Anxiety attacks after C section

[Nimra]

Hello girls,

My c section is scheduled, still there is some time but Iam concerned about some issues.

when you would allowed to eat after operation. ( last time at sandringham hospital i was given food two hours after OP and it really helped me
to stabilise my low blood pressure which was not getting normal even after hooked up with 5 IV drips at a time and one sandwich did the
miracle, then they kept feeding me soup, and sandwiches and extreme low BP got normal)

This time I am going to Northern hospital Epping so I have no clue what would be my condition If food is not given to me few hours after OP.


Iam also so concerned about my anxiety attacks. I had few attacks after OP and still remember weird looks nurses gave me still embarrassed)

any suggestion to control such things happening??. after my daughters birth when I wokeup in the middle of the night I was sweating i couldn't move my legs though felt the sensation, felt suffocated I asked for help loudly nurses came one was fine other was looked as she going to slap me so hard in the face but i was so helpless, when next time it happened I jumped from bed and tried to stand in window for fresh air till a nurse came for my help I had hot flashes and suffocating feeling.after that I didn't try to sleep and just kept myself saving from embarrassing situation I remained awake most of the time because I got attacks after a little sleep.

Not sleeping made me worse too. i remained awake for 3 three days and when i came home i had a nap of 15 minutes and there you go, had the worst attack of claustrophobic suffocation

the same situation is going on these days too. fear of anxiety attacks is so rooted in me Iam sure this time I gonna do the same insane things would anyone help me, how to keep me calm in such situations specially when u can't up from bed you can't move.
seriously if this time someone given me strange and weird looks after attack I would start crying can't take humiliation.

thanks girls for reading this all.
Hugs to all

[Chocaholic]

Talk to the care providers at the hospital. Make it very clear you need support. Explain what happened last time and how you felt.

Can someone stay with you at the hospital? Partner, friend or parent?

Good luck

[Nimra]

Iam going as a public patient i don't think they would allowed my husband to stay with me in hospital otherwise it would be a great help.)Iam having shared care i wonder who I speak with about this embarrassing issue. I have one last appointment at hospitals OB in 15 days, do you think its good to tell him about this? or before my c section i tell this to the nurse? saying all this to my GP won't seems help me.
thanks

[k4t]

Definitely tell the hospital OB and make sure they make a note in your file. It would be a good idea for either yourself or your support person to mention it to your nurse and anaesthetist on the day. It's tricky in public hospitals as there's not much continuity of care.

[Em_325]

I dont have the birth experience but I definitely know anxiety and panic attacks. The best bit of advice I can give you is when you feel one coming on concentrate on your breathing and count to 4 as you breathe in and then 4 again as you breathe out. If I do this it helps me stay relatively calm until the symptoms pass and you will be able to do this laying on the bed. I completely understand what you mean about the fear of having them again but with the right coping mechanisms you will be able to get through them if they happen again. The other thing that helped me was understanding what they were and what the feelings I was experiencing were as particularly with the panic attacks I would convince myself I was going to die. Once I broke down the symptoms (with the help of a counsellor) and understood them all individually I found I could remain a lot more in control. Definitely make sure you talk to your care provider prior to going in and make it clear that if it happens you need to feel reassured that you are safe and they will look after you not threatened further. Do you have an opportunity to see a counsellor before you go in to hospital?

[Three Graces]

As the others have suggested, definately talk to the OB and midwives beforehand so that they will be aware.
There is also a phone app which is a ball which grows bigger and smaller and is specifically for people who experience panic attacks. You time your breathing in and out to the expanding ball on your phone and it gives you something to focus on and help you to breathe through a panic attack. I don't know the name, but I'm sure if you did a search, you'd find it. Most people aren't aware of others when they are experiencing a panic attack, it's not all that obvious to everybody else. Lots and lots of people experience them, probably more than you'd think, so don't feel that you're alone or that it's shameful or bad etc. The better informed your care providers are, the more understanding they will be.
Hope all goes well for you this time around and that you feel better supported in hospital.

[CoNNiE_Melb]

Don't be embarrassed... you'll be surprised how common anxiety is, particularly during and after pregnancy. If you just communicate it with all of your carers, you won't get as many 'strange and weird looks' because they will actually know what is going on. Dont be ashamed. As soon as I told the midwives I was suffering from Panic Attacks, they did everything in their power to make me comfortable.

[Nimra]

Thanks girls,
for your help, Iam going to discuss this to OB and before c section to nurses and anaesthetist.I wish I could have some counselling too but Iam 35 weeks pregnant and my c section is in 39th week don't know If it could be manage in such short time.

Is there any phone help line for anxiety attacks?
i want relaxed birth and hospitalization this time without fears, worries and bad looks from others.

I remember night staff some nurses behaved very bad after my husband left the hosy, before leaving he would keep juice, a choco bar and some fruit for on table to access if I need and nurses din't like that too, Is it wrong to have some snacks handy???

hugs to you all
Nim

[Three Graces]

You'll always get a few staff that you done click with. They just happen to work nights, lol.

I wouldn't worry about the snacks - you can eat whatever you like. I don't think anybody answered your Q about how soon you can eat after your c.s at the NOrthern. Ask your ob, as they will have a timeframe in mind. I went private with our third, public with the first two and I could eat much sooner after DD's birth this year. The midwives commented that if I'd had some of the other private obs, they wouldn't have let me eat so soon. So it just depends on the hospital and the obs on at the time. I remember not really wanting food but I was soooo thirsty. Ask to suck on ice shards if they won't let you drink water and you're thirsty.

If you contact Adavic, they may be able to point you in the direction re: support for anxiety and panic attacks. I'm not sure if I can post their link, they're a community organisation: http://www.adavic.org.au/
Community-based support, information, and resources to help individuals manage anxiety and depression issues.

[forshelby]

Don't be embarrassed. I had an anxiety attack a few days after my c/s. I know what triggered it but still it was awful. My nurse was also a cow about it. I promise you it's ok to cry, scream, whatever you feel just let it out.

Was there a specific reason for your attacks that you're aware of? Sometimes knowing the reason can help.

[forshelby]

Don't be embarrassed. I had an anxiety attack a few days after my c/s. I know what triggered it but still it was awful. My nurse was also a cow about it. I promise you it's ok to cry, scream, whatever you feel just let it out.

Was there a specific reason for your attacks that you're aware of? Sometimes knowing the reason can help.

[Nimra]

You'll always get a few staff that you done click with. They just happen to work nights, lol.

I wouldn't worry about the snacks - you can eat whatever you like. I don't think anybody answered your Q about how soon you can eat after your c.s at the NOrthern. Ask your ob, as they will have a timeframe in mind. I went private with our third, public with the first two and I could eat much sooner after DD's birth this year. The midwives commented that if I'd had some of the other private obs, they wouldn't have let me eat so soon. So it just depends on the hospital and the obs on at the time. I remember not really wanting food but I was soooo thirsty. Ask to suck on ice shards if they won't let you drink water and you're thirsty.

If you contact Adavic, they may be able to point you in the direction re: support for anxiety and panic attacks. I'm not sure if I can post their link, they're a community organisation: http://www.adavic.org.au/
Community-based support, information, and resources to help individuals manage anxiety and depression issues.

thanks honey
your given URL seems a great help.
Forshelby, my anxiety always triggers with very low blood pressure and low iron when ever my iron levels dropped I feel difficulty in breathing, concentration and that triggers my attacks.
and after C section when I know Iam in a situation I can't run to windows or open air my attack got worse, usually I manage it by standing in window deep breathing in and out.
while attack dull room lights make it worse too otherwise usually I like dull lights in my home.

[Saffy]

Some of the medication they give you for pain may be to blame as well.
If you just have a spinal, you should be right to eat within a few hrs, as long as you aren't vomiting/badly nauseated.
good luck x

[thirdtimelucky77]

It's called Ativan ask for it by name. Doesn't affect breastfeeding but takes away the anxiety. I used it post cs 3 months ago.

Good luck hon x

[angelmumma]

Talk to the care providers at the hospital. Make it very clear you need support. Explain what happened last time and how you felt.

Can someone stay with you at the hospital? Partner, friend or parent?

Good luck

^^^^^ this.

You need to talk to the hospital now and explain your situation. If they don't know about it, if and when they happen, they won't know how to handle it. If you are honest and clear about what could happen, how you feel, and that you need support, they should be able to help you. (they'd be heartless if they didn't.)

All the best

[Nimra]

Hello girls,
thanks for the replies.

I had a emergency visit at hospital yesterday, got some pinkish spot and contractions , so painful I couldn't explain in words. while getting monitored me and bubs heart beat on a scanner a nurse came ( super harsh woman) we are going to admit you! contraction results won't look good. may be you have a emergency c section tonight and i was almost fainted and an Anxiety attack!! i controlled it so hard.woman realised i was uncomfortable, wonder what triggered her anger she said if u are scared of C section why planed this pregnancy . and i was what!! even my mum in law never talked me this way and in this tone! and my contractions jumped and breath out of order.woman had problem with my every thing, from past c sections to my food aversions to iron levels.


why these nurses treat me this way I don't know. I'm pretty down to earth no argument kind of person.

while controlling and hiding anxiety a God sent young doc came in I discussed her my situation about being nervous, worried n not mentally prepared for op.she put me at peace
n my contractions stopped,she checked me internally all looked fine.she kept checking my contractions for 2 hours n was given all clear n told these are may be braxton hicks.so Iam home controlling pain with panadol rapid.

well my hospital hasn't any good reputation already and such behaviour of nurses! giving me restlessness how I would deal if I get such kind of classic pieces again.

[Ryatha]

I also had very bad anxiety around my second csection and I spoke to the drs and they gave me something during the op to calm me down. I also had a mental health midwives team help me and see me each day I was in hospital. I found that the more I talked about it the better I felt about it and the care professionals were better.

Beyond blue has a lot of resources in their beyond baby blues section and there is a lot of education occurring at the moment to health professionals to help them understand that the mental health of the mum is just as important as their physical health.

I also think that even though it is close to your date that you push for an emergency appointment to talk to someone. They can always make time if you are pushy enough . You aren't alone in your thoughts and feelings and the nurses aren't there to judge you but help you. If they aren't helping try to ask for a different nurse.

And you are allowed to have snacks next to your bedside. I can't eat for 24 hrs after an op so I can't help you with how soon you are allowed to eat. But just make sure you are stocked up and eat when you need. Are you taking iron tablets to help with your levels?

[Three Graces]

What an awful nurse! Just what you don't need, somebody who is judgement and rude and unhelpful.
If you get somebody like that when in hospy again, you can ask for them not to speak to you like that (that it's really not helpful) or ask for another nurse/midwife to look after you. I did that with my first labour which was induced and I couldn't bear the thought of the male Dr doing another internal, given he had massive man hands. He was lovely, but I just really needed a female Dr who wasn't going to really hurt me again. They were fine to swap Dr's for me. If you don't ask, you'll never know!