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 mo

Thank 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.
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