No drip and no forceps

[fia101]

I'm 37 weeks pregnant and coming up to last me appointment. Was 10 days overdue with dd1 and dd2 and induced.

Forceps used with dd1.

With no.3 I want baby to be safe (obviously) but I don't want the drip.

Pessary has worked for me previously but I have read of many where it's failed and then had to go on drip.

Lying in bed is the worst position pain wise for me.

I don't want forceps either if possible. I've read about terrible injuries from forceps.

Has anyone else specified what they do and don't want during birth please?

Hi fia101,
Of course, you can decline absolutely any treatment offered to you (otherwise it’s assault). But there’s generally a reason things are offered...

“The drip” isn’t really something that’s given “if the pessary doesn’t work”, it’s more like the logical next step. Most people need the pessary to thin and open the cervix, so the waters can be broken. After breaking the waters, you may naturally get contractions, you may not - if you don’t, they need to bring on contractions with the drip.

Obviously, everyone’s different - some people go into labour just because of the pessary (because they’re very sensitive to it!). But having your waters broken without then labouring creates an infection risk, so if you plan on declining the drip, it’s really only fair to discuss this with your doctors before they break your waters.

In terms of forceps, this has been discussed a lot on MN. In short: whilst there are instances where either forceps or a CS are options to deliver a baby in distress (and certainly it’s no problem to discuss your preferences with a doctor in this scenario), there are also times when forceps are really the best way to deliver a baby, and an emergency CS would be far more dangerous, both to you and your baby.

If you feel you wouldn’t agree to a forcep delivery under any circumstances, it’d really be worth talking to an obstetrician before the delivery so you’re fully aware of what situations can arise and what you’d choose in each one.

I told DH and my midwife that I wanted a section before having forceps again. I told them I'd rather die than have forceps in me again and if they were used then they weren't to stitch me back up but just leave leave me to fucking die. I was a bit dramatic . I had forceps with DC1 and took a year to heal properly. In the end DC2 just fell out on his own so it was moot but I understand the fear.

I had forceps with my first birth. It's too late then to demand a section, unfortunately! My daughter was face-presenting and forceps was the only way of getting her out - she'd still be there now (29 years later) otherwise

I can't give advice from experience on the inductions, as mine was slightly different. (Meconium in waters at 40+5, went on drip to aid contractions that had already started)

But during my induction I was able to sit on a birthing ball which really helped for a couple of hours until the contractions got too intense. I'd been sat on the bed with the monitors on for 6 hours before that, and i told them I was going to go loopy if I had to sit on that bed for a minute more. They magicked a ball out of a cupboard! If I'd known about it earlier, I think I might have avoided the drip through being more active.

Definitely ask them if you can try different positions during induction: they let me!

Good luck with delivery #3

Are there any other issues? If not maybe you could consider home birth?
I had an induction last time and am very keen to avoid that this time and so have booked a home birth.
So I can move around and be in a relaxing environment which will hopefully speed up my labour.

Obviously there are some situations in which induction is unavoidable but looking at all the info I thought booking a homebirth and staying at home as long as possible may help me avoid any type of intervention.

No advise sorry but As a heads up they used forceps during my section as baby was stuck so if options are forceps or section you might want to bare that in mind! Poor DS had all the marks on his head from being yanked out and I suffered all the nasty effects as he was stuck and forceps used very far down.

Thanks everyone really appreciate all your responses. If I could be over the ball on all fours I wouldn't mind just not on back. I'm hoping birth 3 is like birth 2!

I would specify no forceps in your birth plan and make sure your birthing partner is advocating for you during the delivery. As for induction, hopefully you won't need it but, again, specify you want the pessary first (they can try the pessary twice I think? Is that right?) and that you aren't keen on a drip unless it's absolutely necessary. Good luck!

You won't get forceps unless you really need them, nobody gets them out for the laugh.

My dd was 10 days overdue, they started telling me I needed inducing.
I went and had one session of acupuncture and my labour started there and then.
Look in the yellow pages.

Yes, you can specify exactly what you want. Write it down in your birth plan and hand it to the midwife when you go into labour. Also make sure your birth partner knows exactly what you want so he/she can let the midwife know if you are a bit out of sorts (pain etc).

I had the drop with DD1 and it was VILE!! Ended in EMCS anyway. I decided for VBAC with DD2 but stated in my birth plan that if ANYTHING was to go wrong or if any o intervention was needed then I wanted to be taken for a section immediately. When I went into labour I had a uterine infection. The midwives didn't read my plan and started planning to put my on the drip. My DH just said 'No, she has stated several times that she does not want the be induced or have any intervention. She needs a section, now'. So that's what they did!

During my induction I just had the pessary. After the obligatory laid on my back for half an hour to be monitored and wait for it to settle in I was up walking, bouncing on the ball and laboured on my knees leaning over the back of the bed before it was time to push that was the only time I laid on my back.

Listen to the medical professionals on the day.

I had forceps with my second as the baby went into distress, I won't lie it was pretty horrific, during and afterwards. BUT, an emergency c-section would have been worse recovery wise.

I was induced at term +14 with ds1. I had the pessary at around lunchtime: not much happened until my waters broke with a bang in the early hours and ds1 was born 2.5 hours later.

I was adamant that I would not be induced simply for getting to 42 weeks with future children. I was happy to accept much increased monitoring of the situation and accepted that a birth after 42 weeks would mean hospital not home, but I was very, very clear that I was not going to accept induction of labour simply because a particular date had been reached.

In the event, I went into spontaneous labour with ds2 at term +10 and with ds3 at term +4 so I didn't come under any pressure to arrange induction. I was under pressure to have a sweep with ds2, at the antenatal appointment I would have attended had I not been in labour with him, and under a lot more pressure to have one at 40 weeks exactly with ds3.

My birth plan with ds1 was long and detailed and pointless, with ds2 and ds3 it just said "no AROM, please do not offer me pain relief, third stage to be natural".

All that said- I also understood that if complications arose during labour, all my plans and wishes could go out of the window. I wanted to avoid pretty much all interventions, but if any had been necessary I would not have resisted.

Thanks all - forceps weren't too bad with dd 1 but my mother was left incontinent after childbirth involving forceps - she had post natal depression and bad drink problem for years when I was a kid - who knows if the incontinence made that happen or it would've happened anyway and that's not to say that if the same happened to me I'd go down the same route but that's where my questions stem from.