Forceps questions

[Zibidee]

I'm looking for some answers about forceps deliveries from those that have had one. Its something my consultant thinks I might end up needing and although I know there are positive forceps stories, it scares the living daylights out of me and the more I know the more I hope I will feel prepared.

If you haven't had an epidural first, did the anaesthesia injection to the vagina & perineum hurt? Anymore than the rest of the pain going on at the time?

I keep reading they will empty your bladder with a catheter, is there no option to just go and use the loo?

Did you have to have an episiotomy? And what was the healing time of this? Or did it cause long term continence issues?

If you were pregnant again, would you elect a cesarean simply to avoid forceps or was it not that big a deal in the end?

Did your baby end up with any long term injuries from a forceps delivery?

Thank you in advance for any input to these questions.

Not a forceps delivery

However my consultant said the same - that my delivery might need forceps as baby was "showing large" on all the scans etc. She was pushing however for a natural birth with potential of forceps.

I declined and opted for a section & baby weighed in at 10lbs 10 😂

Do what you feel is right for you and always trust your instincts 😃

Good luck op x

I can’t help with the first question as I had an epidural beforehand. I was catheterised. Had episiotomy. Stitches healed within a couple of weeks. No incontinence beyond one instance of stress weakness in the very first few days (I’ve done sporadic pelvic floors since). No injuries to baby beyond bruising.

I’m pregnant again and going for a vaginal birth with no real concerns.

A couple of years on, the only issue I’ve really noticed is my old menstrual cup no longer seems to fit and im not sure if this is due to internal scarring (I did have some grazes) or if my internal parts changed shape due to childbirth!

hope that helps!

I am going to give you a largely negative experience, but please do listen to others! I had emergency forceps. It didnt go very well and my DC had facial injuries that took months to heal. Still has very mild facial scars (10y).

I already had an epidural. I had an episiotomy. This didnt heal very well and made the early weeks postpartum physically hard.

I had a catheter, which was absolutely fine. I don't see how you could avoid it, but of course ask your midwife or consultant.

I was keen to avoid a second forceps delivery but my obstetrician thought it unlikely I'd need them again. So I had a further vaginal delivery. Nearly went to forceps again, but a more supportive midwife and a determined obstetrician helped avoid it.

I would choose CS over forceps, for one thing you don't have to sit on your wound!

I have mild rectocele and cystocele, but not sure if forceps caused that.

I had an episiotomy and forceps- was fine, didn’t feel a thing. No issues for me or the baby. Episiotomy took a while to heal, I didn’t think it ever would, but it’s fine now, prob took 5/6 weeks? I’ve also had two emergency c sections, which I know are different to planned ones, but recovery from those were also fine, was back driving at 5 weeks. I’m not sure there’s a right answer here, just what you feel comfortable with. Hope it all goes ok for you and the baby x

You can’t go to the loo as the baby will be so far down that you wouldn’t be able to empty your bladder properly. Forceps,with a partially full bladder can lead to continence issues for a long time.

I had a spinal block as I were being prepped for a cesarean. I did have a catheter fitted but have no idea if it's always the case of needing one. I was In natural labour and was desperate for a wee but no matter how many time I sat on the toilet I couldn't go. It didn't hurt or feel uncomfortable, more relief from needing to go.

I did have a episiotomy but being my first I have no idea if it was more or less painful that a natural birth. It was really uncomfortable for a couple of weeks with getting up and down and sitting but bearable and no long term issues with it.

Dd had a small cut on her head from it and no long term problems.

I personally felt relieved that a ceserean wasn't necessary and would do it again if needed although I have nothing to compare to.

Hope this helps, good luck x

I had forceps, but I had a spinal in case it needed to convert to c section so I felt nothing. I had an episiotomy (I think because of the position of DD rather than because of the forceps) and I had a 2nd degree tear as well. Neither of these was particularly painful/ difficult to recover from, probably better than I expected tbh. it probably took a month to feel normal again and my pelvic floor isn’t currently amazing 15 months on, but I’m not great at remembering to do the exercises and I don’t have any major incontinence. It was maybe a little dodgy when sneezing for a month or two postpartum, it’s better now than it was.

Obviously I don’t know what forceps feels like without a spinal, but I would 100% have forceps again if it meant avoiding a c section. I might feel differently if I had felt her coming out however, I have no idea. DD had nothing worse than a slightly squished head for a few hours.

I think there’s so much about childbirth that is scary because it’s an unknown, but honestly I’m not at all scared of forceps after my experience. I was just glad they were an option as she needed to come out quickly and I was struggling to push.

I had forceps delivery after begging for it! No epidural and I just felt I couldn’t do it without help by the end so consultant came, did episiotomy, clamped them on & he came straight out with a push. He had a slight mark on his face which went within a day. Genuinely can’t remember the injection but I was high on gas & morphine.

… of all the things to be scared of about birthing j think forceps delivery would be down there if I were to do it again!! It was a godsend for me

If you haven't had an epidural first, did the anaesthesia injection to the vagina & perineum hurt? Anymore than the rest of the pain going on at the time?

• I didn't have an epidural. The pudendal block didn't hurt... but it also didn't stop me from feeling the episiotomy or the instruments. The only time I screamed during the entire labour was when they cut me. Also, the forceps are cold.

I keep reading they will empty your bladder with a catheter, is there no option to just go and use the loo?

• They tried to get me to pee but I couldn't - I think the baby's head was in the wrong place! I was catheterised twice in the end - once because my bladder was full and they wanted to see if it would make delivery easier, and once for the sake of the instrumental delivery. Once you've been pushing for a while, it does all get a bit numbed down there, which doesn't help at all.

Did you have to have an episiotomy? And what was the healing time of this? Or did it cause long term continence issues?

• I did. It healed quite quickly - although the indignity of having the stitches checked is something I struggle with even now - and I'd stopped needing pain relief after about a week to ten days. The only lasting effect of it is that the scar aches in the cold. The episiotomy didn't cause continence issues, but the four hours of pushing preceding it did. Possibly the forceps, too, but I couldn't say for sure. It took a long time for me not to feel like my insides were falling out when I walked for longer than fifteen minutes or so, and even two years on running could be a bit dodgy.

If you were pregnant again, would you elect a cesarean simply to avoid forceps or was it not that big a deal in the end?

• Yes, and it's part of why I'm having an ELCS this time around. Although second instrumental deliveries are pretty rare, second episiotomies aren't, and I can't accept that. I also had a PPH which could have been related to the long pushing stage and / or the instrumental delivery and I'm not prepared to risk that, either.

Did your baby end up with any long term injuries from a forceps delivery?

• No. She was totally unscathed, barring a couple of red marks on her little head that went down quite fast afterwards.

It’s brutal don’t do it. If I had my time again I’d opt for c section

I had an emergency forceps delivery with no epidural.

I didn't notice the local anaesthetic being injected at all tbh! I was having gas and air at the time so don't know if that helped.

They did place a catheter for me, time was of the essence so they just needed to empty my bladder fast, I didn't mind it though and it didn't cause any issues for me.

I did have an episiotomy, unfortunately mine didn't heal great and I needed physio for a few months after due to pain (I was told this isn't common), but I luckily didn't have any continence issues.

If I were to become pregnant again I would opt for a C-section tbh, purely because of the crap healing of my episiotomy.

DS did not have any long term injuries from the forceps, he had a bloodshot eye for a few days and a small scar on his face but that has gone (he's 3 now).

Similar to Pamparam…I can’t help with the first question as I had an epidural beforehand. I was catheterised. Had episiotomy. Stitches healed well but it was at least a fortnight before I started to feel normal and felt I could sit down without wincing. I also had no incontinence beyond one instance of stress weakness in the very first few days and no injuries to baby beyond a little bit of bruising. I found my delivery a bit traumatic as I was rushed off to theatre as they didn’t think the forceps would work and I was prepped for a c section just in case.

With my second I insisted that if there was any chance of it looking like I’d need forceps again I wanted to skip that and go straight to a c section. As it happens I had a very straight forward spontaneous delivery the second time.

I had an epidural, and the local GP was going to do the delivery as a practice. However, things went a little awry and they realised they needed forceps. It was not planned and done in quite a hurry. Had episiotomy. I felt nothing. There was a lot of blood. My son came out with a strange shaped head, but it went back to normal very quickly. I had to have a couple of blood transfusions. I had no bladder control for a couple of days, but after that it was ok. My son is 21 this year and has had no ill effects from the slightly traumatic birth. I have had no incontinence issues so far.

I had forceps for my first. I did have an epidural and had an episiotomy. I'd had a long labour and been very sick and was just out of energy and they had to use forceps. I had no pain due to the epidural. My son was born with forceps marks on his face but they went away pretty quick and he was fine, although he refused to breastfeed off one side which they speculated might have been because he felt sore? But that rectified by the second day and we successfully breastfed. I took him for one session of craniosacral therapy because I'd read it's good for forceps babies, but the therapist said he was fine (he slept through the whole session!).

The episiotomy healed well. Minimal discomfort. I had (have) occasional tenderness where the scar is during sex but it's not a regular issue.

It didn't put me off a second vaginal birth. I had an epidural with my second too, but much earlier on, so I felt very energised when it came to pushing and didn't need any assistance.

So for me, forceps weren't a bad experience. If I could change anything, I'd have had my epidural sooner to conserve my energy. But I wanted to do it without. Unfortunately a back-to back labour and extreme sickness (and subsequently dehydration) took it out of me and I finally caved! I realise now there is nothing wrong with having pain relief, which is why I opted for it much earlier second time around and had a positively serene birth in comparison!

I had a forceps delivery because I couldn't feel to push due to the epidural. It had been a long labour, I was getting tired and DS was showing signs of distress. He was quite low down so a doctor was called to do a low forceps delivery. I didn't have a catheter. I had an episiotomy and DS was delivered quickly. All was well, I had no ill effects as a result and neither did DS. The episiotomy healed quickly, more quickly than the tear I had during my next birth.

As I said, I didn't have local anaesthesia with the forceps delivery because I had an epidural. After the birth of DC2 I hadn't had an epidural but needed a lot of stitches because of a tear. The local anaesthetic injections I had before the stitches were the worst thing I experienced during the deliveries of my three children. Just horrible.

Emergency forceps here, but with epidural as they tried to manually rotate back-to-back baby first and wouldn’t do that without epidural.

was catheterised, no issues there.

had episiotomy which I’m really grateful for as otherwise I think I’d have torn very badly and with the cut they were able to go diagonally so my bumhole and surrounding muscle is intact. Major win. It did take a while to heal but I think because it got infected after the birth. Once infection was clear healing was better and 4 years on the scar is almost undetectable.

baby had marks from the forceps but no permanent issues and I do think they saved both our lives as I’d been pushing a firmly wedged baby for 2 hours and his heart rate got very scary.

i would go for a section next time if baby was measuring as big again - he was 10lb9oz and I was left with nerve damage and prolapse, but suspect that was the extended second stage and just his bulk, rather than the forceps in isolation.

I had emergency forceps with my eldest (someone how avoided with my youngest despite him being bigger 🙈).
I had an epidural and in hindsight I wish I'd had it earlier on to help preserve my energy as it was a very long labour!
With my second I didn't have an epidural but I did have the anaesthetic injections after labour as I needed some stitches. The injection stung as expected but once it was done it was fine and it wasn't uncomfortable once it wore off.

I ended up with a episiotomy, I can't remember the exact recovery timescale of this... it was more uncomfortable then soar for a couple months or so after. It wasn't something that hindered me, just remember it being uncomfortable. Fortunately for me the scar did not tear again with my second baby and I didn't need another one!
My son didn't have any injuries or scars. His face was swollen and abit mishapen for a day or so after bless him but other then that he was absolutely fine :)
I'm glad I didn't need a section in the end. I was mainly up and about pretty much straight away after immediate recovery!

I had emergency forceps with a spinal. DS had no facial injuries but did have torticollis which required physio. I don't know if this was due to forceps or to position in utero. He recovered just fine. He was my second and last so not sure what the professional advice would be if I was to give birth again. However I would be easily persuaded to have an elcs.

It resulted incontinence which needed physio to resolve and I still have to wear a pad if I am running.

I’m now at menopausal age and the vaginal scarring is causing problems. I wish I had been given honest information about how it would affect my ability to exercise and my sex life. You will hear a variety of opinions and it might work out ok for you but I personally regret not insisting on a planned CS.

I had a forceps delivery. I had an epidural, one where you control the dosage yourself, but had let it wear off for the pushing stage. I'm not sure if I had an injection or not (I can't remember it that well) but the episiotomy and then forceps and stitches was very painful. Don't do what I did!

Recovery was okay, pain controlled with OTC meds for a couple of weeks and I apparently healed well. I have no lasting continence issues, but my scar hurts at times. Usually in the cold but also sometimes during sex.

Mine was emergency forceps so not much choice involved and I'm very grateful to the obstetrician because we're both still here and are healthy. However, if I could choose, I'd go for a planned C-section over forceps. Friends and family who have had them talked about how calm they were and they knew what to expect and were able to plan for their aftercare.

Emergency forceps was a bit scary and rushed and I don't think other people appreciated the recovery time I needed as in their minds it was a vaginal birth and therefore should be straightforward. My recovery wasn't helped by family assuming I'd be fine to travel to them and sit in the car or sit on hard chairs. I felt quite vulnerable and found it hard to advocate for myself. If you go into it knowing about those things it may well be better for you though.

If you haven't had an epidural first, did the anaesthesia injection to the vagina & perineum hurt? Anymore than the rest of the pain going on at the time?

I’d had an epidural but by the time I got to the final hour of delivery it had worn off and the top up failed. I can’t remember specific things hurting except I know it all hurt.

I keep reading they will empty your bladder with a catheter, is there no option to just go and use the loo?

I had a catheter and that wasn’t an issue at all. Tbh I was quite out of it for that last hour, I’m not sure they would have got much informed consent out of me.

Did you have to have an episiotomy? And what was the healing time of this? Or did it cause long term continence issues?

Yes, had an episiotomy. Probably took about 4 - 5 weeks before it felt healed and occasionally I can feel the scar tissue when sat down or having sex which is mildly uncomfortable but ok. I didn’t have any continence issues until I got pregnant a second time, and between my pelvic floor from birth 1 and the pregnancy now I do have issues with small amounts of leaking when coughing.

If you were pregnant again, would you elect a cesarean simply to avoid forceps or was it not that big a deal in the end?

I am pregnant again and have opted for an ELCS this time because of the dramatic final hour of DD’s birth. The pain was pretty horrific and I was so tired and out of it by the time she was born I just wanted everyone to go away - my most hated memory was when they brought her to me and I just wanted someone else to hold her because I was too traumatised to focus. That’s primarily why I’m not risking a repeat.

Did your baby end up with any long term injuries from a forceps delivery?

No, thank god, although she had a horribly marked face for the first few days but she’s absolutely fine now and you wouldn’t know.

For people showing large, did they show you a growth chart and was baby above the top line?

Thanks for all your replies everyone, it's a bit of a minefield and if I could elect cesarean I think I would, but my consultant is advising against it because of my age and BMI which put me at higher risk of haemorrhage and wound infection. But they're also advising an early epidural because they think for my age and BMI I won't be able to push him out myself, hence the need for forceps. He is predicted around 7-8lb so not huge.
I feel like I'm stuck in a no win scenario and just have to get ready for the impending tongs! But at least I know what to prepare for now.
It's interesting a lot of you have taken weeks and months for the episiotomy to heal, making the healing time comparable to cesarean, but that's not really talked about with vaginal births.
I was determined to avoid an epidural so that I would be more active and upright and pushing on all fours, to avoid the forceps in the first place, but it's interesting a lot of you would choose to have it earlier second time around. Is it reasonable to think I will be able to be upright to get him out rather than exhausted on a bed?

I had it in my notes that if I couldn't do it myself, I didn't want any intervention unless it was a section. The statistics for forceps aren't great and I knew I couldn't handle that level of conscious trauma.

You can say no and make choices based on what you're comfortable with.

Don't get me started about the forceps Rolling eyes vigorously