Traumatic Birth

[Positive2022]

Just thought i'd post a message to reach out to all you amazing ladies and gents out there who may be able to relate to having a similar experience. After battling infertility, through treatment I was very lucky and fell pregnant but the pregnancy was very stressful due to multiple bleeds so I don't think I ever fully relaxed. After a long and complicated labour in October, I had a large postpartum haemorrhage shortly after which literally knocked me off my feet. I was very unwell for several weeks and this affected my ability to breastfeed due to severe anaemia. Still taking iron tablets now. Feeling a bit low and exhausted ever since 😢

I don't know anyone who has gone through a similar experience and so I thought i'd just see if anyone can relate to this and whether what i'm feeling is normal 3 months on? Thanks everyone. Sending love and BIG hugs xxx

[Lizzielizzielizzie]

You poor thing. I wonder if you need to book a post birth chat- most hospitals will let you book a time to talk through everything that happened in your birth to help you get some closure. I got information about booking this in my discharge notes from hospital.

Re iron, maybe ask your GP whether an iron injection would help you? I lost a lot of blood when I gave birth and had two ferrinject infusions soon afterwards which brought my haemoglobin back up quickly.

[Positive2022 in reply to Lizzielizzielizzie]

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond and for your advice. I hope you are feeling better now. I need to have more blood tests so will ask my GP. Thanks lovely, big hugs xxx

[Lizzielizzielizzie in reply to Positive2022]

Hope you feel better soon. If you are still anaemic then that in itself is enough to make you feel low, let alone when also dealing with a newborn xx

[Positive2022 in reply to Lizzielizzielizzie]

Thanks lovely xxx

[MrsFletch]

Hiya! I’m 2 and a half weeks post birth and had a similar experience. Had placenta previa and had a couple of hospital stays due to bleeding and had an elective caesarean one week early. I had a big pph where I lost 5 litres of blood and had to have a general to stop it. I had a Farenject infusion but am still feeling so tired and on iron tablets. Good to know that other people are feeling this too! X

[Positive2022 in reply to MrsFletch]

Thanks so much for your reply and I do hope you're starting to feel a little better. It's reassuring to chat with others who have had similar experiences. Sounds like you have had a really rough time and it's still early days, I'm not surprised you are feeling so tired. 3 months on and I still feel shattered! BIG hugs and take care xxx

[MrsFletch in reply to Positive2022]

It really is good to talk. I keep getting quite emotional and crying quite a lot. Is this normal? There is a website called the birth trauma association that I have found quite helpful in coming to terms with the stress of the birth. Hope you feel better and message me if you want someone to talk to x

[Positive2022 in reply to MrsFletch]

Yes I think it is very normal. I had a really bad case of the baby blues after I went home from hospital. I was very low for a few weeks. Not only are we caring for a newborn, we have a massive shift in hormones and being so unwell with anaemia can have a huge effect I believe. For me, even moving around the house was a struggle. I felt short of breath and so very tired. I really struggled to breastfeed too. I gave it my all for the best part of 2 months but was never able to produce enough milk. It wasn't until at least a week after I came home that the midwife explained it was because I was so anaemic. Fast forward 3 months and physically I do feel a bit better but still feel very tired. I have just stumbled across the birth trauma association website which looks really helpful. I really hope you start to feel better soon and likewise, do message me if you ever need a chat, my inbox is always open. Thanks lovely xxx

[Hidden]

My son was born in November. It was pretty traumatic. Had planned section as he was breech but with no labour pains or waters breaking and sent away twice from hosputal but I has a feeling no right and went back up that night. An examination in triage shown I was just on time. My baby was on way out. No time for section or pain relief and he came out bottom first on the way to theatre. As he was breach he was stuck and then arrived not breathing. I didn't get to hold him or see him as afyer he was resuscitated he went straight to ICU. 8 weeks on I'm counting my blessings gs he is here and ok but I have arranged to go back to hospital so they can talk us through what happened in a way for me and hubby to get some closure - my hubby a bit more traumatised than me actually. Your hospital should offer same I would think so might be worth asking? After going through the stress of IVF and thinking something was going to go wrong I'm so so grateful it didntbut does effect you especially not being able to hold your baby. As I wasn't with him it did effect my milk coming in and he had to be tube fed but that was what needed to happen as long as fed that's the main thing. Hope you can get appointment with your birth centre x

[Positive2022 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so much for your response and i'm so sorry to hear what you and your husband had to go through but so pleased your little one is doing ok. I hope you are feeling a little better. The stress of fertility treatment is one thing but to go through the stress of a high risk pregnancy and traumatic delivery is something else altogether. I have to go back for further blood tests so I think I will make an appointment with my GP for after to discuss the results and everything. Weird but it's only now that i'm really starting to think about what we have been through; probably so unwell in the first few weeks to digest things.

I hope you both are able to get some closure and wishing you a healthy recovery. Sending love and BIG hugs xxx

[AllWeNeedIsluv]

Hey lovely. I'm so sorry for what your going through I can most definitely relate. I had my boy in October via emergency section after being induced 3 days later had an emergency laparotomy due to bowel obstruction I vomited poo which was due to a haemorrhage got treatment horrendously by the surgical ward. Then I developed numerous infections an abcess under my bowel wound which had to go under anaesthetic again for an I and D then got home 5 hours later my gall bladder went blue lighted back to hospital to be there again for 10 days and isolated due to mrsa 12 weeks later the headache is still going in iv got a really painful Hernia and horrendous constant gerd which iv never suffered heart burn before. My whole throat is constant sore. I'll be having more surgery for hernia im so sick of it all and just need a break iv got an appointment with birth matters next month to discuss the labour and days after hoping it helps. Thinking about you hun I know it's hard but try find the positive things hun it keeps me going as hard as it is xxxx

[Positive2022 in reply to AllWeNeedIsluv]

Bless you, sounds like you have had such a difficult time and have been through so much. I do hope you are feeling a little better and things start to get easier for you. I can completely understand that you must be feeling exhausted with all that you have been through and hope that you have good support. Thank you for taking the time to respond and do message me if ever you need a chat. BIG hugs xxx

[Major2116]

I had the same! I lost 2.6 litres of blood out of the 5 in your body. I had to have a doctor physically contract my uterus to stop me practically bleeding to death as injections etc weren't working. I was also septic.

I wanted to breast feed but I was so poorly and bed ridden I couldn't until he was 2 days old. By this point I couldn't produce how much he was used to drinking and ended up bottle feeding which I don't feel bad about. It's been nice that my fiance can feed his son too.

I didn't feel right until he was about 4 months old. Midwives told me it will take a while for me and my body to go back to nornal.

Sorry to hear you had a tough birth too! Hope you're feeling better! Xx

[Positive2022 in reply to Major2116]

I'm so sorry to hear you had a rough time too. Likewise, I felt so unwell initially and realistically it took me a good month to get back on my feet. It's reassuring to hear from others who have been bottle feeding. I do hope you are feeling better. Sending love and BIg hugs xxx