Did your forceps delivery hurt?

[becca3210]

Hi all. I was thinking back to my forceps delivery 6 weeks ago. I had had an epidural during my labour so leading up to the delivery I had been pain free during a two hour pushing stage. When the doctor came in to the room and rummaged around before inserting forceps it was so painful - is that typical - does the epidural have to have worn off so you can feel the contractions or should I have had more pain relief? Be interested to hear other experiences.

I had an epidural in with a back to back baby. Couldn’t feel a thing until he got into a certain position and got stuck. It was agony again then. I emergency cord was pulled and an amazing man named Richard (cannot remember any midwives name but I do the aenatheatist!) he gave me a spinal block and I was completely numb after that and unable to move. So no, there was no pain for me.

I had a spinal anesthetic just before the forceps delivery. Couldn't feel a thing.

Thanks - I had seen posts about spinal blocks and was thinking should I have had that? I am grateful for the epidural leading up to it and I don't feel traumatised by the delivery but was questioning if I should have been in that much pain at that point. Guess they just needed to get him out!

No, they checked before doing it that the epidural was working and that it didn't hurt. Mine wasn't done in any rush or under any emergency circumstances though. I imagine some of that stuff probably goes out of the window if the baby's heart rate has dropped.

I didnt ask for any pain relief until I was 6cm (silly me). I then had an epidural which failed, and by then I was fully dilated so I couldn't have another. Didnt make much progress and was exhausted so they decided on forceps. As the epidural hadn't worked they gave me a spinal which was INCREDIBLE and took every last bit of feeling away so I couldn't even move my legs! So the forceps were the easy part for me. Maybe yours had worn off by that stage? Glad you don't feel traumatised, it sounds like your epidural had worn off a bit or something? Congrats on your new baby

I got a spinal as well. I was in theatre though, baby's heart rate dropped and they were only going to try once before moving to c section so they had to have the spinal in place just in case.

Thanks really interesting to read about other people's experiences. The doctor did warn me before feeling around that it would be uncomfortable and she was not wrong. Luckily having had the epidural leading up to it was in a calm place - if I hadn't think it would definitely have been more traumatic. Baby all fine and that is the main thing

Ahh becca3210 I feel your pain ‘a bit uncomfortable’ my foot (or foof). Failed epidural, red button rush, no time for anything else. Ripped to bits, I’m still damaged physically and until recently mentally. I was paralysed by the pain and was being screamed at by the dr. Have had feedback session erc with midwife. It was that or lose my baby. Brutal. Oh and the stitches split after. Any more - if they happen - will be sunroof jobs only and in a different hospital. In the meantime I’ll kegel away and love what I have. But I don’t think it will ever leave me.

I had a pudendal nerve block for episiotomy and forceps. (I hadn't had anything up to that point). The episiotomy was fine. The forceps was definitely uncomfortable.

I also just had local anaesthetic for a ventouse delivery and episiotomy, which didn't work, as I am one of those people for whom local anaesthetic doesn't work well at all as it all dissolves into the skin or something (midwife said something like that happens to some people). I had no other pain relief and was absolutely in agony and it has caused post-traumatic stress symptoms. I was not offered any other pain relief for the delivery other than G&A which I couldn't use as it just made me immediately violently vomit after I inhaled any. Was awful. My birth plan said that I wanted an epidural if I had to have an instrumental but in the moment I was very distressed and forgot about it and I guess DH did too and nobody offered me one. My instrumental was due to DD seeming to be in distress but it wasn't a full-on emergency, but the midwife at my birth debrief still said that was the reason why I wasn't offered other anaesthetics, as they wanted to get her out ASAP. Which seems a bit bollocks because if it had been that much of an emergency that they'd needed to do surgery or surgery quickly after if it hadn't worked, I would have had a spinal or epidural anyway .

I had a pudendal block before an episiotomy and then forceps. I hadn’t had any other pain relief until then. I don’t think it worked or it hadn’t had time to kick in as I almost went through the roof when they put the forceps in, it was absolutely excruciating!
Although painful it was really quick and I didn’t find it traumatic in any way

My experience was similar. I had epidural which I think affected my ability to push well. I was numb from the waist down. Baby went into distress and forceps were needed. It fucking hurt despite epidural.

Sorry to those who also had a pretty crappy time of it. Thanks for your contributions