Forceps delivery - anyone got experience they will share?

[NearlyDue112]

So with DD I agreed to a forceps delivery (baby distressed and very stuck) but at the last minute it was decided that emcs was a better option so we didn't try forceps in the end. When I've mentioned this to a few people the reactions have scared me a little. Quite a few women have suggested I was very lucky to have cs rather than forceps and one friend told me about her forceps delivery where the force of 2 doctors was needed to get baby out and she was torn and traumatised by it all and she was sure it must have hurt baby (she blames his colic on the delivery). So Im not sure I would consent to forceps again after what I've heard unless other options were ruled out first. If you have had forceps delivery before WWYD? Would you do it again or would you take cs if that was also an option? Is it as bad as people have made out to me? Or have I just heard the bad stories? I do recognise that we may have no choice as cs is not always an option.

Had forceps after a 4 day labour ( oh yes). Was prepped for an emergency c section and this was a last try before they did it. Baby had a comedy tong mark on her face for the first few days.

They did try the ventouse but it failed. Ventouse is more likely to fail at delivering the baby than forceps.
A second obstetrician was then called in and they tried the ventouse again. And it failed.
Then they moved to episiotomy + forceps.

Multiple instrumental deliveries are not recommended because of the damage it causes to the pelvic floor but when baby is too low for a safe c-section and ventouse has failed, options are limited.

In response to others posts
Recovery after forceps is not always faster than after EMCS. It depends what damage mum sustains.
And
when I told people I had a forceps delivery resulting in a healthy child but seriously injured mother, I got very little sympathy. I had to change GP and physiotherapist because they never treated me like I'd been seriously wounded (eventually I found healthcare professionals who showed compassion) and I lost a friend who clearly refused to acknowledge I was anything other than difficult/fussy. From what I can see, getting the cold shoulder after suffering trauma is sadly not unusual.

And this is why I had an ELCS!

welsh
Yes me too re the ELCS

Sorry to read all the stories on here about damage done to mum/baby with forceps.