Are forceps commonly used in C sections to get the baby out?

[nickle730]

I have been in theatre for numerous ceaser's at the Royal Women's and Monash Hospitals and forceps were routinely used by all ob's.

[MummaSue]

No forceps used in mine and DD was very transverse. When they opened me up, all they could see was her back and there wasn't much to hold onto. But they didn't use forceps at all.

My scar is tiny too. It amazes me that she even managed to get out of there!

[Yeddi]

I think it is a matter of training or more OB pride. There was a blog written by a midwife (anon of course) who went into detail about certain births. She hated one of the female OB's who prided herself on how all her patients only had little c-section scars even though this meant that she always had to use forceps. But there could be other reasons than vanity, like length of recovery and smaller scars might be less likely to rupture... If the main reason is vanity though, I think given the choice, many women would choose to have the slightly longer scar with no forceps, than to use forceps to have a little scar.

Blessed - It might be worth asking your OB whether they do or not, and if so why. If it's simply for aesthetic purposes, perhaps you can put in your birth plan that you don't mind having a longer scar to avoid the use of forceps.

No forceps with mine BTW, and a do have a fairly long scar - about 6 inches.

[TaRhLi.]

My Ob used forceps to get DD out as her head was wedged into my pelvis and my lower uterine segment hadn't developed so she was tightly lodged. She had a graze mark on her right temple (just near hear eye) and a big graze on her head which took a couple of weeks to heal.

It didn't look pretty when she was born, but she had no ill affects from the forceps being used.

My Ob indicated that he thinks my c/s will be much easier this time for the twins as my lower segment is fully developed and hopefully Twin A's head doesn't engage before delivery.

[Arimeh]

I just checked with DH - no forceps used with dd1, however she was up pretty high so my OB was using her forearm to push down on my upper belly area to force her down. She also had another doc on the other side of me doing the same thing.

My scar for both were the same length though? Different methods of closure though.

[Shanti]

DH is a registered nurse and mainly in theatres so has been present in MANY c/sections and he said YES forceps are used the majority of the time..... he said they are so quick though that it's not always seen.