Fear of forceps

Hi ladies,

Hope everyone is doing well these days!

I'm now 36 weeks and meeting with both my midwife and a consultant OB this week to discuss birth plan/delivery options. I had my 3rd growth scan today and it's still showing baby's size/length measurements in the 99th percentile (know it may be inaccurate, but need to prepare for it being true -- my husband and I were both big babies so would not be surprised).

I am hoping for as natural a birth as possible, but have also been reading about other possibilities just in case. I'm not really worried about a c-section at this point, I know it may not be ideal but I've read some more positive stories about it and am not really freaked out about it.

I am, however, really freaked about the idea of a forceps delivery. I actually thought they didn't really do these anymore (isn't it pretty rare in the US these days?) but was told at my antenatal class that in case of failure to progress or problems with pushing, the usual routine would be to try ventouse, then forceps, then c-section. They also may use forceps to turn the baby into a better position in the womb.

My fears are based around damage to the baby (I know a couple people who have permanent damage from forceps, including a friend still having facial surgery in his 40s) -- especially if it is a large baby, wouldn't trying to yank him out be kind of dangerous? (thinking of shoulder dystocia)

But also, it sounds like recovery from forceps -- because of the cut they have to make -- can be as bad or worse than from c-section (probably read too many double incontinence stories...)

So all in all, I would like to avoid forceps if at all possible. Can I put this in my birth plan, and would it be respected? Has anyone else done this?

Am I overreacting?

Would appreciate any thoughts or experiences anyone has, thanks ladies 

I don't really have any practical information, but I'll tell you you're not alone in your worry.  The whole idea of forceps totally freaks me out.  When/if I give birth, I plan to tell everyone in the room, in no uncertain terms, that if they come near me with a pair of forceps, I'll kick their teeth in.  And I really, really mean it.

Have you asked your midwife about this? I ended up with 2 emergency c-sections so it was never an issue, but I think if I were in labor and they brought those out, I'd have freaked!

This definitely freaks me out too--it's one of the reasons I plan to be annoyingly vocal about this if I have a child over here.  I don't know much about childbirth here since I haven't seriously considered it yet but if it were me, I wouldn't hesitate to put it in my birth plan and I wouldn't hestitate to remind anyone who came near me during delivery.  

I feel the absolute same about the use of ventouse, as well: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthadvice/kristianwoodjointclinic/3568975/Joint-Clinic-Did-ventouse-delivery-affect-my-baby.html

I'm the same! Very, very scared of forceps!!! I plan to put it in my birth plan as well and make it very clear when im in labor that they can't come near me with those things. I think I would rather have a c-section than have forceps used! Im hoping they respect this, but in the end, i think if something happened and they needed to get the baby out ASAP, I don't think I'd have much choice in the matter. 

I was a forceps baby...and I have the funky head to prove it, though I was born in the US in 1974.

I would rather have a c-section than risk forceps or anything else that latches onto the baby's head...this remids me of a story I read...the Daily Mail, I know, but the facts remain: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1253013/Forceps-killed-baby-doctors-using-them.html.

Aillidh was a forceps delivery.  She had her hand up by her head cupping her ear and was back to back.  There was no way of knowing this until time of delivery.

BUT, I only found out later how lucky we got.

First of all, she was born during the day, so there was a very senior consultant there and she's who did the delivery. 

Secondly, they were mid-cavity.

Last of all, in most cases, yeah, you don't get a choice, they try all that before csection.

It doesn't matter if you put that in your birth plan, they'll still try it.

We were very very lucky she had no problems afterwards (only slight marks on her face and none on her head) and nor did I.

Sooooo, if you really do not want forceps, then if I were I was go American and insist on elective csection.  Just no bones about it.  Don't give them an option, because the choice is yours.  'I'm having a csection'.

Obviously the baby's size is enough of a concern that you've been referred to a consultant.

FWIW, ventouse is used in the US regularly. 

Not every hospital/midwife/doctor in the UK is going to operate under the same policy so I'd talk to your midwife and see what options are available to you.  I had the option of choosing between 2 different hospitals to deliver my child and I was surprised at how different the policies where for each hospital.  I guess I just assumed since they all operate under the NHS, they would follow the same procedures but I was way off...and not sure why I assumed that anyway.  I'm fairly early in my pregnancy but due to complications with my previous delivery, I've already expressed my birthing desires and I've been reassured that I will be the one in control of my choices.  Obviously I'd rather the doctor use forceps in an emergency than to allow us both to die...but if it is a simple option of not progressing quickly enough (or other non-emergency reasons for using assisted delivery), I've chosen other options.

Okay, I'm glad I'm not the only one freaked out by forceps (thought maybe I was being a wuss!)

I am very curious to see how much choice I really have with this -- I guess I will find out more tomorrow at the midwife (OB is on Friday -- actually will be interesting to see if they have different opinions on this).

Yes, if it's a matter of life and death, that's one thing, but I think I would also rather have a c-section than forceps and I would like to have that respected if it's not absolute life and death. I'd like to think that given the possible repercussions for both baby and momma, our wishes would be respected here. Hmm.

I'm not hopeful about getting an elective section (even if I go American -- which I'm pretty good at I think! 

I have been referred to the consultant because of the size issue but they are also telling me I'm still not high risk (don't have any other conditions) and the NHS guidelines seem to say that size alone is not an indicator for c-section. Also my hospital is very pro-natural birth.

I would like to try for a natural birth, I know it's possible even with large babies, I just don't like the idea of people shoving everything but the kitchen sink up in there trying to yank out a baby that is just not going to come out that way.

Anyway will let you know what I find out this week! Thanks ladies!

I ended up with a Kielland forceps delivery. In the end, I was actually really, really relieved that did the trick and I avoided the c-section! I healed quickly from the episiotomy
(it wasn't very large, fortunately.)

I had a team of very capable and good people around me to get me through it. The sole reason I ended up with the forceps delivery was posterior presentation and them concerned by how tired he was getting (so very nearly was getting him out with pushing but his head was in that sunny side up position and he was getting increasingly exhausted... it ended up being a long... 49 hour labor. If it hadn't gone on so long and if my waters had broken on their own earlier on in the labor, his presentation likely wouldn't have even been a problem. I blame all of this on my bag of waters...)

I won't lie - the pressure was INTENSE. I felt like my skeleton was being pulled out from my skin (sorry!) But luckily, mainly all they did was rotate him into a better position and only pulled once, but they had me continue pushing and didn't yank him out. Two pushes, and he was out.  His face had some small little red bruises (seen a little here:

and he had a bruise on his head, but he was totally fine. And the cord was wrapped around his neck TWICE. No wonder he was getting so darn tired.

I wasn't in much pain afterward. I took codeine maybe twice... and that was mainly after I got home and was walking around (I was out walking my town at three days. What sort of crazy person am I?! I thought, "Hey, I feel fine!" and would do some walking all over the place... and later that night I would feel that I maybe made the couple stitches I had a little angry.)

I was very glad to have avoided the c-section. I would have had a lot more to recover from... emotionally AND physically.

My baby was just fine after the forceps delivery, and so was I. Don't be afraid. You may not need to... and if it comes to that, don't expect it to be like any horror stories you may have heard about them.

And I'm also glad that next time, I am not having to attempt a VBAC. Because, in the end, I still had a vaginal delivery. So relieved...

And look at this happy boy!


 


It's good to research everything, but don't go in the hospital in fear. Just do what you gotta do, momma! Whose to say you won't be able to have a natural birth with an estimated big baby?

Best of luck and enjoy the rest of your pregnancy! I am feeling a little nostalgic already!

I'm glad that it worked out so well for you, Surgena....but I'm still not convinced! No forceps for me.  They can either do a c-section, or the kid can stay where it is!  I think I'd really prefer that they...create a new exit, rather than needing to extensively remodel the one that's there. And if I ended up blaming anyone, it'd be my partner, for obviously carrying some weird big-head gene.  :p

Honestly, though, I realize that my perspective may change at some point, as I've never been pregnant, but I really don't have the same problem with the idea of a c-section that a lot of women seem to.  I get the impression that there's this huge notion of failure, or of missing out on something, and I just don't see that at this point.  To quote Coupling: 'I'd just like to gain a baby without losing traction!'

Honestly, though, I realize that my perspective may change at some point, as I've never been pregnant, but I really don't have the same problem with the idea of a c-section that a lot of women seem to.  I get the impression that there's this huge notion of failure, or of missing out on something, and I just don't see that at this point.

You wouldn't believe how many other women view us who have had c-section (I have due to a breech baby) as failures... I never understood it and it was thrown in my face by many other mothers that I came in contact with after my daughter was born. 'How sad you didn't get the birth that you wanted, and you shouldn't feel bad that you failed'...WTF? It's not about ME it's about having my healthy baby girl and nothing else.

This is a timely article that just appeared in the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/mar/13/natural-childbirth-caesarean-emily-woof, that goes along with the idea that women shouldn't be viewed as failures for birth plans that become untenable. Interesting read.

You wouldn't believe how many other women view us who have had c-section (I have due to a breech baby) as failures... 

Luckily, among the many other things I officially don't care about... is what other people think.  Especially when it's completely stupid, and none of their business.  Which is often what I tell them.

On another topic, I've often wondered why I have so few female friends.... :p

 I don't view women that have c-sections as "failures."

No woman is a "failure." Birth can go many ways and, in my case, didn't go the way I had hoped.

But the recovery with a c-section versus forceps, for me... would have been more difficult. I feel those early days would have been far more stressful on me, with breastfeeding, moving around, etcetera, if I had an incision to deal with. That is me, personally, though. The recovery with the forceps wasn't bad and pretty quick as when everything wore off, I still wasn't really in any real pain, but I had a pretty uncomplicated forceps delivery and I know they can go any number of ways. I think the worst thing was the constant migraines with visual aura I had after all was said and done, but that was unrelated to the delivery itself and was because I had been awake for a very, very long time.

I will say that I am SO glad that you are allowed to eat during labor over here. Because with how long I had been awake, eating three full meals in labor kept me going. I thought for sure I would feel sick but I was fine. Even had Ben & Jerry's at 6cm... haw!