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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Forceps with an epidural that hasn't worked

99 replies

Xmasallyear · 01/12/2022 07:56

I'm just wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience at all? My birthplan went completely out of the window. My waters had meconium, after around 30 hours of contractions I was given an induction drip as I was dilating too slowly at which point I was advised to have an epidural.

When the anesthetist did the block of ice test I kept saying I could feel it and rated the sensation of cold as a 9/10 everywhere. They advised me to lie on my side and said they would come back later but never did! The epidural didnt seem to make any difference, I can only assume it dulled the pain slightly as the contractions only got slightly worse while on the drip? My not so lovely midwife then proceeded to physically take the gas and air out of my hands as she said I didn't need it! My partner grabbed this back for me! I kept telling the midwife i didnt feel pain free but she wouldn't really engage with me at all!

A few hours later I kept saying I had intense pressure and asking when I would be examined. The midwife kept saying not until six hours had passed. When the doctors visited on the rounds they asked the midwife why I hadn't been examined in so long at which point she said something about shift change over and rolled her eyes when she turned around. Doctors insisted I was examined and I was 10cms. After pushing for 40 minutes I was taken to theatre for forceps delivery where I was given an epidural top up once again with the ice test I kept saying I can feel it and said surely I shouldn't be able to?

This top up definitely did nothing as soon as the doctor made the episiotomy cut I screamed and couldn't keep my bum down on the trolley. Gas and air was put over my face and I had another doctor holding me down at my chest. To top it all my placenta was manually removed which was just as painful! I could even still feel the stitches afterwards and my husband said even at this point my face was flinching at each stitch.

The next day I saw the midwife I had for my first part of labour and said an epidural wasn't what I imagined. That's when she told me my experience was completely wrong and the epidural must not have been working! She advised me to make a complaint via Pals. ( I haven't done this yet).

I've had a debrief where to add insult it's been noted in my records that "patient was comfortable and epidural pain relief was sufficent". The records also don't give a reason for the manual removal of the placenta. It had only been 15 minutes after labour before this happened.

I'm feeling a bit screwed over but also wondering do people generally still feel pain during a forceps delivery? Did the doctors really not notice the level of pain I was in? After watching countless episodes of one born every minute in pregnancy I thought a forceps delivery looked relatively painless! Mine was nothing like this!

Can I ask other people's experiences of forceps / epidurals? Had anyone had the placenta removed manually and what were the reasons given?

OP posts:

Arriettyborrower · 01/12/2022 08:00

I didn’t have an epidural or forceps, but I do know that you should have been pain free and you absolutely should not have been held down.
Was your baby in severe distress at this point?

I am so so sorry this happened to you, you need to make a complaint via pals and ask for your experience to be be fully investigated by the patient safety team.

Arriettyborrower · 01/12/2022 08:05

My son had an epidural for major orthopaedic surgery, it failed within hours. I had to strongly advocate for him and insist on alternative analgesia whilst it was being amended.

The nursing staff kept only offering ibuprofen, 10 hours post multiple bony surgery site op, and only if he ate first (vomiting post anaesthesia) luckily I am a nurse so knew it had failed - also had to point this out to them and what to do about it - and eventually demanded morphine and anti emetic before he was moved again.

Sometimes terrible things happen in healthcare for a multitude of reasons, we have to review and learn from them.

Barbequebeans64 · 01/12/2022 08:05

I had an episiotomy and forceps but I had a spinal block at the time (I was left to labour until 9cm before being examined, during covid, on my own but that's another story) and I felt nothing.

That sounds really horrible and I'm glad you did the debrief, I found it helped a lot. I'm due my second soon and I'm so ready to stand my ground this time (as much as I can when I'm high from the spinal!)

Original poster

Xmasallyear · 01/12/2022 08:06

Arriettyborrower · 01/12/2022 08:00

I didn’t have an epidural or forceps, but I do know that you should have been pain free and you absolutely should not have been held down.
Was your baby in severe distress at this point?

I am so so sorry this happened to you, you need to make a complaint via pals and ask for your experience to be be fully investigated by the patient safety team.

My debrief said baby was becoming to show signs of distress but not to the extent of needing to intervene that quickly. Once again no concrete reasoning in my maternity notes.

OP posts:

Arriettyborrower · 01/12/2022 08:08

Xmasallyear · 01/12/2022 08:06

My debrief said baby was becoming to show signs of distress but not to the extent of needing to intervene that quickly. Once again no concrete reasoning in my maternity notes.

Show quote history

You absolutely need to complain - do you feel up to this/able to?

Mischance · 01/12/2022 08:09

I had a forceps delivery before epidurals were in such general use. I shudder to think about it now - it was hell.

abblie · 01/12/2022 08:12

I had both and it was horrendous I was left over 24 hours and I had type 1 diabetes it was the worse out of my 2 births my 2nd came flying out after a cough 🤣

Rocket1982 · 01/12/2022 08:14

Sorry you went through this OP, it sounds like there were many issues with your delivery and you definitely should complain.

toomuchlaundry · 01/12/2022 08:15

I didn’t have an epidural or forceps, but I did have retained placenta. They pulled gently on the cord but it broke and my cervix closed. They gave me the injection which was meant to help but it didn’t. Think they left me for an hour to see if it would come out naturally but it didn’t. They then offered me to go to theatre and have a spinal, but as I didn’t want to leave DS or DH I refused. So had it manually removed in the delivery room with just gas and air (wouldn’t recommend)

MaverickSnoopy · 01/12/2022 08:18

I would complain too, sorry you went through that.

I have had 3 epidurals but not forceps. My first and third labour's, the epidurals worked well. I felt no pain at all with my first and only a slight discomfort with my third. The epidural didn't work at all with my second. I was told at the time that sometimes it doesn't work, particularly if it's administered too far into labour. For context that labour was 4 hours from start to finish and the epidural was administered after about 1.5 hours but I'm not too sure how dilated I was at that point.

Original poster

Xmasallyear · 01/12/2022 08:42

Barbequebeans64 · 01/12/2022 08:05

I had an episiotomy and forceps but I had a spinal block at the time (I was left to labour until 9cm before being examined, during covid, on my own but that's another story) and I felt nothing.

Giving birth during covid Must have been horrendous. I definitely agree in regard to standing your ground, it's definitely something I'll be aware of if there is a next time!

OP posts:

Original poster

Xmasallyear · 01/12/2022 08:47

toomuchlaundry · 01/12/2022 08:15

Did you have a conversation regarding options / give consent?
I wasn't asked consent to the manual removal the doctor just said she had to do it as it hadnt detacched after 15 minutes ( doesn't seem enough time to me?) and she was straight in there without time for me to even think what a manual removal is! It's not pleasant at all is it!

OP posts:

CheeseIsMyPatronus · 01/12/2022 08:51

My epidural failed too, and they wouldn’t believe me either.

JuneOsborne · 01/12/2022 08:54

What have I just read? This sounds awful. I think the first midwife's suggestion of PALS seems appropriate.

Unfortunately, I suspect issues like this are more common than they should be.

I hope you're healing well, both physically and emotionally.

purpleme12 · 01/12/2022 08:55

They had to top up my epidural at one point as I was feeling pain in contractions so it wasn't working as it should but it was nothing like this!
I did have forceps with epidural, by the time it came to the forceps they'd made the epidural ok for me, pain wise
This sounds awful!
I would complain if you feel up to it

cupofdecaf · 01/12/2022 08:58

I had an epidural and forceps. Didn't feel them cutting so it must have worked. I think the epidural made me vomit (a lot even in theatre).

It shouldn't have hurt you, I think that you need to complain. Stress as well the notes are wrong which is just as bad. They've falsified the notes to cover for themselves.

Interesting they didn't believe me I was going to be sick in theatre, until I was sick all over myself and the nurse trying to force me to drink something to stop me being sick. They didn't try that a second time. So I understand how upsetting it is when they don't listen (though mine was much less and not painful).

DarkAndDusty · 01/12/2022 09:00

OP I'm sorry you had that experience.

I also received an epidural before the drip and an eventual forceps delivery, but in my case the epidural provided immediate pain relief. They also gave me a pain blocker (?) which I think is a local anaesthetic which meant I was completely numb down below.

I have no clue as to why your epidural didn't work but I'm sure if you spoke with an anaesthetist they could provide some insight

toomuchlaundry · 01/12/2022 09:01

@Xmasallyear yes they talked to me about options as they definitely recommended the theatre/spinal option, which I refused (stupidly). Have to say lying in the bed waiting an hour before the procedure started wasn’t fun as I kept thinking that women die from this, so possibly quicker is better. Also I assume if the cervix has closed and the placenta hasn’t come out naturally in a short period of time it’s not going to come out naturally and intervention is required

Ihavekids · 01/12/2022 09:02

This sounds absolutely awful, they didn't listen to you and held you down? I'm so so sorry. Complain if you feel up to it, maybe they'll be more respectful with the next delivery...

Bettybbbb · 01/12/2022 09:03

Please go to PALs. This is unacceptable. I had an epidural. Was only working on one side but had a top up in theatre for forceps and episiotomy and didn’t feel a thing.

theydontspeakforus · 01/12/2022 09:06

I had 2 failed epidurals. I ended up with a forceps and episiotomy birth with a full spinal block. Both of my episiotomy's only "took" on one side - my right hand side still felt cold / pain etc. I ended up pushing for 2.5 hours before being taken to theatre as baby was distressed. One midwife said "you're just not trying hard enough" so I told her to get the fuck out of my room and she did. Next midwife was lovely!!

daretodenim · 01/12/2022 09:06

I had an epidural and forceps. Epidural only worked totally in one side and partially in the other. I did not feel the forceps and I had one stitch and didn't feel that either.

OP you need to complain. Don't doubt yourself. If you're not sure you should complain about a particular aspect, add it. You were treated badly, very badly.

Men wouldn't be treated like this. It totally fucks me off.

Actually, I'm not sure if you're white, and it totally shouldn't matter, but if you're not you should include that in the complaint. Why? White women's pain is believed more. Still far less than men's though. And it doesn't diminish your experience at all if you're white - you definitely should be complaining about it all. It just means there may be an additional "unconscious bias" (in quotations because how the feck can you unconsciously not believe someone in pain!) if you are from an ethnic minority and that should be raised.

And that cow midwife shouldn't be working with women in labour.

Wherediditallgo · 01/12/2022 09:07

Sounds utterly barbaric.

Pain is what the patient says it is.

They should have listened to you and to falsify your notes is appalling.

FetlocksBlowingInTheWind · 01/12/2022 09:07

I had an epidural, then ventouse and forceps. I definitely couldn't feel a thing, not even pressure. It was an awful back to back labour and the midwife let me go a long time at the pushing stage when it was a clear that I couldn't feel anything to push, and nothing was happening anyway 🤷🏻‍♀️
I was amazed afterwards at all the bruising etc because I hadn't felt any of it (just the hours of painful labour up till the point that they finally let me have the epidural).

RandomMess · 01/12/2022 09:41

You poor poor thing, the epidurals for my 3 births were never fully effective but I had unassisted deliveries so it was a good thing as I knew when to push.

Please go to PALS the lies on your notes and how you were treated is unacceptable.

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