Episode 181 Assisted Vaginal Birth, a woman's perspective

Trigger warning: This episode discusses birth trauma.When a birth doesn't go as planned and requires intervention, how does it feel from the woman's perspective? Jacqueline Edwards, mother of five, shares her powerful firsthand experiences of both traumatic and positive assisted vaginal births, challenging healthcare professionals to see beyond the clinical procedure.Through our conversation, Jacqueline offers a rare glimpse into the psychological impact of instrumental deliveries. She describes her experiences with both forceps and ventouse deliveries, revealing how communication, respect, and pain relief dramatically affected her perception of each birth. Surprisingly, her forceps delivery – often considered the more invasive intervention – proved less traumatic than her ventouse births due to better communication and adequate pain management.The emotional weight of assisted birth emerges through Jacqueline's moving marathon analogy: "You've prepared for it, trained for it, you can see the finishing line... but all of a sudden, for some reason, you fall down and someone runs out of the crowd and picks you up and carries you." This powerful comparison highlights the sense of incompleteness many women feel when intervention becomes necessary, despite having done most of the work themselves.What shines through is how small, seemingly insignificant actions from healthcare providers can transform a potentially traumatic experience. When an obstetrician told Jacqueline "I can't get this baby out on my own. This is something we're doing together," it fundamentally shifted her perception from passive recipient to active participant. These simple words acknowledged her essential role in bringing her baby into the world.Jacqueline also shares practical suggestions for improving care during instrumental deliveries – from better lighting arrangements to privacy screens – alongside powerful insights into how birth trauma can manifest in unexpected everyday situations, like trips to the supermarket. Her testimony stands as both a call for change and a roadmap for more compassionate, woman-centered care during assisted births.Whether you're a healthcare professional seeking to improve practice, an expectant parent preparing for birth possibilities, or someone processing their own birth experience, this episode offers invaluable perspective on centering women's dignity and agency during one of life's most vulnerable moments.Jacqueline has also written and published this article https://www.aims.org.uk/journal/item/obstetric-violence-rapeThank you all for listening,  My name is Florence Wilcock I am an NHS doctor working as an obstetrician, specialising in the care of both mother and baby during pregnancy and birth. If you have enjoyed my podcast please do continue to subscribe, rate, review and recommend my podcast on your podcast provider.If you have found my ideas helpful whilst expecting your baby or working in maternity care please spread the word & help theobspod reach other parents or staff who may be interested in exploring all things pregnancy and birth. Keeping my podcast running  without ads or sponsorship is important to me. I want to keep it free and accessible to all but it costs me a small amount each month to maintain and keep the episodes live, if you wish to contribute anything to  support theobspod please head over to my buy me a coffee page  https://bmc.link/theobspodV any donation very gratefully received however small. Its easy to explore my back catalogue of episodes, I have a wide range of topics that may help you make decisions for yourself and your baby during pregnancy as well as some more reflective episodes on life as a doctor. If you want to get in touch to suggest topics, I love to hear your thoughts and ideas. You can find out more about me on Instagram @TheObsPod and email me on [email protected] Please also check out #MatExp matexp.org.uk for ideas about how to improve maternity experience. My bea...