Forceps with an epidural that hasn't worked

[Xmasallyear]

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?

I'm sorry this happened, it sounds awful.

The manual removal of the placenta for no clear reason happened to me. I vaguely remember them telling me they were going to do it but that's all. Thankfully I had a spinal block so didn't feel it.

I had a birth debrief later and the midwife going through my notes couldn't work out why they removed the placenta such a short time after the birth. I strongly suspect they needed the theatre for someone else, and just wanted me out asap.

I had my next baby at home...

Biggest trauma of my life. I can relate to a lot of this thread, being held down as they pulled on the forceps as I wasn't heavy enough to stay on the bed. Being told off by the doctors for not staying on the bed 😭 feeling every stitch being given afterwards as they fixed it, being told to 'breath through it' as the gas and air had fallen out of reach.

But the cut, the cut, that's the moment that will live with me forever, I relived it many times. I swear I nearly hit the ceiling. I don't remember how I sounded but I know I screamed. My poor dp.

They said they gave me local anaesthetic but it didn't work.

I had a very different second birth thank goodness.

That is so shocking OP. I'm sorry you had to go through that.

The epidural didn't work for dd1 and eventually I was given a spinal block and ventouse delivery after hours of having to labour on my back, feeling every contraction.

My care and experience was awful. I didn't think I'd have another DC. I couldn't talk about the birth for months without crying.

Sorry for everyone who was manhandled, ignored, dismissed or victim-blamed while giving birth. Galling how often this evidently happens.

OP your medical notes seem completely inadequate/misleading - that alone would be reason to complain. Besides a lot else.

But above all do whatever helps you move on. Here's hoping you heal, in every sense.

Thanks to everyone who's replied. It's shocking how many of you have similar / bad experiences. It's appalling when it doesn't have to be that way and there's clearly mistakes being made / uncaring attitudes. I will definitely think more seriously about going through PALS.

After reading your replies I definitely think the doctor couldn't be bothering waiting for the placenta / wanted the theatre clear. What crappy rationale for an invasive procedure when it's clear pain relief isn't working!

I'm not sure what PALS will achieve as my debrief mentioned its hard to gauge what happened and a case of my word against theirs as thenotes don't reflect my experience And tell quite a different story! Will request a copy of my notes so I can have them to hand / correct events.

So sorry this happened to you, and to you, OP. I had emergency forceps with no time for any pain relief after dd’s heart rate very suddenly decelerated. It was like being violently assaulted and I hope never to suffer pain like that again in my life. DD was born safely but I felt traumatised for months afterwards.

Op I'm so sorry you went through that. Please do complain or even send feedback in anonymously to say what you have said in this thread. Their conduct and communication were horrible even your midwife rolling her eyes. We are led to believe that all midwives know best and are saints. I'm so glad the first midwife that met me on the way into the hospital wasn't my midwife. I was dragged in by my other half, I hadn't said a word and was still walking down the corridor to the unit when midwife 1 said I'd likely be going home. Midwife 2 examined me and said I wasn't going home. She was lovely (I was down to two names for DD, hers was one and I saw it as a sign and chose that one) and the third was good too. My midwife was clearly exhausted as it was early morning and she'd just delivered triplets but she was still so great with me.

I was taken into theatre because DD was in distress and they gave me a spinal which didn't work and when I said that I was given an epidural which worked perfectly. I was treated respectfully every step of the way and they communicated what was happening. When I was back on the ward someone came to see me specifically about the spinal. I have a feeling they were investigating what might have happened and if anything that could be dealt with better they would learn from it. I was impressed. Everyone in the theatre was respectful and considerate. They even apologised for my birth plan going out the window.

I had two epidurals, a spinal block and forceps. I was believed when it was clear that the epidurals weren't working. Epidurals don't always work, and they should know this as a basic fact. My doctors asked for consent and discussed options with me at every stage, clearly telling me what they wanted to do and why, and what the next step would be if that failed (not sure whether this is normal practice, or whether it was because I had made it very clear that I wanted to be in control and make my own decisions).

It sounds like you have had a difficult birth. A lit of women don't get to follo2 their birth preferences (I am one)- but it shouldn't be traumatic. Have you asked for a referral to perinatal mental health services? It sounds like you may benefit from some support for the trauma.

Please complain via PALS. Every woman has the right to pain relief that works during labour if they want to have it. The advice to complain gets even more pressing if you are a woman of colour, as a pp mentioned, as there are recorded inequalities within the maternity system and its outcomes for some ethnicities.

OP, if it would be useful for you it should be possible to arrange a meeting with an anaesthetist to discuss what happened - they will have a better insight to the anaesthetic issues than a midwife debrief may provide and should be able to look at the decision making and discuss with/feedback to the anaesthetist that looked after you. They may also be able to access psychological support if you think that may help. HTH.

One of the anaesthetists came to see me in hospital and then brought a senior one back when I told them what happened. They basically said they may have known the epidural wasn't working and the doctor / anathesist would of shared a look to proceed as the baby may have needed to get out ASAP. They hadn't read my notes or been there, just Speculating .

At my debrief I asked about this and she showed me the fetal monitoring graphs and said while baby was beginning to get tired, it wasn't a full in emergency/ there would have been time to address the epidural. She also said nothing in my notes indicated a urgent emergency .

OP I think you need to take legal advice, this is assault pure and simple. I'm so sorry

So sorry this happened to you OP. I had forceps and I don't know why as the epidural had been working previously during the pushing stage but it was horrendously painful.

I'm so sorry this happened to you, OP. Like many above, my epidural worked perfectly and there was no pain, though it did end in an EMCS, and the anaesthetist stopped the surgery twice when DH said he thought I was in pain.

The bit I'm surprised by is this:

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 my waters broke with meconium, I was told that the baby would be out within 24h whatever happened, because of the risk of infection. And indeed, at 21h of labour, when nothing had really progressed, they took me in for a section. Is that not usual?

I’m sorry OP 💐 I had forceps on 2 paracetamol (and an episiotomy and 3rd degree tear). Truly rubbish! Spinal for stitching was lush!

Sorry, I had contractions from around 4am in the morning, then my waters went at 11pmish with the meconium which is when i went to hospital. So I suppose baby was out within 20 hours of my waters breaking. I24 hours may be what they aim for as I think this is why I was given the induction drip to speed it up, c section was never talked about as a potential outcome though.

Episiotomy, forceps and stitches with a pointless local and paracetamol. Gas and air was taken from me. This was due to presumed fetal distress. Baby born with apgar score of 9/10. I was in so much pain I didn't make a sound apparently. Almost blacked out from the pain. Not sure how I held on.

Stated everywhere I would have preferred a section over the Episiotomy. This was ignored. Had forceps and the rest while on the labour ward.

My BP went through the roof. Had major postpartum hemorrhage due to an Atonic uterus followed by a transfusion. Complications from the meds resulted in d&v. Was nil by mouth for 24hrs which affected breast feeding. No one fucking noticed the baby starving. I was in the hospital for 3 days total. And released, tha kfully home visit midwife noticed poorly baby. I didn't have a clue. Will live with that guilt for the rest of my life. Thankfully, dc is now healthy and energetic 8 year old.

Debrief was told they did what they thought was the best option.

That sounds horrific, my epidural also failed and baby was in distress so we got rushed into theatre. However as soon as we were in there they gave me a spinal tap so I was completely numb. They then did cut and forceps and gave me the option of manually removing the placenta or not and stitches. It hurt like absolute hell afterwards so can't imagine how painful it would be during it. Was there any discussion why you weren't offered a spinal? I'm not sure if they can only be offered in certain circumstances, when I had mine they midwife had already called the consultant in before we went to theatre as she was concerned.

Oh and a second degree tear

Hi OP, I’m a midwife and this reads like a horror story. It is absolutely unacceptable that you were ignored. It sounds incredibly traumatic and I would be making a HUGE complaint. Skip pals, go straight to the head of midwifery.

No that epidural didn't work right.
I had 2 EMCS many years ago now. First one I didnt feel any pain, just the strange sensation of someone fiddling about inside.
Second EMCS. They did all the tests as the previous time and I couldn't feel anything. Then they cut into me and it was agony. They were very apologetic and topped me up with stuff but it was horrible.

I'd be concerned about another epidural now, I think I'd rather a GA.

I had an epidural for a normal delivery and did not feel anything. Definitely complain, the midwife sounds awful and you should not have experienced any of that.

That was traumatic to read, actually having to go through it must have been awful!

I had an epidural, episiotomy and forceps delivery in theatre. I didn't feel a thing during the procedure. You are definitely not supposed to be in the pain you describe. Speak to PALS and I hope you find it helpful.

@CluelessandConcerned interestingly my BP dropped like a stone when I had my placenta manually removed with only gas and air for pain relief (and they had to stop that partway through the procedure as I started to hallucinate!) Felt sorry for the midwife as I grabbed her hand and kept squeezing it, as DH’s hand was unavailable due to holding our new baby. I don’t think she was overly impressed with me.

Sorry you had such an horrendous time

I am so sorry to hear what happened op, please seek legal aid. They should not have treated you that way.