Chronic Illness/Condition/Pain and Birth

This is a question for those affected by chronic pain/illness/condition. Just wondering if you think your experience of coping with your condition assisted you when it came to birthing your bub?

I know that i can read my body fairly well, i know many ways of relieving pain, and also of coping with pain when it can't be avoided. I can pace myself, i can allow the pain through, i can filter it, i know not to fight it but work with it....

Did you find that your prior experiences assisted you in mentally preparing and birthing your bub OR is birth such a different experience that your prior knowledge (due to the chronic condition) really had no impact?

Would love to hear your thoughts,

thanks,

Kate

just bumping.

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I know that i can read my body fairly well, i know many ways of relieving pain, and also of coping with pain when it can't be avoided. I can pace myself, i can allow the pain through, i can filter it, i know not to fight it but work with it....

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Although my (long) illness had been resolved *just, by the time I had my first I can tell you that all I had learned about dealing with pain went a LOOONNNG way to helping me cope with labour. A LOOOONG way.

xoxoxoxo

I have been thinking about this since you posted, and truth be told, I'm still not really sure how to answer.

I live with chronic pain each and every day of my life - I've learned to block it out and filter things so that I rarely need pain relief. I found this most useful in early labour - but I was also pretty stressed and anxious as I found myself in labour at 36 weeks and completely unprepared for it.

As things progressed, I did find myself using gas - but only on a very low setting and it was actually more something to help me focus my breathing through each contraction rather than actually doing anything at all... Again, using things I'd figured out when dealing with pain. I often distract myself and try to keep busy.

But later in labour I found myself going from 5cm to pushing in the space of two contractions. A change in position switched things from a slow, posterior labour to a hard and fast labour as Sam changed position with me... I don't think anything could have prepared me for that!

When it came to pushing - the pain of Sam crowning was unlike anything else I'd ever experienced and I had a lot of trouble dealing with that. It was only when I was threatened with an episiotomy that I managed to go through that pain and get him out. I ended up with some nasty tearing from it, but it was necessary as Sam was being strangled by his umbilical cord and they needed him out NOW.

One thing I hadn't thought about was recovery. I find that my condition gives me a VERY slow recovery rate. I was unable to walk for 24 hours after birth - not because of any epidural or anything like that - just simply because I was far too exhausted and drained by what I had been through. On day 10 when we finally left the hospital (it was over Christmas, quiet and a private hospital so when I refused to leave before Christmas without my premature baby, they just let me stay in as a patient until he was ready to go home too) I was still extremely weak and shaky.

I guess in summary - it helped for some parts of labour, didn't help at all for others and left me with a much slower recovery than I ever would have imagined. I can only imagine how long it would have taken me to be ok if I'd had a c-section!

BW

Thank you both for your replies. BW, you bring up a good point in that there are probably two different issues/influences. The first being your past experience and how this prepares you (or not) for present experiences, in this case birthing, and the second how your current health/illness affected the birth and after.

During my pregnancy, i have had somewhat of a remission or lessening of symptoms, which i think can be due to the change in hormones. I do wonder about after birth when some of the pregnancy hormones dip what effect this will have, especially on top of the probable fatigue from the birth. I guess this unknown is why i am going through a hospital (rather than home birth) more so for the days after birth than the actual birth itself.

I am also trying to be extra organised with meals etc so that if it does take me abit longer to get back on my feet, i won't have to worry about these things.

Thanks again for replying. I think i will do ok.

I also had a bit of a remission in pregnancy... My rheumy assured me that serum-negative forms of RA tend not to flare after birth - but it just made sense to me that as pregnancy had helped me feel better, the end of pregnancy would make me feel worse. I'd had flares after each of my miscarriages as well. Turns out I was right and he was wrong... Not that there was any satisfaction in being right.

You seem to be so much more prepared than I was. I took my rheumy at his word. Fortunately, my DH really stepped up and helped a lot around the house in the first few weeks and I had him at home most days for the first 8-9 weeks of Sam's life. I think it got me so hard because I wasn't at all prepared for it, so I think you are right in that you will probably be ok. Good luck with it!

BW

I also think a contributing factor for my less-stress-ness was the fact I was used to hospital and medical staff iykwim?
I don't think I had the 'white coat' factor because I was ok with questioning those wearing them. At that stage hospital and it's smells etc was a place of comfort and relief for me.

Once I knew my body could cope ok (it was a bit unknown then - cardiac issues), I was fine to birth someplace different later on.

xoxoxo

I was always worried how my chronic illness would effect me in labour. One thing for me is I can not have an epidural. That meant that if I wasn't coping with the pain there was no other options as far as I was concerned. Also in the event I needed a c/s I would have a general anaethetic. Something I would never ever want unless it was life or death for me or bub. I was lucky to have a straight forward (but prem) labour and when I felt like I needed more pain relief it was almost over and nothing could have been done except birth my DD lol. Really I was in agony for about 30mins where I was a mess until she was born.
What I didn't expect was the pain after birth. It didn't start until I woke the first night I had her (about 12hrs later) and continued in a major flare up for over a week. It was a month until I felt ok again and she was 14months of age before it was under good control again.
I am not sure what chronic illness you have so can't really offer specific advise on what might help. For me in the future (as we are ttc again) I am definately seeing my neurologist about a safe pain relief to start as soon as I birth (thats suitable to take whilst breastfeeding). For me there is nothing much that can be done except in the postnatal period as thats when I am most likely to have relapse.
I have whats called systemic inflammatory polyneuropathy. Its has a similar disease path to MS causes the myelin which is the nerve coverings to get damaged so I feel pain differently. When I am having a relapse even light touch can be painful and I constantly have pins and needles and very painful dead legs. Basically my nerves are working over time (to heat, touch etc) as they are not protected like they should be.
The preparing for afterbirth like meals etc is a good idea incase your not feeling well enough to cook. Maybe accept more help then usual for housework, looking after older children, etc.
If its something like I have or RA maybe a good medication plan might also help.
Can you speak to your Dr or midwife about how your condition might affect you in labour and if anything they do will be different or could be to help you out?
I too have been in remission both my pregnancies from around 8-10weeks onwards. I didn't have any problems during my pregnancies with the pain (in comparison to when I am not pregnant) which I think helped the birth as my nerves had repaired themselves to a degree. It was postnatal that the problems really started and that was very quick but I guess working hard in labour was a trigger for the relapse.

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I also think a contributing factor for my less-stress-ness was the fact I was used to hospital and medical staff iykwim?
I don't think I had the 'white coat' factor because I was ok with questioning those wearing them. At that stage hospital and it's smells etc was a place of comfort and relief for me.

Once I knew my body could cope ok (it was a bit unknown then - cardiac issues), I was fine to birth someplace different later on.

xoxoxo

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Lulu

I came back to write something similar to your first sentence. I was misdiagnosed and untreated for many years and understand that doctors don't always have the answers or know everything, even when they sometimes think they do;) This means that i am comfortable (my DH would probably say TOO comfortable) in questioning medical professionals and asking for reasons before going ahead with treatment or tests.

Although i don't think i would go as far to say that hospital is a place of comfort or relief for me! :rolleyes: But i do realise that sometimes they are necessary.

If all goes well this time, i think i (and hopefully those close to me) will also be more comfortable to look at other places next time.

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I was always worried how my chronic illness would effect me in labour. One thing for me is I can not have an epidural. That meant that if I wasn't coping with the pain there was no other options as far as I was concerned.

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Emmy,

Thanks for sharing your story. I have had enough needles in my spine, that i really don't want another if it is not critical. I have escaped unscathed so far but don't want to take risks of damage. So, not the same as medically not possible, but i have taken epidural off my list of possibilities. Being able to move around really helps me cope with symptoms normally, so during birth i also want to be able to be as active as possible and an epidural would make this more difficult.

My condition is metabolic/neurological and fairly rare so not alot of info around about it in conjunction with pregnancy. I have a great neuro but with all other health professionals i usually end up educating them on the condition rather than finding out any info. I have found a couple of women on-line with my condition who have had children, and it has been good to hear their stories.

I am impressed that you are going back a second time. Guess having your little one is worth it in the end. Hope you have a smooth journey and easier post-birth time next time.

take care,

Kate

Sounds like you already have some good plans for helping Kate. You probably would get more help from women who have the same condition as yourself yo ask advise from.
Me also can physically have an epidural but as I got an infection almost 20 years ago which is what caused my polyneuropathy nothing can enter my spine. No aneathetist will do that even know physically there is no reason they couldn't do it except for the risk it would place on my already deteriorating nerves.
I am looking forward to pregnancy to relief some of the discomfort (not thats thats why I want a baby) except not so excited about what happens after birth. I guess next time I will be more preparred then last time. Its hard when you can't see the problem. Wiggling around in agony and no one can see what the problem is. I am lucky in that way that I work where I birth and the midwives and Drs know that is out of character for me.