Forceps and / or ventouse - why are they so bad?

[confuseddoiordonti]

Okay, bit naive here I know, but I figured if that if I never ask I'd also never know.

So, can you tell me what's so horrific (as I have gleaned from various threads) about both ventouse and forceps deliveries? And, is the likelihood of having one very high?

Yours nervously, Cx

[Dumbledoresgirl]

No please stay Ghouls because I am going. I too can't stand this kind of crap.

[confuseddoiordonti]

Hello? Anyone left?

Thanks for your replies. They have been most, erm, helpful!

[Theresalwaysroomforpudding]

Never had forceps but did have a ventouse delivery with number 2. He had the cord around his neck and the doc wasn't happy so moved pretty quickly. He gave a good pull, I gave a good push and out he came.
Luckily I didn't have any tearing and thankfully had a very quick recovery so I guess it really depends on the situation.

Try not to worry too much OP.

[santaschristmascakeywakey]

I had a failed ventouse followed by forceps with my DD because I was exhausted and just couldn't push anymore.

I think I was given a local shot to numb the pain, apart from that was only on gas and air (not by choice I can tell you!). I can't remember it hurting, but I did end up with a fourth degree tear.

Luckily, I gave birth at a maternity hospital and they did a fabulous job of stitching me up under an epidural. I had abolutely no problems whatsoever afterwards.

DD had the most enormous bruise on her forehead for weeks because she had been in an awkward position and had the ventouse put on the wrong part of her head. She also had a wonky head for quite a while, but this may not have been entirely related to the forceps. We did take her to a cranial osteopath who said that she felt fine, which was a relief.

Hope this hasn't worried you too much. Aside from the gory details, the end result was a healthy baby. As other posters have said, the chances that you'll have either of these interventions is quite small.

Good luck, and please try not to worry.

[confuseddoiordonti]

FOURTH DEGREE TEAR? [SHOCK]

[confuseddoiordonti]

Cat64 - I presume it's rather like the dentist, you never hear good tales about that either!

[santaschristmascakeywakey]

Or gawd, so sorry Confused. Really didn't mean to scare you and will keep my big mouth shut in future. It's soooooooo unlikely to happen to you, it's really not worth worrying about. Honest, honest, honest!

[confuseddoiordonti]

Out of the people I know, almost half have had some kind of 'intervention' - but thanks for the reassurance all the same!

[santaschristmascakeywakey]

And, looking at the odds again, if you know lots of people who have had interventions, doesn't it mean that you're less likely to? Or some such statistical jiggery-pokery?

[christina1971]

Please try not to worry - I was sharing a room with a girl who had a ten pound baby (her first), and was left with one stitch! She was on coffee and croissants next morning, fully made up, hair blow dried. I felt a bit sick at that point. Heard later that the poor thing had terrible problems with sleep deprivation, as baby confused night and day. You never know how things are going to turn out.

[confuseddoiordonti]

Guess not!

[amelem]

My dd was delivered by ventouse, to be honest I was so exhausted by the labour at that point as my attempts to push her out were fruitless that I was glad that they delivered her this way. She looked perfect with hardly any noticeable marks of ventouse. Stitches hurt a bit though and I sat on a pillow for a few weeks afterwards. When in the throes of labour you be concentrating so much that your really won't care what the doctors do. I'd def recommend pethidine though it made me feel more relaxed.

[confuseddoiordonti]

I thought pethedine made you feel drunk? Not sure if I'd like that (but hell, what do I know!)

[StarExpat]

I was told that doctors do better stitching than midwives? I'm sure it's not true... but every time they got checked, whoever it was would say "ohhh, those are good stitches. They look like a doctor's stitches, you'll heal quickly" Then... "you're terribly bruised you know" feeble "thanks" from me...
Yes if you're not opposed to it, take the drugs. They help a lot.
You'll be fine. Don't be scared. If it gets to a point where they need to use either of these interventions, then like amelem said, you'll be glad they are available. I too was so tired of pushing for hours. He was so little that he apparently kept slipping back and sometimes further back in than he had come out
He's now 14 months and 23lbs!

[LittleWhiteWolf]

I thought I was going to need intervention, and to be honest I was crying out for it. DD was back to back and after 2 hours of pushing feeling like nothing was happening she seemed to stick right at the crowning position. I found out later that they were just getting the scissors to perform an episiotomy when out of nowhere I gave a ginormous push and her head popped out. Another and she was out completely. She had a cone head and I had a tiny graze but it was all me. At that stage, though, I was desperate and would have welcomed any help at all (having read this though, I might have thought again!)
I'm just adding this to say that in my case intervention was getting closer to being on the cards and had DD not been so healthy and calm throughout (they monitored her heartbeat like crazy just in case) but turned out to be unnessecary.
I'm in a baby group of 7 and we have 5 vaginal births and 2 c-sections. Of those vaginal births, none of us needed forceps or ventouse, although there were 2 episiotomys. We are all healthy women between 24-36.
The only person I know who needed an episiotomy and forceps was my SIL who was 15 at the time and I dont think she had a lot of an idea about labour before it began and she had a very narrow frame at the time (being slim anyway and of course only 15)

I hope that helps to think that the chances of your needing intervention might be low???

[StarExpat]

Yes, pethadine made me feel drunk. More drunk than I have ever been . Apparently, I offered it to DH because it was so good. It wasn't like a sick-drunk. It's like a "everything is sooooooo good in the world" drunk It also allowed me to sleep through some contractions before I was ready to push.

[bibbitybobbitysantahat]

Try not to think of them as bad. My DH has a huge forceps scar still very prominent on his forehead but without it he and his mum wouldn't be here.

[confuseddoiordonti]

Okay, I sort of feel a bit better.

A little bit...

[barbareebaahumbug]

I asked for forceps after a midwife repeatedly told me I wasn't pushing hard enough, and I could do better.

I was induced - the induction started on the Saturday and I gave birth on the Monday. I had an epidural after the midwife told me they were going to have to give me a syntocin drip as the contractions weren't strong enough (or something - the memory is a bit fuggy now)

I was completely knackered, wasn't getting anywhere. A dr popped his head in the delivery room and I begged him to get the forceps (!) He popped off, brought some students back with him and a ventouse. Discovered ds was back to back so tried to turn him manually but failed so tried ventouse which snapped. Then got the forceps. Midwife kept giving me more syntocin all the time - I guess so I would be able to feel the contractions over the epidural so I could help push. Anyway extremely knackered but ds was born safe and sound.

I asked for the forceps as I felt utterly useless and I just wanted ds to be safe and sound. I feel guilty that he arrived with an awful bruise on his head and friction burns around his neck. I still feel guilty. I had to have a blood transfusion three days later - my hb level was 6 which I believe is rather low. Also had internal grazing, 2nd degree tear and episiotomy.

Ds being back to back and 9lbs 7 is possibly why I needed help.

[mama2moo]

So, can you put it in your birth plan that they are not to use forceps or ventouse? Can you demand a c section?

I am due in January with dc2, dd was a 'normal' birth but I think this baby is a lot bigger. I do not want any intervention like this.

[extremelychocolateymilkroll]

I had ventouse after pushing for a while and the baby not coming out. The baby's head was visible but kept going back in. I am convinced I might still be pushing if I hadn't had the ventouse. She came out second time of pulling with the ventouse. I had an episiotomy - stitches were painful for a week or so afterwards but not a big deal really.