Forceps recovery

[sweets1982]

For anyone who can help with forceps delivery after care ?!

Gave birth to my daughter wed 20th via forceps

I know it's only been hours ! BUT I feel recovery has been awful so far

It's so painful but not only where the stitches were but also my legs, bum and just everywhere!

Can't sit down, getting into : out of care was painful it made me cry

Is this all normal?

Don't want to over react but I've discussed over with the midwives at the hospital and all different ones in the 24 hrs I stayed there who have all said what I'm feeling is normal?

To now come home and run a household and look after a newborn when I can barley walk and having so much pain and pressure how does anyone cope?

I do have a very supportive fiancé on 2 weeks pat leave but he can't do it ALL

And so worried when he goes back

The midwife did check the area when I was didnarhed and she said all looks fine
Had to really look for the cut area and it was very neat and no sighs of infection

But I guess the 'damage' feels internally if that makes sense?

Hope someone can come along and help as it's making me miserable

Appreciate its very very early days but Ian struggling x

In my experience: yes, that is normal. Forceps are brutal and it really hurts afterwards - if you don't have a doughnut cushion, now's the time to invest in one. They sent me home with dihydrocodeine after my forceps delivery, which is the same painkiller I had after my c-section (which I had partly because of how traumatic I found the forceps), so don't underestimate how painful it is and keep on top of your pain relief. I stopped taking any painkillers after about ten days.

I also couldn't stand up straight after my forceps delivery, which was quite weird - that got better over the first five days or so.

Don't put pressure on yourself to 'run a household' - that's what your fiancé is for. It's his job to look after you while you recover. My DH had three weeks off work both times and I was fine by the time he went back, but the first two weeks were basically me just feeding the baby and moving gingerly around the house while he brought me food, drinks and drugs. If this is your first baby, you may also find that your tolerance for chaos goes through a bit of adjustment as you realise that you just can't do it all at the moment, and that that's okay.

Hang in there, OP. It does get better

Keep on top of your pain relief every four hours, rest, rest and rest some more. I had a really sore lower back after mine and a heat pad was like heaven. Your body is probably still bruised and a bit battered but you’ll start to feel better a bit more gradually each day. Are you on blood thinners? If not you can take arnica tablets which promotes healing. Check with your midwife but a sitz bath might help too. Weirdly my forceps recovery was way quicker than my non instrumental delivery, but I had manual removal if placenta in theatre and they do manhandle you a fair bit for lack of a better expression. Congratulations on your baby! Please try not to do too much it’s only been two days, lots of cuddles in bed and naps for now.

I’ve replied on your other thread OP. Also wanted to add it is unfortunately normal to be in this amount of pain but you will heal. You must take it easy and let yourself be looked after. The pain will be peaking now as the internal bruising comes out - forceps are brutal!
what drugs did they discharge you with? I went to GP in tears on day 3 and begged for something stronger, was given dihyrocodeine and diclofenac which I took on a strict cycle.

I found sitting on an ice pack immensely helpful and like others have said, rest and pain killers.

Your partner absolutely can do it all until you’re healed and ready, you just had a baby - he can whip round with the hoover and cook meals.

Yes he can do it all.

I'm a single mum, I didn't have a forceps delivery andI did it all ! I was breast feeding too, which he obviously won't have to do. The whole point of his two weeks paternity leave is to take over while you take all the time you need. He has two arms and two legs and knows where the hoover and the supermarket are.

If he can't manage, he needs to get a relative in to help him or pay for a cleaner, while you sleep, nest, heal.

I hope you feel better soon. And congratulations.

Hi OP. I'm so sorry that you're in so much pain, it sounds awful. I'm a week post partum and recovery from a birth without event is hard enough.

You say DP can't do everything but he's on paternity leave, he's going to have to. That's what that time is for.. Your only focus now should be recovery, his focus is baby, you, cooking, cleaning.

Get well soon

Yes it’s normal. It’s very early days and it should be a lot better in a couple of weeks. Your DP absolutely can do it all and should whilst you are recovering.

This is all really normal OP and I recall with both my births feeling like my pubic area had been hit by a bus 😂
After a few weeks though (about 3) it all suddenly started to feel better so you're really early days.
Make sure your partner does do everything-you need to rest.

Your job is to try to rest and feed the baby.

Your DPs job is to feed you, look after you and keep the house ticking over. (If you have friends/family who can help him great)

It's very early though - should get better - the more you rest the easier it will be.

Definitely get a doughnut cushion it helps to take the pressure off the sore part so you can sit. Keep on the pain medication. Should start to feel better soon. I had forceps so really sympathise x

OP, I’m so sorry to hear you’re having such a rough time after forceps. I’ve just come on to say pretty much what other Pps have said-it is normal, and horrific, but will get better.

I had a forceps delivery with my DD 3.5 years ago and I can completely empathise with how awful it feels.

Definitely keep on top of pain relief, don’t let yourself get any breakthrough pain. You can take paracetamol and ibuprofen even if you’re breastfeeding-write a schedule for yourself and stick to it for atleast a week then review and see how you feel. Keep hydrated too.

Heat packs and how water bottles were really good for me, also frozen packs/peas too. Something weird about alternating between the hot and cold seemed to work!

Let DH or other family members to absolutely everything else and just rest.

Also go easy on yourself and remember it’s ok to feel upset/a bit traumatised by the experience-forceps deliveries can be really difficult experiences and it’s completely normal to feel a bit shocked and horrified about what has happened to your body, on top of the physical pain.

FWIW my pain peaked at about a week in and then by two weeks was a lot, lot better. I also remember going for a short walk about a week in too, so it must have improved a bit by then. By three weeks I wasn’t taking any pain relief. I could still feel the scar for a while after but after a few months I was completely back to normal. So much so that I’ve now forgotten all about it and I’m about to have DD2!

Sending you lots of hugs and wishing you a speedy recovery xxx

@MrsJaneyLloydFoxe no pain relief just blood thinner injections and iron tablets and they said just take paracetamol but it doesn't touch it x

Thanks all my partner has been absolutely amazing
I think it's because I'm used to doing it all! X

I'm sorry OP it's horrid.
Do not try and do it all (or anything other than strictly needed).
I did not heed the advise and my stitches burst.
They couldn't restitch and this meant I healed within open wound.
I was offered what they called plastic surgery once I had healed. Don't be me!
Congratulations on the birth of your little one.

Oh gosh it is just the pits. I was completely traumatised after mine but don't think I really appreciated that at the time. It took me a solid three weeks to be back up to functional again and then I was still slower while walking the dog for a good two months after the birth. It will pass. Ibuprofen was very helpful for me but I was limited in what I could take due to breastfeeding.

@MobLife it definitely does feel like being hit by a bus, then someone handing you the cutest puppy in the world 😅.

Good to hear partner is pulling his weight OP. It is hard to let go and let someone else pick everything up. You did just have his baby though, so rest assured he will forever be in your debt!! Take it as easy as you can and your recovery time will be determined by that

Doughnut cushion!!!!

Congratulations first on your new baby and secondly, commiserations on the forceps delivery. I had a forceps birth about a month ago. It’s horrible, like being hit by a bus. I could barely move, just changing position in bed was excruciating. I was also discharged without any painkillers.

By day 10, I was feeling better. I didn’t need to mainline paracetamol/ibuprofen and could walk around the house. You will get there.

I also found it very stressful that I couldn’t get up and help with the house, my other children, cook. But you MUST rest if you are going to recover. Emotionally, it also took me time to recover from the shock of forceps/episiotomy. Was all on track for a nice, easy birth (well as easy as births can be) and had an emergency. Just didn’t see it coming and then had no idea how awful the recovery from forceps would be.

I now really wish I had had an emergency c-section. But everything happened so quickly.

Good luck OP. Each day will get easier but the first few are really, really tough. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I’m sorry you are in so much pain OP and that you weren’t made aware of the reality of a forceps delivery. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself and try and reach out to as many loved ones as possible to come and help with baby and the house. Best of luck to you x