can you refuse a forceps delivery?

giedriukas111

Hi, I'm pregnant ( in 36week) and wondering if anybody had some experience in forceps delivery. can I prefer C-Section instead of forceps if somethig goes wrong, cos I had C-section with my first son? thank you for answers

Moonbeam

Talk to your consultant/midwife about your concerns but I reckon in an emergency they will do what ever needs to be done.

giedriukas111

I mean forceps is much more dangerouse when C-section...

Ayla

There is such a thing as "informed decision/consent", and if there is something you flat out refuse you have the right to express that. Put it in writing (like in your birth plan) and explain it to your midwife upon admission. Also explain it to your consultant during your antenatal appointments so it's in your file.

All going well it won't be required (because hopefully you'll have a smooth & straight-forward delivery) but if you do need it you'll have it in your records. You should be prepared, however, that if a true emergency happens and they aren't able to do a section for whatever reason, the health of you and your baby will (and should) have preference over wanting to avoid the use of forceps.

crazy cat lady

Forceps are never used as a 'preferred' method of delivery, in fact they are the very last line of intervention when attempting to deliver a baby vaginally. If you do need an instrumental delivery, it is usually as the baby is getting distressed and needs to be delivered asap. More often than not, a suction delivery is effective.

Of course you should speak to your consultant about your worries over a forceps delivery. You say that a section is less dangerous than a forceps, however in an emergency situation, the time taken to prep and get you to theatre for a section may actually be more dangerous than having a forceps delivery.

I know we all have our anxieties about delivery, but I'm pretty sure that you are worrying too much about this. Forceps are very rarely used. I've not beet at many forceps deliveries at all as when assistance is needed, the suction cup is usually sufficient.

I hope everything goes smoothly for you and good luck with the new arrival

Cat Melodeon

Also keep in mind that only 3.7% of total births in Ireland (2008 figures) were forceps assisted. The rate is higher for first time births and is lower for subsequent ones, so 'the statistics' are on your side this time round. Do a birth plan though and discuss your fears with your medical team - clear communication and trust are the best way to improve your experience this time round.

SanFran07

Also - there are occasions when a forceps is used during a caesarean. Talk to your caregiver and labour upright if you can - epidurals are associated with more assisted deliveries. Also as a VBAC Mum you'll have more pressure to 'deliver' quicker which isn't always necessary so as long as you and baby are ok ask for more time / change position etc. The time differences vary depending on which hospital you're attending.

embee

giedriukas111 wrote: »

I mean forceps is much more dangerouse when C-section...

You shouldn't come out with statements like these unless you can back them up. We don't want to frighten the living daylights out of women unneccessarily. I would tend to disagree with this to be honest - a caesarean section has a whole different set of risks attached but you can't say one is more "dangerous" than another.

Forceps deliveries are generally a last resort before c-section. Vacuum will be tried before any talk of forceps unless there is some medical reason why forceps are absolutely vital. As was already said, only a small amount of babies in Ireland are delivered by forceps nowadays. Any instrumental delivery will mean an episiotomy, which can be uncomfortable in the days after delivery. That said, c-section recovery is long and slow.... it is a matter of personal choice but you should try for VBAC and assume that you will have a vaginal delivery.

giedriukas111

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,375444,00.html

you can read here.

http://www.galwayindependent.com/local-news/local-news/15%25-increase-in-births-since-2000/

here.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/425m-for-brain-damaged-girl-5-212733.html

will be enought for now, will find more later.

SO FORCEPS IS INHUMAN!!!
THERE ARE A LOT OF COUNTRIES WHERE FORCEPS ARE NOT IN USE FOR MANY YEARS, BECOUSE OFIMPLICATIONS...

Ayla

Those stories are highly irrelevant in this thread:

The first was more about malpractice & "doctors" who failed on countless terms to practice good medicine.

The second story has absolutely nothing to do with forcep delivery? Did you post a wrong link??

And the third, the very sad story of a child who will suffer for the rest of their life, was not caused by the use of forceps but instead the mismanagement of the entire delivery (from monitoring heart beats, etc)

So I'm not sure what sensationalism you're trying here, but those links do not in any way verify that "forceps is inhuman!"

giedriukas111

forget about it!!! I was looking for somebody with experience!!!!

here one more story!!!!!!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1253013/Forceps-killed-baby-doctors-using-them.html

second link is right! here is the last sentence:

The induction rate was 26.3 per cent, the lowest in many years, while there was a slight increase in the overall rate of forceps delivery during 2006.

so it was increased!

I cant find one forum at the moment, where a lot womens are telling their terrible stories, after forceps delivery.


but I've found this one!
so I can refuse it!

http://www.babyworld.co.uk/wb2/default.aspx?action=91&read=682374&fid=384

Ayla

Why are you so angry about this? I'm not a midwife (but others on this thread are), but I have given birth twice so I'm well aware of the emotions surrounding childbirth. You don't have to be nasty!

As I mentioned (and as you've read in the babyworld site - which is a UK site, by the way) you do have the right to refuse a specific intervention if you wish.

As other posters have mentioned, there is a risk to any form of delivery, but forceps are almost never used here. Just b/c Galway has a "slight" increase in their usage doesn't mean much. And, oh, that statistic is 5 years old...lots can change in that time.

The story of the family in the UK who lost their baby after 3 days is tragic, of course, but you can find stories just like that for any form of delivery, including natural, suction & c-section. Childbirth is usually straightforward, but it is a physiological process & despite everyone's best intentions it can sometimes go badly.

Ayla

giedriukas111: I mean forceps is much more dangerouse when C-section...

embee wrote: »

You shouldn't come out with statements like these unless you can back them up. We don't want to frighten the living daylights out of women unneccessarily.

I completely agree w/ you embee. If the OP wants to continue her assertions that "forceps is inhuman," could she please quote medical statistics (instead of newspaper stories of specific cases)?

Moonbeam

giedriukas111 wrote: »

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,375444,00.html

you can read here.

http://www.galwayindependent.com/local-news/local-news/15%25-increase-in-births-since-2000/

here.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/425m-for-brain-damaged-girl-5-212733.html

will be enought for now, will find more later.

SO FORCEPS IS INHUMAN!!!
THERE ARE A LOT OF COUNTRIES WHERE FORCEPS ARE NOT IN USE FOR MANY YEARS, BECOUSE OFIMPLICATIONS...

*mod note*

Please do not use all capitals letters as it is construed as shouting and rude.

crazyginlady

My first child was delieved by forceps so I have some experience . The forceps were used as it was an emergency and was nessecary , had I refused it may not have ended well . I'm not sure if this is the case all the time but she was very bruised afterwards but safe and healthy .

hairyprincess

My first baby was delivered by vacuum and forceps, she was almost 10lbs :eek:. I was in bad shape for about 5-6 weeks after, couldn't sit without a pillow under me. It was a horrible experience and it stayed with me for a long time.

My second baby, was a walk in the park, given that the 'road' was already a path taken by my earlier delivery, hers was much easier. No intervention required and very little pain relief. She was 9lbs.

OP, if I were you, I wouldn't focus on it too much, enjoy the last few weeks of your pregnancy. Start drinking raspberry leaf tea, drink cod liver oil if you can stomach it, walk and get yourself as many sessions of reflexology as you can.

Best of luck

rachums

Okay those stoires that you posted are the extreme cases, which unfortunately happened. However there are doctors who are very skilled at using forceps and they do forceps deliverys alot, so they do know what they are doing. there are probably a handful of the bad cases. Im not saying that they bad cases should of happened, its obviously dreadful that they have occured, all im saying is that its very very unlikely anything bad will happen from a forceps delivery and in the case of an emergency it is probably the quickest way to get the baby out