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

[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.

[aussienic]

I had 3 c/s and 1 natural.. for my 2nd c/s Ds3 was breech. Forceps were used to guide him out. No forceps were used on my head down bubbas.

I saw a vid on youtube once for a breech c/s and I actually cried watching it thinking of what my little man went through. But I have seen other videos where they use forceps for head down as well.. Maybe ask your Dr what they plan on doing..

I think it looks rough either way they do it.. forceps or not..

[blessedatlast]

Thanks for the replies everyone.. I don't know if I want to know what my doctor does. They say knowledge is power, but maybe ignorance is bliss?? No seriously, I will ask, even if I am afraid of the answer.. I would DEFINITELY prefer to have a longer scar than forceps used.. It's just so clinical and cold.. I guess a c section kind of is anyway, but I hate the thought of the 1st thing touching my baby is metal..

[Gigi]

It's just so clinical and cold.. I guess a c section kind of is anyway, but I hate the thought of the 1st thing touching my baby is metal..

i felt the exact same way. i remember having stuff explained in the antenatal classes, and it made me feel so glad that i was having a homebirth, so i kept thinking "this will never happen in our situation", so i kept myself ignorance about the c-section stuff, as i was so focused on our homebirth. then in the situation, the homebirth had to be transferred to hospital via ambo, then EVERY medical intervention you can think of, was done.

So after 29 hours of labour, i was being asked to make decisions, using jargon i had no knowledge of, for 7 hours of medical intervention, before i was finally badgered into an emerg c-section, which again, when i was asked "do you want x or y", because i had not educated myself about c-section stuff, i had no knowledge of the jargon, the implications of my choices (made at the 37 hours of labour mark, so i was sooo tired).

I really wish i had learnt about all potential parts of having a baby, instead of ONLY about homebirth. I wished my midwife was there to guide me thru the hospital part. so many decisions (so i could have had an empowered emergency c-section). i didn't have a clue and was so ignorant of what they were talking about, and so exhausted.

i wanted the first thing to touch my baby, to be MY hands, or her daddy's hands. For her, to do the breastcrawl on my body, to get her first drink. Warm up using my warmth. But her first touch was forceps, vantuse, hands of strangers, then resus equipment, then the ICU isolette.

[Me+him+bub]

forceps were used with my son's c section too, i only know this because I heard him ask the nurse for them! then it took a lot of pulling and pressure for about 10 mins and he was out. he did have a mark on his head and his hair grows slightly funny in that spot now but I had nurses take the photos for me the minute he was born and he was ok he had 2 nurses cleaning him off and swaddling him, He hardly cried! I honestly didnt mind. the visual picture can be disturbing but so can the visual picture of some vaginal births!

[ferrals5]

My C section the specialist went to use the suction cap(venthouse) but little miss was so compacted in my belly as i had a little tight belly that when they pushed on the top of my belly to move her down she popped out all by herself i only had a little cut and bub was handed straight to the midwives to be cleaned up before going to DH.
I dont see the use forceps to bad if used gently and i was told that the doctors are a little rough as it helps bub expel the fluid in them that is normally squeezed out during birth through the birth canal natural birth can be pretty truamatic on bubs head also and all bubs heads settle down after a few days.

[*Beema*]

DD2 was breech, and was literally pushing her way out (she'd had enough ), no forceps or much assistance at all was required.

[Glass half full]

Ok I'm feeling a bit thick after reading this, i have no idea if they used forceps!
How do you know? Did they tell you, did you ask, did you see them...?

[LimeSlice]

Ok I'm feeling a bit thick after reading this, i have no idea if they used forceps!
How do you know? Did they tell you, did you ask, did you see them...?

DH watched the procedure, we have photos....

[Glass half full]

DH watched the procedure, we have photos....

Oh wow! I didn't think they let partners see past the screen. How cool for you

[TaRhLi.]

Just wanted to update that with the c/s for the boys last week no forceps were used as they were in good positions for the Ob to just put pressure on the top of my tummy to get them out.

We also have photo's of the whole procedure which one of the theatre staff took for us, it is awesome as in one shot you can see Rhys being delivered (Twin 1) and Liam's membranes bulging out of my tummy before he was delivered. If you can get pic's it is a fantastic thing to have.

[entreat]

They were on hand in my c-section (I can see them in the photos laying on my leg...) but they weren't used. Jack was partially descended, so I guess it's a matter if they have room to get their hands in there to move the baby where they need.

ETA: I think the middy pushed jack back up into my uterus with her hand.

[Jennifer13]

They were used for my c/s with DD and I was not happy when I found out. She had distinct marks on her face.

I was a vaginal forceps delivery myself and I still have the dents in my head as an adult. So I'm not sure how 'pliable' a baby's soft skull really is and how much it bounces back. A permanent change to my skull is not something to be disregarded. I also have astigmatism in one eye and was told this is more likely with a forceps delivery (I do have other eye issues though).

There is no way I want forceps near this baby's head, no matter how it's delivered.

[entreat]

Have you had a look at my c-section photos? I love them! The link is in my sig.

How you feel about a c-section is totally up to you. I could mope about how my birth was nothing like I wanted, and all my reading & planning was for nothing. But I don't want to feel that way. Yeah, there are things I would die to change, and things I could have insisted upon more. But I don't think the outcome would have changed. All my paths were leading to the same destination: the operating room.

I can't change any of it, but I have thought long & hard about it, and all I can do is change how I feel about it. I got to experience some really cool things, including the disappointment, at the time. In the end, I had a gorgeous baby - safely. And that was one part of my plan that didn't go off track.

[kelsbels]

Forceps were not used in my Caesar and my daughter was well and truly stuck! I had one ob pushing her down from above my tummy while the other guided her out. I only have a short scar...

This is the reason I have never watched a Caesar video!!