Why forceps births are so high for a first time Mum?
First time Mums giving birth have a 1 in 3 chance of having a forceps or ventouse birth. Read why forceps births are so high for a first time Mum and what you can do to reduce it from happening.
What are the reasons for having a forceps or ventouse birth?
You can have an instrumental birth for a few reasons.
Why forceps births are so high for a first time Mum?
It’s more common for a first time Mum to get to the point where they are being advised to have a forceps birth due to duration of pushing. A first time Mums pushing time averages 90 minutes. Whereas a second time Mums is 60mins average. Although I’d argue that with a second time Mum particularly, this is often a lot less (maybe 20minutes).
So a first time Mum is more likely to get to the 2 hours of pushing time compared to a second or more time Mum.
A baby’s heart rate is also more likely to show signs of distress if pushing is taking more time, which again is more likely in a first time Mum.
First time Mums are also more likely to have epidurals. This increases the likelihood of an instrumental birth too.
What can I do to avoid a forceps birth?
There are things you can do to reduce the chances of having an instrumental birth;
- Choosing your place of birth to be a midwife led unit (if this is possible for you).
- Moving around in your labour.
- Only starting to push when you feel the need to push, or after 1-2 hours of being fully dilated.
- Pushing on your left side or on all fours.
- Having your birth partner with you at all times.
- If you have an epidural on board, change positions regularly and use a peanut ball. Push on your left side if you have an epidural on board.
All the above have been shown to reduce instrumental births.
Can I say no to a forceps birth?
Remember that it is a choice. I’ve known women to decline an instrumental birth when it’s been offered at 2 hours for time, and then go on to have vaginal births without a forceps or ventouse. You can use EBRAN at the time to help you make that decision.
The first question in EBRAN is “Is this an Emergency?” So you’ll be able to understand the urgency for an instrumental birth right away.
If the need to birth baby is urgent and you’re fully dilated then often a forceps or ventouse is the quickest way to do this.
At the point of it being an emergency, if you declined, an emergency cesarean would be the next option. Doing an emergency cesarean at fully dilated where the baby is low in the pelvis holds more risks to baby and you compared to a forceps birth.
Forceps and instrumental births are a topic covered on the antenatal and hypnobirthing course. Even though this may not be your plan, it is still important to know what’s going on during this time and feel calm and in control. With 1 in 3 first time births being an instrumental birth, it is so important to know about them and how to be prepared.
You can read Leah’s story on how she felt prepared for a forceps birth.
Birth photo @ambermay.birthphotography
