they will try to give you some pain relief, and if there is time they will aim to give you a spinal.

reikizen · 21/04/2016 19:54

If they don't have time to site an epidural they give you a pudendal block. Usually forceps are done in theatre with an epidural in situ so they can quickly convert it to a spinal if the forceps fail and you need a section.

SockQueen · 21/04/2016 21:09

If it's in theatre, a spinal would be standard unless the woman already has an epidural in place, in which case that can be topped up. Spinals are quicker and easier than epidurals in an emergency. If done in the delivery room (usually when the head is lower down and they are confident it will be easy to deliver there) then normally just local anaesthetic to the perineum.

Bails2014 · 21/04/2016 21:15

Epidurals take time to work, I requested one but in the end they didn't give it to me as there wasn't time for it to kick in before baby was born, I had a local anesthetic for an episotomy as his heart rate dropped so they needed to deliver him, shortly before this I had agreed to a c-section as they though he might be breach (ultrasound he was actually head down, he just has long legs!).

When you're in the delivery room you do what has to be done, it wasn't half as bad as I thought it would be, nothing like I planned it would be, but I'd certainly do it again!

CointreauVersial · 21/04/2016 21:19

I had an emergency delivery, but they gave me a general anaesthetic and delivered by CS. It was really quick; press the panic button, sound of running feet, then I was off down the corridor to theatre. DD1 was absolutely fine, but neither DH nor I witnessed her appearance into the world.

pinguina16 · 21/04/2016 21:46

Yes, was gonna say general anaesthetic for c-section as it acts fast.
Didn't go through that level of emergency (had epidural and had time to use ventouse twice then episiotomy and forceps).
Just wanted to add that forceps can be used in delivery room (if you're on labour ward). Only got wheeled off to theatre when the blood started pouring out.
Aftermath was horrific.

These are not common scenarios but yes, it can and does happen. And then people wonder why some women suffer serious mental health problems following birth...

katienana · 21/04/2016 21:50

I had an episiotomy. I either had a local anaesthetic for it or I was number anyway because I didn't feel it.

SecretSpy · 21/04/2016 21:53

I had a proper crash section with an epidural that wasn't working properly, so I had a very quick general anaesthetic (it was very frightening) and second time I had a routine emergency section with a spinal because I had no epidural in at all.

That was frustrating and a bit scary but not terrible at all (I was mostly scared of a repeat of the first one)

Fortunately the first kind are very rare, I was very unlucky.

TurquoiseDress · 22/04/2016 14:16

This kind of scenario was my nightmare while I was pregnant with my LO & I've had a couple of friends who it has happened to.

Had an ELCS in the end, so can't comment on it personally.
I don't think it's a very common scenario- but that didn't particularly reassure me!

Annie105 · 22/04/2016 17:36

I watched that episode of OBEM the other night and it r ally did give a good spectrum of 3 births. It also just absolutely solidified I'm 100 percent cent doing the right thing for me by going down the ELCS route. Thank god my consultant is empathetic. I only watched the episode to view the lady having the ELCS and I made myself watch the other two just to "test" my fears and see if they had improved with all the counselling and the actual now being pregnant.

They are well and truly still there I was in a state watching and imagining me having to do a VB.

You ladies who have been through these crash scenarios and instrumentals are very brave!!!

Original poster

Greyhorses · 22/04/2016 20:35

Thanks to all of you!

To be honest I am horrified they would pull a baby out with forceps and no pain relief, I thought they would give a crash Ga or something instead.

Obviously if the babies life is in danger it has to be done...but here's to nightmares for the next 4 weeks

I wish I was allowed an elecs but I think it's too late now!

OP posts:

Nicknamegrief · 22/04/2016 20:41

ELCS can go wrong too!

Original poster

Greyhorses · 22/04/2016 20:52

Sorry Nick, I know it's not without complications...it just seems much more controlled and predictable than natural birth. It's the unknown which scares me!

OP posts:

BendydickCuminsnatch · 22/04/2016 20:56

Yes I had forceps with no pain relief. DS's heart rate dipped and they couldn't find it - it dipped because he was coming so fast - so they used forceps to get him out as he was in distress/shock.
Went from 2cm-delivery in 40 mins so there was no time to administer pain relief and g&a was a lost cause.
It was not bad at all and I was chatting all through it because it was so surreal.
Had a spinal afterwards for stitching up 3rd degree tear and it was amazing!!

BendydickCuminsnatch · 22/04/2016 20:58

That was following an induction.

Notstayingup · 22/04/2016 21:06

I had a crash c-section with my second daughter - one minute all was well, then all of a sudden it wasn't. DH missed the drama as he'd just popped out. Nurse ran to find him but by the time he got back I was already under and and DD was born. It was fine, easier recovery than my first natural birth.

KayJBee · 22/04/2016 21:26

If there is time, they can give you pain relief, if there is no time, then there's no time, they do what is best for you and baby.

I had forceps with no. 1, I was taken to theatre and given a spinal as if the forceps didn't work, it would be straight to section. It wasn't a dire emergency, she needed to come out but there was time to wait a few minutes.

I had shoulder dystocia with no. 3, head is born but shoulders get stuck in pelvis (he was and still is built like a rugby player), they can't breathe like this and there is literally minutes before oxygen deprivation can cause brain damage. After a few failed attempts at different things, he wasn't budging so it was episiotomy and the consultants hand up my chuff to grab on to his shoulder. No pain relief. It was brutal and barbaric but absolutely 100% the right thing to do to ensure that we both made it through the experience and lived to tell the tale.

The thing that still amazes me the most is that when his head was born, there were 3 medical people in the room, as soon as it was realised he wasn't coming out, they pressed the emergency button and 3 minutes later, when he was fully born, there were 17 people there. It's not like they were just waiting outside the door for an emergency, they were all over the place just getting on with their jobs, when that buzzer goes, they do all drop what they're doing and run.
Tbh by the time you get to that stage there is no choice, it just happens with no time to worry about it. And it's over quickly due to the very nature of being an emergency. It's also few and far between so try not to worry and enjoy your last few weeks knowing that you'll be in good hands when the time comes.

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