2nd labour after episiotomy and forceps

[FTEngineerM]

Little nervous here 😬
36+3 and the date is fast approaching, the more I think about it the more I start to worry about what is about to happen to my vagina!

DS is 14m and will be 15m on my due date so it wasn’t that long ago it all happened.

What was your second labour like after episiotomy/forceps?

What was your labour like if it was ‘soon’ after the first?

Hey, I've had two babies and had two very different experiences.

First was a 27hr labour, epidural, stroppy consultant, episiotomy and forceps. Resultant damage took months to heal.

Second was a 31hr labour 😳, epidural, lovely midwives and only a small tear. I found this second experience so much calmer and positive than my first, when I had felt completely out of control of the situation.

My babies were 3.5 years apart so I can't help you with the "soon" part I'm afraid.

I also found a chat with the midwife team about my first birth was very helpful, but I've no idea whether such things are running at the moment. In my area it was called "birth after thoughts" or similar and was an opportunity to talk through my experience with a midwife who had my notes. As it happened the midwife I saw was present at the birth and she was able to reassure me that the stroppy consultant had now moved on!

I hope this helps reassure you a little, and wishing you lots of luck with number 2!! 😁

Thanks for sharing @SparkleMonster
That is super reassuring that second time round it wasn’t so.. intrusive (?) I really hope this one is the same.

I’m open in terms of pain relief, I was begging for the epidural last time and I’m sure I will be again🤭. I hope you managed a nap in those 31 hours?

Thank you!

My first (pre-term induction), drip, episiotomy and forceps (no epidural). My second (pre-term induction), just pessary, gas and air, episiotomy (as they were considering ventouse due to dipping heart rate but they could see good progress so let me get on with it). I look at the positive that because I had the episiotomy and local anaesthetic I never experienced the 'ring of fire' when he was crowning as soon as he was born I said to dh I could do it one more time (I didn't!).

Definitely far less intrusive for me the second time round. I found the whole birth experience really traumatic the first time, but the second couldn't have been more different, even though some of the "technicalities" were the same - long labour, back-to-back baby, epidural.

I also lucked out afterwards as the postnatal ward was full so I was sent to the birthing unit for the night and had a lovely room all to myself with new baby 😊

No epidural with the drip, how are you alive @WreckTangled ?! Ooo the ring of fire, I feel like I want to experience that because this is 100% my last but then I think.. why? Why an earth do I want that 😂

That definitely sounds better, private room 😲 @SparkleMonster that’s the dream. I think our trust is still restricting partners on post natal ward so I’ll be on my own 😩.

I have a 16 month gap between my first two. With DS1 I had an episiotomy and forceps. With DS2 I had a much shorter labour, about half the time. I didn't need forceps and while I didn't have an episiotomy I did tear. I think I'd have preferred an episiotomy, tbh, as the tear took longer to heal.

They wouldn't let me have one! I've got a neuromuscular condition and (even though the anaesthetist said it would be fine) the consultant refused to get them for me! Second time I was asking for one and again they refused. I didn't need it though it was fine without and so much quicker.