Scared to have another baby, Did anyone have these symptoms?

Hello All,
I would really love to have another baby, but after my first experience I am too scared to. I had some bad turns which started in hospital on about the third day. I felt a buzzing in my ears, and felt like I was going to faint, and had trouble breathing. I had turns like this when I got home for at least a month afterwards. I actually felt like I was going to die.
(I had a c-section with spinal tap).
Has anyone experienced this, as I would really love to have some idea about what it might have been. This has put me off having another baby. I would love to give my son a sibling, and am fine about having to have another c section if need be, but I am terrified of these bad turns happening to me again.
Any advice would be appreciated. :)

Hi Ellyboo.

I too had a pretty traumatic birhting experience with my DD who is now 2.

I had the easiest pregnancy you could imagine, but guess paid my dues in the labour ward. I had a atonic uterus which meant it failed to contract after delivery.My uterus wasnt contracting to full % when i was having contractions, which meant me and baby doing most of the work. I pushed for 1 hour non stop, which may not seem much but if you saw photos the next day i was unrecongisable. I had a episotomy, DD was born face up (not face down as everyone would like), i ended up with third deg tears, retained placenta and massive haemorraging. I didnt get to hold my DD. I was whisked off to surgery for manual removal of placenta.
The physical pain i felt after this labour was horrifying. I remember my DD in my arms and i just kept crying out for more morphine due to my pain. i was in hospital a week. DD could have gone home the day after she was born, she was fighting fit. I had to have two blood transfusions during my stay - my iron levels were 64.....yep, pretty bloody low. I managed to breastfeed no probs, but was houseridden for the first 6 weeks of my DD life. I couldnt do much. Now i find myself with my #2 labour just around the corner. Im scared, petrified, just want it over with. I kinda figure no two pregnancies/labours are ever the same. And for the pain i endured i have a little poppet now. Whom i just have to look at with her big blue eyes and listen to her ask 'mumma, can i have a bikkie' or 'mumma you are so pretty' and i just melt. Labour does hurt, i dont know many women who will tell you otherwise, but actions speak louder than words dont they - thats why so many of us go back for more.

Good luck sweety, in your own time you will make a decision.

Is there medical pros you could talk to about what actually happened?

my first labour was awful, i was 2w overdue, induced due to rising blood pressure, barely 19yo, and i was treated with no respect. after trying to tell the dr i needed to push, they told me to stop, checked, and i was dialated and ready to go, but after pushing for 2 hours, and being told i was fine, i was given an episiotomy, whioch the dr didnt wait for the anaestetic (sp?) to kick in, and it had worn off by the time he stitched me up. i had haemmoroids from the pushing, and couldn't sit for about 2w, and then after about a week, my stitches got infected, and the stitches ended up going yuk, and falling out way before they were ready. i was so scared of giving birth to my second, scared of tearing where it hadnt healed properly, but i got a great midwife who talked me thru, told me when to push and not to push, and i barely had any grazes, a few bubby ones which made it a little uncomfy to wee for a couple of days. just go in feeling confident, have your birth plan, and pray pray pray! it worked for me... anyway, good luck :)

Ally, could they have been panic attacks (they are the scariest thing ever, I feel I am going to die when I have them). If so, maybe some hypnosis could help, or some meditation?
xoxo

Hi Ally,
Did they give you any reason as to why this happened to you after the birth of your son? I know I had a rather crappy experiance with my ds and I got really sick and hemoraged *sp*? about 6 weeks after he was born as there was a tennis ball size peice of placenta left behind and I was pretty adimate that I was not having anymore but mother nature works in mysteriouse ways thats for sure LOL and with my dd it was much more pleasant cant say much good about the midwife as she was rude and obnoxious but I got better alot quicker thqat time and now i want no 3 see I told you this mother nature chick nows her job hehehehe I agree with Simone make sure you have a birth plan and try to stay very calm and talk to your dr and midwife about everything you are worried about voice your concearns and ask heaps of questions, I think our firsts are always hard as we dont know what we to expect where as with your second or 3rd and so on you have been there and done that so you kinda know what goes on, I hope things turn out ok for you and that you have your second baby with out a hassle good luck with it all :flower:

Simone wow what a horrible experiance it must have been for you when you had Xander I am glad you didn't let it stop you from having more babies good luck this time round :flower: .

Hi Guys

Thanks heaps for your replies. My experience sounds very trivial next to yours!! It is quite likely that i was having panic attacks after, and probably somewhat low in iron. Isnt it funny, some mothers are near death with giving birth, and still go back for seconds!!! I do have a girlfriend who almost died giving birth for her first, and she is preg with her 2nd now. Thinking positive does go a long way.

amym; you must have had a bad time, that would have been quite scary for you and your partner. IKWYM about some Midwives, i had a very sarcastic one, which is the last thing you need when you feel like dying!!

Webmeg: What did your panic attacks feel like? Did you get ringing in the ears?

Simone; You poor thing, thankfully i did not have to go thru that. OUCH, OUCH and MORE OUCH.

MBear; Your exp sounds terrible. Did you get ringing in your ears with low iron? I had morphine pumped into my chest area, as i didnt have it in the spinal tap, as i should have. Did you notice any side effects from the Morphine? I am hoping you wont be that unlucky to have to go thru that traumatic experience again. The precious little bubs really are all worth it in the end, I guess we get over the pain etc eventually. All the best and good luck for your birth.

Emma; Thanks, I hope all goes well for you when you have a little bub.

I feel as if my last pregnancy was just horrendous. I had awful post natal depression afterwards, and to just think of everything that happened would bring a tear to my eye. BUT, I think those awful memories do fade with time ,and I think that having a baby is a miracle and so I wouldn't let it put you off having any more in the future. I don't think any two pregnancies are the same.

Good luck xx

That sounds like a common side effect from spinal or epidural anaesthesia so the best way to avoid that is to avoid further anaesthesia like that. There are many many safer ways to manage labour via acupressure, water, massage, homeopathy, movement, selfhypnosis and the like all of which only increase your birthing potential in a way that anaesthesia doesn't. Investigate those, get your medical record and go through it with someone not connected to the hospital so you're getting an unbiassed view. What you're describing is a common side effect of having stuff done to your spine since about 25% of those procedures come with serious side effects and many more have short term effects just like what you're describing. It lowers BP when you have those drugs introduced into your body and the drugs are present in your system for some time afterwards. Here's a beautiful, powerful VBAC for #2! \:D/

Sounds great Janet
What anesthesia do you recommend when a C Section is Inevitable??