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So upset, Low blood platlets and due to have c-section but may have to have GA!!

8 replies

sryan · 19/10/2011 20:08

Im 37+3 and due to have a c-section in 12 days. My platlets have been dropping throughout pregnancy and have had phonecall to say they are now 100 and if they drop lower then ill be unable to have epidural! Im soo upset at the thought of having to have a GA, i really want to avoid it but it seems likely they will continue to drop as they've done so every wk. Im due to get bloods redone on monday (1 wk b4 planned CS) and then see consultation about what happens next. Would hope they would consider bringing it forward. Has anyone had any experiance of this?

Also having CS due to horrific Shoulder Dystocia 4 yrs ago and the docs and i are in agreement that this is the safest delievry option.

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Northernlurker · 19/10/2011 20:15

Oh dear, that is very hard. I guess the only thing to hang on to is that you want the safest delivery for you and the baby and if your platelets are so very low then changes have to be made to keep you safe. You should be able to have a good discussion with the medical staff about that - ask them to explain clearly what the benefits are of GA vs epidural, what are the risks and what happens if you do nothing.

If you do go for the GA then maybe you can improve how you feel about it by planning who will be holding baby after delivery - I assume baby's dad? So who can take lots of pictures and maybe video of that moment? How long will it take you to wake up and how can you manage being introduced to baby - can they ensure it happens as quickly and quietly as possible. There's no getting around it - this sucks but there are still options for you to play around with and get the best birth you can.

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josephinebonaparte · 19/10/2011 20:19

You'll just need to do it though, the birth is such an small part of you and your baby's life together and you need to be safe. They wouldn't want to give you a GA unless it was essential. The baby goes through to the dad almost straight away and you should be with them in half an hour.

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Flisspaps · 19/10/2011 20:30

Is a spinal anaesthetic out of the question too (I believe that's different to an epidural)?

If you do need the GA, then they won't keep you under longer than necessary, and you can request things such as Dad (or whoever your birth partner was going to be) gets to hold baby ASAP for skin-to-skin, even if this means baby isn't in the room with you as no-one will be able to be in with you if you're under GA, or that baby isn't cleaned and dressed or weighed until you've come round (baby can be wrapped up nice and warm in towels/blankets if it's not possible to do skin-to-skin with someone!) so that you still get to see baby looking freshly newborn and mucky, and so that you don't miss out on at least part of the experience.

I do feel for you if this is your only option. You know that it's the safest thing for you and baby, but still not getting the birth you wanted, hoped, or planned for can be devastating (not always!) even if you and baby are both well at the end of it.

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josephinebonaparte · 19/10/2011 20:49

I had to have a GA due to low platelets caused by pe, and I wasn't offered a spinal. Do they know why your platelets are low and are they testing your iron count and liver function too?

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DaisySteiner · 19/10/2011 21:06

A spinal will be out too I'm afraid for the same reasons as an epidural. I think it's very unlikely that you will be able to persuade them to do one rather than a GA if your platelets are too low, because having a spinal if you're likely to have a problem with clotting can have quite serious consequences (although I have seen a confident consultant do a spinal on a borderline clotting case - he was twitchy though!) It's possible that they would bring the birth forward to try and avoid platelets dropping too low for a spinal, but it will really depend on your consultant, how busy they are etc etc.

As others have said, talk to the staff about what you want to happen while you're asleep. You could ask whether someone could take photos immediately after the baby is born and try and get skin to skin as soon as possible when you wake up.

Fingers crossed that your platelets behave themselves in the next week or two!

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sryan · 19/10/2011 22:00

I don't know why they are low, my iron is really good 14.5!! My blood pressures playing up a bit so being kept an eye on! Am gonna cross everything and think positive until Monday, not sure what level is too low, been told 80, although mw on phone said 90! Then I'll have to begin preparing myself for the worst case scenario! Josephinebonapatre How did u find having a GA??

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josephinebonaparte · 19/10/2011 22:10

Having a GA was completely fine. I was so ill with pe that the midwife told me I'd probably wake up in intensive care,.which to be honest didnt help. Actually I was back with my dh and son within 30 mins (I is well hard) though the next
48 hrs were dicey (because of the pe). The GA didn't affect me breastfeeding. If your bp is not so good, you might have pe with hellp, and they should deliver immediately if that is the case.

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sryan · 19/10/2011 22:23

Yeah that's what I'm worried about, was monitored today over few hrs as bp was up but it went down so was allowed home and told to come straight back should I get any more symptoms! Will take it easy and rest as much as I can and hopefully Monday might bring better news! it's nice to hear others experiences , being back within 30 mins sounds brilliant , I thought I'd be out for hrs and also was worrying about breastfeeding so glad to see it didn't affect you!