Assisted delivery with forceps

In an assisted vaginal delivery, the doctor will use special tools called forceps to help move the baby through the birth canal.

Forceps look like 2 large salad spoons. The doctor uses them to guide the baby's head out of the birth canal. The mother will push the baby the rest of the way out.

Another technique your doctor may use to deliver the baby is called vacuum-assisted delivery.

Even after your cervix is fully dilated (open) and you have been pushing, you may still need help getting the baby out. Reasons include:

Before forceps can be used, your baby needs to be far enough down the birth canal. The baby's head and face must also be in the right position. Your doctor will check carefully to make sure it is safe to use forceps.

Most women will not need forceps to help them deliver. You may feel tired and tempted to ask for a little help. But if there is not a true need for assisted delivery, it is safer for you and your baby to deliver on your own.

You will be given medicine to block pain. This may be an epidural block or a numbing medicine placed in the vagina.

The forceps will be carefully placed on the baby's head. Then, during a contraction, you will be asked to push again. At the same time, the doctor will gently pull to help deliver your baby.

After the doctor delivers the baby's head, you will push the baby the rest of the way out. After delivery, you can hold your baby on your tummy if they are doing well.

If the forceps do not help move your baby, you may need to have a cesarean birth (C-section).

Most forceps-assisted vaginal births are safe when they are done correctly by an experienced doctor. They may decrease the need for a C-section.

However, there are some risks with forceps delivery.

Risks for the mother are:

Risks for the baby are:

Most of these risks are not severe. When properly used, forceps rarely cause lasting problems.

Foglia LM, Nielsen PE, Deering SH, Galan HL. Operative vaginal delivery. In: Landon MB, Galan HL, Jauniaux ERM, et al, eds. Gabbe's Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 13.

Thorp JM, Grantz KL. Clinical aspects of normal and abnormal labor. In: Lockwood CJ, Copel JA, Dugoff L, Louis J, Moore TR, Silver RM, Resnik R, eds. Creasy and Resnik's Maternal-Fetal Medicine: Principles and Practice. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 40.



Review Date: 5/14/2024
Reviewed By: John D. Jacobson, MD, Professor Emeritus, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
© 1997- adam.comAll rights reserved.
A.D.A.M. content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.