Episode 11: Forceps Delivery and Pelvic Mesh Removal

How Forceps Mess Up Your Body

I had no idea that a forceps delivery would have any impact on me. I was certainly upset by the bruises on my baby’s face but I honestly thought that an “assisted” birth was way better than having a Caesarean.

Twenty five years later, I find out that I have major – and permanent – issues from that decision.

To be fair, I don’t think the medical profession understood at the time what a forceps delivery actually does to a woman, they’re only just beginning to understand now.

Twelve years ago, I had a pelvic mesh inserted to help with the prolapses from the forceps birth, the same pelvic mesh involved in the worldwide class action (you can read about the Australian class action here).

The pelvic mesh started causing problems pretty much straight away and I had procedures to try to correct it in 2011 and 2012. The recovery period for the second operation was three months of no bending, no lifting my arms above my head, no picking anything up, and no driving, then twelve months where the most exertion I could do was walking.

I’m just about to have another procedure to try to remove the mesh completely (they weren’t able to do that before) but fortunately, the recovery time shouldn’t be as long. This time, I only have six weeks of not being able to lift, pick things up, bend or drive.

If you had an assisted birth and are wondering what the possible implications might be, or if you have pelvic mesh, I’d love to hear from you to find out your experiences, so please get in touch.

You can email me via the link below or comment on the post or podcast or catch up with me via one of the social media links below.

I’m not looking forward to it but I can’t wait for the mesh to be removed.

As a Podcaster I create a safe space and community for the stuff of Midlife. I provide more than a hub of information I am changing the dialogue around menopause and midlife for women with fun, love and laughter.

After (hopefully, successfully!) raising four kids, being married for 30 years, going from regular month-to-month pay cheque jobs to creating a multi-million dollar property development business (and a number of other businesses with varying degrees of success and failure), to going broke and starting again…

…there’s a heap of experiences and life lessons just waiting to be shared.

Life is about learning from our mistakes and the heartaches we might encounter, but it’s also about having fun and making sure we’re surrounded by laughter…

Which is what you’ll find here in the podcasts & blogs: the highs and lows, successes and failures, sprinkled with fun, love and laughter, because it makes life just so much brighter.

This is all about sharing those things rather than keeping them to ourselves, listening to “ordinary” women’s stories and relating to them, finding common ground and inspiration.