forceps or csection?

veetveet · January 2014

My daughter was a forcep delivery and it was brutal. Apparently I am narrow down below.

The thought of a csection with baby #2 terrifies me.... but not sure if I want to chance another forcep delivery.

If those were your only 2 options... which would you choose?

I meet with my OB this week for the first time during this pregnancy... she is the same doc that delivered my daughter (who came out absolutely perfect- not a scratch or a bruise and a perfectly round head!)

AGMV08 · January 2014

With my daughter I had forceps. My son ended up with shoulder dystocia. I am currently pregnant with third and will be having a c-section as my doctor does not think I am wide enough to successfully deliver another baby without complications. I really don't want a c-section after 2 vaginal births, but I am terrified to go through with another vaginal birth. Talk to your doctor about your concerns. Best of luck to you with whatever you decide to do.

pigtails1031777 · January 2014

You already had one baby so the second will be so different. She paved a path

I def would not opt for a c unless emergency!

PrimRoseMama · January 2014

C-section.

cMichelle0423 · January 2014

I say c section.... I just read a terrible story about a poor little baby girl that was supposed to be perfectly healthy, but due to her doctor using forceps, she's now dead. There's a thread about it in the June 2014 board I think..

HobokensFury · January 2014

After reading a story yesterday about a baby's skull being crushed during a forcep delivery I would choose a c section. I know it's rare but I would rather put the pain on myself than take the risk.

ncbelle · January 2014

There are other options…

Different positions while pushing. Your pelvis is at its most narrow when you are flat on your back. Squat or get on all 4s and it opens WAY up!!

Vacuum assisted delivery is the more modern version of forceps and less risky.

I would definitely try different labor positions first though

kd&cd · January 2014

C-section for sure. I'd rather have a long recovery if it means a safer birth.

rainydayluck · January 2014

cMichelle0423 said:

I say c section.... I just read a terrible story about a poor little baby girl that was supposed to be perfectly healthy, but due to her doctor using forceps, she's now dead. There's a thread about it in the June 2014 board I think..

Third tri has that link posted and a lot of info about how the use of forceps is really declining due to the risk.

veetveet · January 2014

ncbelle said:
There are other options…

Different positions while pushing. Your pelvis is at its most narrow when you are flat on your back. Squat or get on all 4s and it opens WAY up!!

Vacuum assisted delivery is the more modern version of forceps and less risky.

I would definitely try different labor positions first though

I had an epidural so I didn't have many options unfortunately! I was also moved to an operating room....doc thought she would try forceps before an emergency csection. My daughter was too high up for the vacuum-so that wasn't an option.

The thought of being awake while being sliced open and feeling tugging.... freaks me right out. I'd rather be put right under.

SEMaddox · January 2014

I have been asking myself this same question. I am considering a C-Section if Forceps will have to be used. This is just how I feel after reading the story mentioned above. So Sad.

WashingtonQueen · January 2014

Here is the link to my post in 3rd tri. https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12217775/forceps-delivery-sad-and-graphic-story#latest

Nuclearcupcake · January 2014

Csec! I had one with my first and a Vbac with my second. I would choose csec over forceps any day.

Edit-typo

mysticl · January 2014

veetveet said:

There are other options…

Different positions while pushing. Your pelvis is at its most narrow when you are flat on your back. Squat or get on all 4s and it opens WAY up!!

Vacuum assisted delivery is the more modern version of forceps and less risky.

I would definitely try different labor positions first though
I had an epidural so I didn't have many options unfortunately! I was also moved to an operating room....doc thought she would try forceps before an emergency csection. My daughter was too high up for the vacuum-so that wasn't an option. The thought of being awake while being sliced open and feeling tugging.... freaks me right out. I'd rather be put right under.

I didn't feel any of that. They told me I would but I didn't. The only thing I "felt" was when they shaved the surgical field and that was just some vibration.

saraapuzzo24 · January 2014

As much as I'm afraid of a c-section. I rather that then forceps.

LegalLadyBug · January 2014

I'd go c section and I'm afraid of them. At my hospital my OB is the only doctor allowed to use foreceps, he's been around forever and he's the only one with training because its generally considered a last resort. Most doctors these days will go to a c section instead because there is less risk to the baby.

ETA: even vacuums aren't guaranteed. You can ask your OB what your hospitals policy is on them but I know at mine once there are 3 "pop offs" they can't use it anymore. It's another thing that can be harmful if not done right :-/

jenb_99 · January 2014

C-section for sure. I loved mine and am actually looking forward to the repeat.

veetveet · January 2014

mysticl said:

veetveet said:

There are other options…

Different positions while pushing. Your pelvis is at its most narrow when you are flat on your back. Squat or get on all 4s and it opens WAY up!!

Vacuum assisted delivery is the more modern version of forceps and less risky.

I would definitely try different labor positions first though
I had an epidural so I didn't have many options unfortunately! I was also moved to an operating room....doc thought she would try forceps before an emergency csection. My daughter was too high up for the vacuum-so that wasn't an option.

The thought of being awake while being sliced open and feeling tugging.... freaks me right out. I'd rather be put right under.

I didn't feel any of that. They told me I would but I didn't. The only thing I "felt" was when they shaved the surgical field and that was just some vibration.

A good friend of mine was not frozen enough... and she felt them cutting...she had to tell them (thru her screams) that she needed more drugs. After that story it freaked me out more than ever!!

mamatobe1235 · January 2014

ncbelle said:
There are other options…

Different positions while pushing. Your pelvis is at its most narrow when you are flat on your back. Squat or get on all 4s and it opens WAY up!!

Vacuum assisted delivery is the more modern version of forceps and less risky.

I would definitely try different labor positions first though

This^ 100% what I was going to say

LEIGHLOVE09 · January 2014

I would choose csection over forcep delivery. However I would choose a vaccuum assisted over csection...

ncbelle · January 2014

veetveet said:

There are other options…

Different positions while pushing. Your pelvis is at its most narrow when you are flat on your back. Squat or get on all 4s and it opens WAY up!!

Vacuum assisted delivery is the more modern version of forceps and less risky.

I would definitely try different labor positions first though
I had an epidural so I didn't have many options unfortunately! I was also moved to an operating room....doc thought she would try forceps before an emergency csection. My daughter was too high up for the vacuum-so that wasn't an option. The thought of being awake while being sliced open and feeling tugging.... freaks me right out. I'd rather be put right under.

Yes, but you could choose to go without the epidural this time. There are other ways to manage pain in labor. And labors without epidurals tend to go faster because you can stay moving. You can also choose to have the epidural turned off later in labor so you can move during pushing. And if you do get one, you don't want to get it too early in labor as it does increase the chances baby won't drop well into your pelvis. You have to make the choice that's best for you of course but there are a lot more than two options here!!

I wish doctors would be more upfront with patients that one of the risks of the epidural is that you are tying yourself into the worst position for pushing. We'd have a lot fewer babies that "failed to descend" if mamas were up and moving. I think it's great the choice exists of course but doctors should fully inform patients of the difference it can make.

Having had a 10 pound baby who was poorly positioned in labor, this baby will definitely be med free as well. I would have ended up with a section for sure had I been stuck on my back and unable to push in different positions. A quick flip to hands and knees (from semi-sitting in the tub) and she was out in one push!

KVGiovanelli · January 2014

Forceps scare me 1000x more then c-section..Forceps can be so much more damaging to baby and mom, and are far less controlled..

FemShep · January 2014

C-section. I've heard (and my own experience backs this up) that scheduled c-sections can be much easier to recover from since you're not exhausted from labor. With both of my c/s, I was up and walking within a day, had no problems with stairs or carrying LO, and felt pretty darn good. You should also post your question on the c-section board, you'll get more insight from women who've been there. Good luck!

spacepotatoes · January 2014

I've never had any experience with either since I'm an FTM so you can take this with a grain of salt if you like...

It sounds like you are really psyching yourself out about the c-section based on other people's stories. Remember that everyone's experience is different. It's good to be prepared for the possibilities but just because something awful happened to someone else doesn't mean it's going to happen to you. I can't tell you how many people have decided to share all of their childbirth horror stories with me since finding out that I'm pregnant. You just have to try to learn from their experience, think about how you'd handle that situation, then move on and don't dwell on it. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen.

If you're serious about not having the c-section, then I agree completely with the ladies suggesting that you forgo the epidural, at least for as long as you possibly can. It will give you a lot more options for vaginal delivery and there are other pain management techniques you can look into.

veetveet · January 2014

Thanks ladies! Appreciate the input! Will talk to my doc tomorrow.

I do want to say that with my daughter my water broke at home.... and it a was a continuous flow of bright red blood with massive clots that no pads could hold! (Totally not what I was expecting and have never seen so much blood in my life!) So walking around, squatting etc was not an option.... it was a danger for me and everyone else for slipping and falling. I sat on the ball for a bit and everytime I had a contraction a ton of blood would flow... absolutely disgusting!

I have zero desire for a natural birth. Definitely all about the epidural.

boymum2014 · January 2014

Forceps should be illegal by now they are bad news IMO

veetveet · January 2014

Spoke to my doc the other day... she said she will not use forceps on a mother twice. (I didn't ask why). Other than crazy painful and a crappy recovery... my daughter came.out perfect... not a bruise or a scratch and her head was perfectly round.

Have to mentally prepare myself for a c - section, just in case! I love my doc.... but no guarantee she will deliver. It's whatever doc is working at that moment.

awc1986 · January 2014

C-section. My middle bit isn't as important as my daughter's head.

Plus my only experience of forceps delivery is that my mother was one. She ended up having epilepsy caused by scar tissue on her brain which was where? You guessed it! Right where the forceps were! She ended up having epilepsy drugs for many years and eventually brain surgery to remove the scar tissue, which cured it. This was a home birth in the 60s, so maybe the risks weren't understood? Too much to risk putting someone through IMO. Cut me open if necessary. I'm not much of a bikini babe anyway.

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