AbbyMN needs your "failure to progress" anecdotes

[AbbyMumsnet]

More editorial stuff going on at Chez Abs, so I'd be really grateful if you could post your anecdotes re' labours that failed to progress. Did you have your waters broken? Did it help? DId you have Oxytocin? DId that help? Was the baby poorly positioned - or was he/she too big or your pelvis too small? How was it for you, essentially.

Cheers all - really appreciate your help with this, particularly as may not be easiest experience to write about.

Cx started 4am Tuesday. 7am waters broke. Dh went to work . Was meant to be able to get mw to come and see me, but as waters had broken they wouldn't - so eventually went in at 1pmish. Basically left with dh (in quite a reasonable) room until 7pm - proper exam - 1cm . Put on syncotin drip - no meds, just tens (my choice at the time). Kept active, birth ball and mat provided by hospital.... 12pm examined again - 2cm . The drip was gradually being increased - decided that I wouldn't be able to do anything by 9am (the then anticipated 'push' time) if I didn't have some sort of pain relief - opted for epidural. Anaesthatist had one failure, but thought the 2nd attempt was working - promised to come back after 5 mins to check. Unfortunately she got called away to an emergency and for the next 3 hours just had gas and air - which was no help at all. Dh doesn't know how close he came to getting bitten (cracked the gas and air pipe too) - sometimes couldn't help pushing. 3am anaesthatist eventually returned - had to use a spinal block in order to get epidural in properly. Meanwhile, ds (by then well hooked up) decided that he didn't like it if I tried lying on either side - his heart rate dropped. So I ended up rather stuck in one position.

9am - finally OK to push. I could feel the contractions, so not a problem. However, no baby arrived. 10.30 consultant showed up and suggested theatre for forceps trial and, if unsucessful, cs. Carried on pushing until about 11.30 to no effect. Ds born by cs at 11.50.

The consultant was great - in theatre he got one forcep on and gave up without trying, saying that there was no point - he came to see me in recovery and told me that, from the space around ds's head, he could tell that I'd been pushing correctly - its just ds had got his shoulders stuck and kept on slipping back. MW from when I got put on drip also fantastic - had 3 shift changes in all and all were lovely.

Ds was 10.5 at 39 wks, so I'm just glad that he didn't wait any longer.

Really wanted a home birth with Ds1, midwife was supportive all good to go.

On the due date started having contactions, went through 12 hours of very painful, continuous contractions, vomiting frequently, unable to keep anything down, only to find I was still only 1-2cm dilated. Midwife was fabulous.

I agreed to go into hosp and go on sytocinon drip, and have epidural as was exhausted. Ds was 'back to back' not certain of the proper term for it.

Ended up, 24 hours after 1st contraction, in theatre, ventouse to turn him and forceps to pull him out, narrowly avoiding c section.

Not at all the lovely natural home birth I had planned!

Any more ventouse or forcep experiences you care to share?

With dd1, labour started naturally around 2pm. went to hosp at 7ish, apparently at 4cm.

They broke my waters at 10pm ish.

Contractions a good part of the night, had a dose of pethidine etc, but not much progress. Stuck a drip up at 5ish, cue desperate urge to push which I was fighting for next couple of hours as cervix yet ready. Next stage was epidural to stop the urge to push, cue nada for next several hours. DD yanked out at 12 pm the next day with forceps. (This bit was ok, I was so knoakered by then I didn't care if the baby was hauled out of my nostril so long as she got born.)

Really sure that if I had been left to labour/encouraged to walk, none of the interventions would have been necessary. they certainly weren't in labour no 2 which was a dream in comparison.

A very undramatic failure to progress anecdote from me: waters broke Saturday evening but no contractions till Sunday night. Eventually went into established labour in the small hours of Monday morning, thus handily avoiding the augmentation I was booked for, and went to birth centre. Was 5cm on arrival, all good - spent next few hours in quiet room with DP and nice mw, drinking tea, clicking my tens machine on and off, chatting and dozing.

Was 8cm at around 8.30am so told I could get in the pool and decided to start on the gas and air. However, I think this relaxing combination worked against me as my contractions became more irregular. I could feel DS's head pressing on something but didn't have an urge to push. The mw kept encouraging me to push anyway. Cue roughly 4-5 hours of exhausting pushing, being exhorted by mws to constantly change position, being told the baby's head was 'right there', all the while knowing he wasn't moving down and that nothing was happening.

The mws starting semi-threatening me with a transfer to hospital if I didn't make it happen soon. With hindsight I feel that they had lost faith in me a bit; random people kept popping in and out of my labour room and chatting with them, oblivious to the naked labouring woman straining away and making despairing pronouncements which wasn't really very helpful.

Eventually I got fed up and pointed out that the baby was not descending, they knew it and I knew it, and would they please just send me to hospital now.

Not sure what I expected the hospital staff to do, but fortunately didn't have to find out as the ambulance journey must have pushed DS into the right place. He was born within 30 minutes of me arriving there - no intervention necessary at all I also now know what the urge to push feels like, and will not be bothering next time until I really feel it! All those fruitless grunting hours gained me was a ripe crop of piles

Sheesh, how long have you got?!

Ds1
Waters went at T+12. CTG said I was having contractions - I told them I wasn't, they were just my normal BHs - but I was't allowed home. Funnily enough, not a lot happened. Ended up with epidural and on synt 24hrs later. Progressed smoothly to 9cm when I had an examination, at which point ds1's heartrate plummeted and didn't recover. Was told it was emergency c/s under general anaesthetic. The memory of being wheeled at frantic pace from labour ward to theatre, having to leave DH behind in labour ward, terrified, will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Still, they went for a final listen to the heart before putting me under....and he was back! Bastard was just trying it on! We were offered c/s anyway, given the experience we'd just had, but I really wanted to try for VB. So back to labour ward. Progressed to fully, but after an hour of pushing, nada. Registrar tried forceps, but couldn't shift him - he was OP and coming superman (hand first). So told it was to theatre for c/s after all. Got their, consultant reckoned she'd give forceps a go. After having my body wrenched feet off the bed by the fanjo, out he came. I was ripped to shreds.

Ds2
No sign of him so went in for induction at T+10. Had prostin, went for a nice long walk, re-examined 7 hours later and told no progress. An hour or so later, feeling increasingly uncomfortable, asked for some paracetamol, but was told it probably wouldn't do me any good. She may have been right as seconds later my waters exploded! Through to labour ward, found it excrutiating and expected that meant I was rpogressing well and would have a textbook second delivery. Sadly not, was not progressing, the pain was him turning the wrong way from ROA towards OP until he got completely wedged at deflexed ROT. This is called a deep transverse arrest. Had epidural, but essentially he was so stuck he was never going to shift. Obstetrician had a go with forceps but said I had "a funny shaped pelvis" - maybe that's the reason both of them have malpresented? - and there was no option but to have c/s.

I hate the phrase "too posh to push" and while in the long term I don't think it'll make an ounce of difference that I didn't manage an unassisted delivery, even now I still feel unworthy, less of a mother, pathetic, sometimes when I hear other people's (uncomplicated) birth stories. Even so, if dh and I were to have a third, I may well opt for an elective section. Firstly, because they are unlikely to induce someone who has had a previous section (and I am clearly not someone who goes into labour spontaneously, the whole family's like that); secondly because unless the baby is presenting perfectly my 'funny shaped pelvis' is obv going to affect birth; but thirdly, because so far, what should have been the most momentous, joyous and special time for me and Dh, ended up something filled with exhaustion, fear, drugs, guilt and disappointment (obv not the kids, they were and are gorgeous!). An elective section would at least mean a further birth wasn't associated with those feelings.

Gosh: will do short version now and may have time for more later.

36 hours of labour, only 7cms dilated, I agreed to oxytocin and an epidural as they said I was worn out. Immediately thereafter, dds heartbeat dropped to 60bpms and I had an ER-style dash to theatre for a crash section.

Afterwards they said she was just slightly at the wrong angle: it wasn't the top of her head pushing on my cervix, but slightly to the side (you could see the flattened bit)and it just wasn't enough to open my cervix.

Yes, I did get my waters broken about 12 hours in, it was hellish: the worst part of my labour. Don't know if it helped.

I was at St Thomas' and the care was excellent throughout. Fantastic midwives.

Was not too traumatised afterwards, but would like to give VBAC a try next time!

bump

Sorry - meant to say thanks for all your help so far, and if there are any more ventouse or forceps experiences out there please feel free to add them here as bit short on that front.

Daft brush that I am, thought that earlier post hadn't logged - MN moves so quickly these days and I have old bones.

my precipitous labours preclude me from posting here i think [she says, posting anyway]

bump

Saturday late afternoon, 1cm, appointment booked for Monday. Told MW so she can cancel it. Says I might not have had baby by then as stuck on 1cm for hours.
Waters go - 6pm
3 horrendous contractions - 8.15pm
Start pushing - 9.05pm.
Baby born 9.25pm.

Next one
6am - 1cm. OMG it is going to be hours again.
10.08am - start pushing.
Baby born 10.15am.

Would argue I couldn't be marked as failure to progress. Just 1cm-10cm in a short space of time.

I realise this could be completely irrelevant but I wanted to post hope that being stuck on 1cm doesn't have to mean days of pain and intervention.

I put most of the position issue down to management of the labour, TBH. My waters went at around 7am Thursday morning, it took until around midnight to get to 3cm dilated, progressed gradually from there but then on Friday afternoonI was "stalled" at 5cm (coincidentally enough after getting hooked up to IV antibiotics and a monitor so that I couldn't move around) and a registrar who got right up my nose insisted on giving me syntocinon (appearing not even to hear my suggestions of "I'd rather like to have 45 minutes or so to do some laps of the unit and see if that gets things moving") and by that time I was seriously knackered so gave in.

So then I opted to get an epidural, and then I had to lie on my side for an hour while they tried to get it in (apparently my epidural cavity isn't in the usual place ). In the course of that hour I dilated from 5 to 10 cm but also wound up with an asynclitic baby, which strikes me as a suspicious coincidence. After that I was reasonably active (on the bed, but a good range of different positions) but DS was pretty firmly wedged (we actually went to theatre intending to turn him and do a ventouse delivery and they were predicting better-than-average chances of that succeeding, but when we got there he was so firmly wedged that they didn't even try the ventouse). So we wound up with a c-section.

DS was 10lb 5oz, but the problem was his asynclitic position -- that was probably partly why I was dilating slowly, and can't have been helped by being fairly immobile. Three years later I had 8lb 15oz DD quickly by VBAC with no intervention and just TENS and gas air.

Oh, me, me, ventouse and forceps!!!

I was in labour for about 24 hours altogether. Had an epidural - and was told to start pushing at about 18.30.

I was getting nowhere whatsoever and in total agony as the epidural had worn off and the Dr came in at 20.30 to attempt to deliver DD with ventouse. The ventouse flew off the babies head and blood went everywhere so then they got the forceps.

The Dr managed to deliver her at 20:54 with the forceps. Her head had been in the wrong position hence she was stuck fast. She was also 9 pounds 11.

The whole thing was a lot of fun

Ok went in tuesday night to be induced at 38wekks with dd1, had pessary gel then, again Weds morning, amd again Weds Night, started having labour pains 8pm wedsday night, dh went home, called back at 2 am as I was sent to the labour ward. waters were broken for me at 10am Thursday morning,s till having contractions, nor further on. went onto the drip (cant remember the drug though) at 12am, kept upping the dose of the drip which was very painful but whenever they examined me I was no further on, was preped for a c section about 8pm but had acta=ually started to dialate so went ahead, dd eventually born by vetouse in the early hours of Friday morning.

ds1, due around xmas.
21st december, last post natal check up. I mentioned I had had some 'seepage' and that was it, they imprisoned me saying there was a risk of infection and they would monitor and induce me. I didn't know enough to object.
Anyway, I know realise they wanted to try and get me out of the way before christmas, as it were.
But ds had other ideas, thank you very much. They gave me a membrance sweep. Nada. Then they gave me a pessary. Zilch. Then they gave me oxytocin. Bugger all.

They gave me more oxytocin in the end. Then contractions started on the 22nd at some point. I spent around 12 hours not dilated more than 3. This was 10.5 years ago, so I'm not good on specifics.
They eventually gave me an epidural and dragged him out on december 23rd, after he spent around 7 hours just twirling round happily in my cervix without feeling the need to drop down any. The cord was round his arm and he suffered from Ehrb's Palsy for several weeks. He was 8lbs 9 oz.

ds2, I swore blind I was not going to go in to hospital until I was at least 9 cms dilated I delivered him in 5 hours, with just gas and air.

Are you still looking for assisted delivery stories ?

I planned a home birth for first DD. Very supportive midwifes arranged this. Waters broke spontaneously at 3am, by 10am I was fully dilated. I was advised by the midwives to push, though I felt no strong urge. I was given regular examinations, and the baby's heart rate was fine throughout. However, after around 3 hours of trying to push in every position the midwives could think of, we were all agreed that a transfer to hospital was in order. I was whipped straight in DD was born by ventouse around 20mins after I arrived. It seemed that the lack of progress was due to DD's position (angled), and the fact that she had her arm up to her head, with the cord holding it in place. And her head was (and still is) mahoosive.

The ventouse was pretty excruiating despite gas and air, but quick! And I would definitely book a HB again, despite not quite making it.

Me too with assisted delivery! But it was in Spain. Does it count?

Thanks for posting, but am moving on... see next thread!

When being told by a consultant that as I'd been stuck at 8cm for 8 hours they considered the induction to have failed therefore they recoemmended a CS.

I burst into tears - I was utterly drained and had been plugged into a syntocinon drop for 18 hours (waters were leaking and had been for several days hence induction). I'd had an epidural after 9 hours because I was jusy overwhelmed with the pain and couldn't cope anymore.

The consultant immediately asked - "Why are you crying? Do you think you have failed?"

No love. I'm exhaused, frightened of surgery and desperate to have my baby. But thanks for mentioning it.

dd1- waters had broken then NOTHING- had the gel and padded around for a bit, examined and told nothing happening- we'll review in 6 hours, six hours later examined and told nothing happening again, dh hurried out of room to change into scrubs, theatre called, all manner of drips and wires being piled on the bed as i'm rushed upstairs for an emergency c section as dd's heartbeat looked suspect ............................................

Lo and behold, she was born in the corridor precisely 7 minutes after doc informed me that my cervix wasn't at all soft The suspect reading on the CTG was dd coming down the birth canal

So its not always bad and sometimes your body suddenly changes its mind and decides to go for it