forceps or ventouse?

[thebluenoser]

Just writing my birth plan and have come to the assisted choices... I REALLY want to avoid using either forceps or ventouse, but if it comes down to it and I have to have assistance, which is better? They didn't really go into much detail in my antenatal class. I know I can talk to my midwife about it, but your opinions would be helpful too!

it's not a choice or a question of which is safer for both mother and baby, as that's a medical decision that has to be made at the time.

it depends on the position of the baby, how far it's descended and the cervix as to which one is medically safer and stands a better chance of success.

a consultant examines and makes a decision based on his/her assessment.

Its a bit dificult to choose as such. They are used in different circumstances as far as I know , i think forceps are used if the head is not in the vagina yet or not completely and ventouse is used only if head is in the vagina. So i guess it would depend on what was happening when things got difficult as to what they would use.

Like expat said, it's a medical decision, I don't think you get the choice. Though I suppose you could say that you wouldn't want forceps and would prefer a c-section if it came to it, but would be ok with ventouse. My antenatal teacher put the fear of god into me about the havoc that can be wreaked with a pair of forceps, so I was keen to avoid it first time roun, though I know people who've been fine, and people who've had hideous ventouse experiences.

Hi TBN, obviously it depends on your hospital but when I gave birth I don't think the midwives so much as looked at my birthplan!

If your hospital's anything like mine then if it comes down to needing an assisted delivery then to be honest I doubt they will be looking through your notes to see which you would prefer.

I don;t mean to say this to worry you, just that you shouldn't worry too much about it as a) you may well not need it and b) if you do, the staff will choose which they think is most suitable.

i had a forceps delivery and had an excellent recovery.

I had ventouse and no problems, my BF who delivered three weeks before me had forceps and no problems.

I'd go with whatever the staff are best at using! My hospital seems to have a preference for forceps and my NCT teacher pointed out that this meant that a lot of the staff were pretty expert in using forceps. Unless you have a really strong preference for one of the other I would leave it up to the staff.

Thanks for the input... I have a feeling that my birth plan probably won't make a huge difference on the day, but it's helpful to know that if it comes down to it, there's no point in asking for either ventouse or forceps, as I'll get what I'm given!

Sorry-just to throw a spanner in the works,I had to have both with DS1! It had turned in to an emergency situation though.. I did make a good recovery. I havent met anyone who's had a bad experince with either so try not to worry too much.