Has anyone suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage following birth of a baby?

[Button01]

In Jan I suffered SH when my baby boy was 6 days old. I can find information on SH but not so soon after birth. Thank you

[SAMBS]

Were your pregnancy, labour and the birth, as well as the days after, part of a prolonged stressful time in your life? After my BI my Neuro surgeon when doing ward rounds told me I had to avoid stress as it hadn't helped and doesn't. I had gone through a particularly stressful several months. The common theme on here lately, as well as a ex-pat forum I belong to is that GP's in both countries are not particularly adequately knowledgeable about brain injury, causes especially if its spontaneous rather than an actual physical cause and also side effects.

Are you getting or did you have follow up rehab care and neurological assessment, you may get some answers there if you don't get them here from members or from your GP. Good luck with your recovery and take care. Shirley.

[Button01 in reply to SAMBS]

Thanks for the reply. My pregnancy was normal - my second baby by Planned C section. The anaesthetic was what the first 5 days of hospital investigations included until they sent me for CT. I think they were as surprised as me to find SH. A whole month away from my new born in hospital but luckily no aneurysms. I am just struggling to get my head around the randomness of it all. Have a follow up with the consultant where they can hopefully answer my queries and receiving speech therapy currently. Gail x

[SAMBS in reply to Button01]

Oh Gail, all sounds scary for you, was all I could think to ask by way of trying to support you. . Hope your follow up and speech therapy work for you and you get answers, something I'm trying to do also 1 year on! x

[fnewman]

I had a brain haemorrhage 5 days post natal - it was 4 years ago now. I also couldn't find much information on the two either - I hope you are recovering well.

[fnewman in reply to fnewman]

although my was a bleed in my octipital lobe and not an SH - they've never been able to tell me why, also no aneurysms (thankfully). Feel free to get in touch if you want to chat though it with someone who's been there x

[Button01 in reply to fnewman]

Hi Fnewman, thanks for your message and sorry it's taken me so long to reply. I still haven't gotten baby into sleeping through the night and my 3 year old doesn't give me much online time!

It is so good to find someone that has gone through same! My midwifes in hospital and community along with my GP and health visitor have never heard of it, it would seem.

Can I ask if you had a natural labour or like me a section? And also how you found your recovery?

My speech I find difficult and multi tasking - things I found easy before I find it difficult to focus on now which I find frustrating. It's difficult now to determine what is baby tiredness and post natal related or what is from the SH! x

[fnewman]

Yes, same, you'll find yourself quite the enigma! The neurologist I saw (and the ones he consulted with) hadn't known it happen either... nor any obstetricians (I can give you there details if you are still seeing your neurologist). I had a natural labour, it was my first baby (I've since had another without any reoccurence, that was a little scary going into labour again!). Did you have an epidural for your c-section? I had a dural puncture with the epidural... they said it didn't cause it, but you can't help but wonder!

I recovered suprisingly quickly by all accounts... headaches were a factor for some time, but I completely relate to what you are saying about not being sure what is 'baby brain' and what is the effects of the brain haemorrhage. I felt the same. My speech was slurred initially, but back to normal after a week (if not sooner)... I had funny illusions of cars driving past the side of my head when I came home from hospital (but again, it was temporary and because of it being in my octipital lobe).

Did you have surgery? I was lucky and didn't need it. They just kept me in hospital for a month to keep a good eye on me. Certainly not the start to motherhood I expected... it must have been even harder having another child at home! You just want to get back to them (they kept me in for a week after having my 2nd daughter too just to keep a good eye on me, that was hard enough!)

Only recently have I started experincing any lasting effect of it. 4 years after it happening I had a sudden onset of tingling starting in my left arm and going into the left side of my face, I obviously went straight to A&E and after a few days in hospital and several MRIs/CTs they've put it down to after effects of the brain haemorrhage - which is a little disconcerting (it isn't painful, just a sensation that is constantly there - I'm on meds for it now!). It doesn't impede my life, it's just there. A little horrible reminder of it all. I'm just hoping it doesn't get worse!

I hope you get well soon, happy to answer any questions/be of general support - it's horrible not having the answers for it though.

[Button01 in reply to fnewman]

Hi,

With my first I had an epidural which was topped up as I went for emergency section and with my second I went for planned section and it was spinal anaesthetic. Not sure why I had an SH with my second baby - it was such a calm procedure compared to the stress of the first! They ruled out the anaesthetic with mine too. I had a back patch initially before they sent me for CT.

You are brave going through labour a second time. My consultant said no more children. We have a beautiful boy and girl so it's probably where we would have stopped regardless but not nice not having the choice.

I lost my speech initially when i was in ICU and by week 2 or 3 had gained most back. I still find it difficult and have to concentrate hard to find the words at times.

I didn't have surgery - just angiograms. I had vasospasms which I think is how I ended up in ICU and they did several angios as the vasospasms made it hard to determine if there was an aneurysm - there wasn't thankfully!

Oh I remember that tingling feeling It was when I realised my headache was not a migraine and that something was seriously wrong. That must have been so scary. How soon after your second baby was that?

I have been wondering what meds they will have me on. At the moment I have a 3 month prescription until I see my consultant again - nimodipine and an anti seizure drug, cannot remember the name! Are you on one of these for the tingle? I have mild weakness in my arm and wonder if its the tingling thing but the drugs are stopping it.

Thanks for sharing all of this! I am glad I am not the only one. Did you find anyone else that has been through same? x

[BellaB7]

Hello . I had a SAH 2 days before I had my baby boy last November. I had had a stressful time as my OH had been working away and I had been looking after the 3 other children single-handedly. I also had a big baby so not sure if that led to the SAH. I suddenly got a bad headache which lasted about 3 minutes which then changed into a dull headache which lingered. I felt unwell but not like I had a bug. I was going in to being induced anyway and ended up with a C-sec as the baby moved sideways. I had a bad reaction to the epidural which led to the hospital investigating further which led to the discovery that I had had a SAH. I was transferred to a Neuro centre and had clipping for an aneurysm. I was told that it was one of those things - pregnancy may have brought it forward or may not have done. It would have happened to me anyway. I was told I was ok for another baby (!) - so if you wanted another then maybe get a second opinion from a specialist neuroconsultant. I find that many healthcare professionals don't too much about SAHs. I also read a recent research paper that stated there was no link between SAH and pregnancy and even said a natural birth would be ok!! Hope you're feeling ok - I have found it quite a traumatic thing to come to terms with. I am still very tired but very grateful as I know I have been lucky.

[Button01 in reply to BellaB7]

Hi Bella, thanks for your reply. I too have found it traumatic and I think only now, about 2 months after my discharge from hospital have been able to talk to people about it without the lump in my throat and the waterworks that followed! I feel tired and I have a little girl and an 11 week old now - I can't imagine having another 2 on top! I hope you are having the support you need now.

It does seem there is a gap somewhere - the midwifes and health visitor don't know if I fall into their remit or into Neuro now where support is concerned.

Have you been prescribed nimodipine? I am still taking this but all I have read says its normally for 21 days and I am now way beyond this. x

[fnewman]

Sorry, I've only just remembered to check back for a response. I had a blood patch (is that what you mean by back patch?) the day before it happened to me too... they thought the headache was because of the dural puncture, but the consultant anaestatist couldn't understand it when I told her that it had only slightly improved my headache (my head was crushing, I couldn't tolerate light and was vomiting and had to lay flat). Apparently normally it either doesn't work at all, or works completely - there is no middle ground - my blood pressure was then raised that evening so the nurse wouldn't let me home, and low and behold I fitted that evening (well a midwife found me on the floor of my room with my daughter on the bed who alerted her after crying for a long period of time), I then fitted again when she was in the room. How were you after the blood patch? Did it make any difference to your headache?

I had another natural labour with my second, but my neurologist/obstetricians put a 30 minute limit on the pushing stage (and I had to wait to get the green light before getting pregnant, which was 2 years after before being allowed too)... I took it right to the wire with about 26 minutes - or they would have assisted so as not to have prolounged pressure in the head - the neurologist was much less concerned about this than the obstetricians though (which was reassuring). The obstetrcian was willing to give me a c-section, but that can come with its own complications so I declined.

Did you have catheterized angio? They spoke about doing that to me to further investigate, but decided against it as it's quite invasive, isn't it?

I was on carbamazepine for a year after (an anti seizure med), whilst also having to temporarily give up my driving licence for 6 months because of it all (not fun with a newborn! have you suspended yours if you drive? You need to declare this if so). I'm on gabapentin now for the tingling, I don't take the full dose prescribed - I prefer to be able to 'monitor' the feeling of it, as it worries me that it will get worse/change and I won't know if I'm medicating it - and it doesn't actually bother me, it's just 'there'. It happened about 6 months after having my 2nd daughter - I don't think there was a connection.

I completely relate to the being slow with your words, I think this definitely improves... and again, what's mummy brain and what's the brain haemorrhage is really hard to tell - especially with an 11 week old!

I didn't find anyone else who had specifically been through the same as my haemorrhage. I read articles about SAH after dural punctures, but couldn't really find anything definitive about the link to the post natal aspect. I'd be interested to hear if you read anything else into it/come across any articles.

Faye x