Has anyone had two instrumental deliveries followed by one without?

[LegoHouse274]

I'm due my third baby in the autumn and terrified about birth. I have had two ventouse deliveries and found them both awful, and had complications both times with recovery. This baby is also currently back to back. As there were no obvious reasons why I struggled to birth my other two kids after hours and hours of pushing them both, I am assuming the same thing will happen again. I am just wondering if there actually is anyone who was able to have a third baby unassisted? I know it's pretty unusual to have two assisted ones at all though.

(I am also terrified about the idea of a section so pretty sure I don't want to go down the ELCS route btw before someone suggests it.)

Technically my mum. Though there was an emergency C-section (major placenta previa causing a haemorrhage) between the two. First was ventouse, and third was forceps (I suspect Neville Barnes). Fourth (and fifth!) were born with zero assistance.

This was over 30 years ago though, so any guidance will have changed.

Me!

DC1 - induction, epidural, ventouse.
DC2 - spontaneous labour, ventouse
DC3 - spontaneous, water birth, no assistance needed!

Thank you both for sharing. I am just bumping this really too on the off chance there are any more positive stories!

@HettyCletter I love the idea of water birth, but I feel pessimistic as I had originally wanted to use the pool in both my other pregnancies but I ended up having continuous monitoring in both labours (unplanned).

Hi OP, I’ve had 2 instrumental deliveries (both forceps) but no 3rd baby, so following this thread out of interest. In both cases I was induced at 38 weeks, had a last minute epidural, and like you pushed for hours with no success. There seem to be so few of us who have a second instrumental delivery, that it’s hard to find any answers.

I hope it all goes well for you!

@Blueybanditbingochilli yes, amongst friends and family I can only think of one person I know who had two instrumentals (first forceps, second ventouse) and they didn't have any more children after that. For me there were no obvious risk factors aside from being a first time mum with the first one - I spent most of the labours in active/upright positions and most of the pushing too, both labours were spontaneous, I've never had an epidural, neither of my babies were large for gestational age or in an unusual position or anything like that. DC2 got further down the birth canal and needed less pulls on the instrument than DC1...2 Vs 3 with DC1. Maybe DC3 will only need 1 pull?!

lol! Same with DC2 - first forceps delivery was in theatre (they thought I might need a CS), but second took place in the delivery room as his head was very visible. I’m not traumatised or anything but the curious part of me would like to know why even the second time I couldn’t just push him out? It honestly felt like he would never come out - little or no urge to push, I couldn’t ‘feel’ there was a baby there, it was a bit like somebody telling me to push a baby out now all I could feel was the pain of contractions. Totally bizarre! When is your due date? Please update the thread if possible!

1st baby - failed forceps and crash section

2nd baby - Ventouse

3rd baby - dream vaginal delivery, very quick. I had braced myself and was completely shocked when it was all so straightforward

@Stumbleine I'm glad you had a more straightforward experience third time around, I really hope I do too!

I am due mid October so not for a little while yet. I will definitely try to remember to update after it happens! I found both my births awful tbh and my main concern is the repeated extra damage to my pelvic floor and what that means for continence way in the future especially if I have a third with instruments and episiotomy again. But this is definitely our last baby.

I am just giving this a final bump now that I am term in case anyone else has a positive story to share!

Hi @LegoHouse274
Wishing you the best of luck in your third delivery and hope you have most importantly the right labor and delivery team on your side.

I two had 2 instrumental deliveries. No third baby (just had the second baby and did not go as planned). These experiences are making me rethink having more children so I was curious how you experienced wanted a third pregnancy and how you dealt with your previous 2 recoveries. Also did you get an understanding from your medical team as to why you had an assisted delivery both times and if so were you satisfied with the explanation?

Do keep us posted on your delivery and know that whatever the outcome, you did your very best!

Hi @HettyCletter

Is there anything you did different in preparing for your third delivery? How was the recovery for all three?

I’ve only had one birth and that was ventouse followed by a paediatric team having to intervene with my DC. I found the aftermath with my son more traumatic than the birth, but then I have to think surely the birth process and the lack of midwifery care caused my son to become unwell. I don’t want that to happen again, so I might ask about c-section. Best of luck to you.

So I've had baby recently and it was not as I expected at all!

Pleased to report that I did have an unassisted birth this time, which I'm glad about. My labour was much shorter than even my second labour, and the pushing phase was only about 15 mins or so (as opposed to many hours with both the others). This is all meant that baby was unexpectedly delivered by my husband at home whilst we waited for the paramedics to arrive!

Bizarrely this was honestly my best labour/birthing experience of the three. The two things that were different from my other two were 1) both baby 1 and 2 had large heads and baby 3 has a petite head in line with their petite size. Baby 1 was similarly petite but had a much bigger head, and baby 2 was overall pretty big with a matching big head. Maybe my anatomy struggled to descend those big heads? And 2) I was at home! So now I feel that perhaps if I'd planned home births I would have been calmer and it all would have been quicker and more straightforward?! But I guess you can never know!

Hey!
Just wondered how you got on?!
I highly recommend you read Siobhan Miller's book, Hypnobirthing:How to Birth Better. It helped me sooo much with my second birth - especially the visualistaion and breathing exercises.

My first labour was incredibly traumatic, 16hours culminating in forcep delivery, my baby had aspirated meconium ended up in NICU treated for sepsis. I wanted to feel safe and empowered second time round so opted for home birth (for a multitude of reasons) - it was the best decision I ever made. My second baby was born in the birthing pool at home, surrounded by calm and love, with no assistance or intervention required, he was born in 50 mins. Intense but by far best experience of my life, so empowering. I want to do it all over again!! It was truly magical. I highly recommend a birthing pool, if possible, it is amazing pain relief and I believe helps the baby transition more gently from their world into ours - water to water!

I hope you get the birth experience you want, however that may be.

Positive affirmations can be really powerful - particularly "my body is designed to give birth", "I breathe my baby down", "I am strong, capable and ready to meet my baby" - all of these helped me!

I just wanted to post to remind you that your past labour experience does not need to define your future labour experience. It didn't with me.

Congratulations! This is certainly inspiring