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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to wonder why bigger ladies in pregnancy need stockings?

71 replies

cbeebiesinducedcoma · 18/09/2012 21:03

I am a bigger BMI , but I was last time and had a very straightforward pregnancy and birth and did have a big baby (9'3) but I was 9lbs myself so not too far out.

I had a consultant meeting and said lots had changed since I had first and mentioned having a special anesthetist appointment, stockings? and an injection after birth.

I have very painful SPD which affects my mobility but other than that I'm okay really had very severe MS but tapered off.
Consultant was nice saying 'we don't want to change you its just to help' which is fair enough.
AIBU to think this is a bit OTT? if their are no other issues.

OP posts:
RaisinDEtre · 18/09/2012 21:10

stockings for after anaesthetic (Sp, sorry, v tired) presumably?

Tempernillo · 18/09/2012 21:12

Stockings prevent deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. It is standard practice to ask all in patients in hospital to wear them, especially if they are likely to be inactive e.g. Epidural, cs, general anaesthetic

Nigglenaggle · 18/09/2012 21:12

If its around the time of the anaesthetic everyone has to wear them - its a pain in the ass! I was supposed to wear them for 6 weeks but managed 2... partly because they only gave me one pair and they could walk on their own by the end of it - if Id kept them on longer theyd have developed their own ecosystem!!

squeakytoy · 18/09/2012 21:12

I would imagine to help your circulation.

ChunkysMum · 18/09/2012 21:13

YABU.

Pregnancy increases your risk of blood clots. Being overweight increases your risk of blood clots.

TEDS (the stockings) and Clexane (the injection) are to prevent you getting DVT (blood clots).

Makes sense.

Tempernillo · 18/09/2012 21:14

All Pregnant women are particularly at risk of dvt, and the risk is increased a bit more with a high BMI.

Tempernillo · 18/09/2012 21:14

X posts ! Grin

ChunkysMum · 18/09/2012 21:14

Oh yes, inactivity i.e. hospital stay also increases the risk of blood clots.

TroublesomeEx · 18/09/2012 21:16

I had to wear stockings after my CS.

I would imagine they have their reasons. It's to do with helping circulation and reducing the risk of DVT. Tbh, when it comes to medical stuff like this, I tend to think the doctors know what they're talking about and let them get on with it.

ISeeThreadPeople · 18/09/2012 21:17

I'm a size 8 with a bmi of 21.

I had stockings and 10 days of tinzaparin (blood thinning) injections during/post cs.

It's standard in our hospital for all women.

FannyFifer · 18/09/2012 21:17

I wore the stockings afterwards and had 3 days of heparin injections, to protect against DVT.

Bonkerz · 18/09/2012 21:17

It's standard procedure in my county. Stockings ( one pair provided so not practical at all) injections every day for a week (dh did mine) and anaesthetist appointment which I waited forty minutes for and it took two minutes to prod my back and send me on
My way again!

elliejjtiny · 18/09/2012 21:17

I have a high bmi and with my youngest (20 months) I had the anaesthetist appointment and the clexane injections but no support stockings. I also had 3 growth scans and extra bp checks. With my middle child (4) I didn't have any of it.

I had a perfectly normal pregnancy and birth as well (apart from waters breaking with no labour for 2 days). In fact the pregnancy with all the monitoring was my most uncomplicated pregnancy of all 3, not a trace of anything in my wee, bp perfect and a 2 hour labour with no tears.

I would just go along with it all, it won't cause you any harm and the worse that could happen will be that you spend more time in the antenatal clinic. I think it was a bit OTT but it was nice to be well taken care of.

Original poster
cbeebiesinducedcoma · 18/09/2012 21:18

It wasn't explained to me properly why I need them so I was naturally curious,

I suppose it makes sense I've never seen them before.

OP posts:
mum4041 · 18/09/2012 21:19

Although it might seem OTT I really would take the advice. Having worked in a hospital I've seen people have strokes after surgery and been left severely disabled as a result. Young people. With what I'd call average BMIs. Please don't worry about it, just take the advice. It's rare but when it happens it's devastating.

AnitaBlake · 18/09/2012 21:20

First thing they did to me when I was admitted was stick a pair of stockings on me. Don't be afraid to ask for more pairs. They reduce your chances of clotting and varicose veins (I have none from last time) I'm actually tempted to try get my hands on some in a few weeks time, or casually asking my consultant for some to wear as I'm getting less mobile now.

GwendolineMaryLacey · 18/09/2012 21:20

I've got a high bmi and have had 2 babies. Had 7 days of heparin injections after DD2 only, no stockings at all for either. No anaesthetist appt mentioned for DD1 and appointment mentioned but still waiting to hear from them with an appt date for DD2 (she's 8 months old!)

Markingthehours · 18/09/2012 21:21

I thought your blood thinned automatically when you are pg, thus the higher risk of haemorrhage?

How long has the tights/heparin been standard practice then? I've never heard of it before.

Original poster
cbeebiesinducedcoma · 18/09/2012 21:21

I'm not going say no Confused

I was just thinking am I alone in thinking have people gone insane in the last few years so much monitoring now. Why is it so excessive, I mean I've only actually been weighed once they don't monitor that.

OP posts:
ChunkysMum · 18/09/2012 21:24

I thought your blood thinned automatically when you are pg, thus the higher risk of haemorrhage?

Nope, you become hypercoagulable (i.e. more prone to clotting. It is the bodies mechanism of preparing for birth to prevent massive blood loss during birth.

TEDS are standard for inpatients in hospital.

mumtomoley · 18/09/2012 21:40

how long has this been standard? I don't remember any of this and I was in hospital for 4 days after EMCS with DS1 who is now 17 months?

ISeeThreadPeople · 18/09/2012 22:25

Probably depends on the hospital. They didn't do it 5yrs ago when I had dd but did when I had ds 12 months ago. They said it's not standard across all hospitals yet, but has been recommended.

TeaandHobnobs · 18/09/2012 23:40

When I was on the antenatal ward in April, it was standard that anyone in for more than a day or so would get compression stockings and clexane injections.

It took two weeks for them to give me my stockings, but I was glad I avoided the injections (I was in because of bleeding, so it probably wasn't a good idea to give me anything to thin my blood!)

FIL has recently been in hospital and he was given clexane too (I don't think they had compression socks big enough for his elephant feet Grin)

MrsTerrysChocolateOrange · 18/09/2012 23:48

I had them. Am I fat? Sad

Iteotwawki · 19/09/2012 01:20

The stockings and heparin are to reduce the risk of deep vein thrombosis as has been said.

The anaesthetist appointment is to assess your airway (in case you need an emergency GA which is more difficult in pregnant patients at term and also more difficult in overweight/obese patients) and to talk about analgesia in labour. They may recommend an early epidural so if you need help it can be topped up (avoiding the ga risks if possible). They may want to look at your back (we know epidurals and spinals are technically more difficult to do in larger patients and more likely to fail, so it helps to have some idea of what your back looks like and to have talked about the issues before you go into labour).

They may just look at your previous straightforward delivery, make sure you can open your mouth wide and wish you luck!

All these changes stem from the 3 year rolling audit programme run in the uk to look at medical issues surrounding pregnancy and delivery, assessing situations where things have gone wrong and looking at what can be done to reduce risk and make pregnancy and childbirth safer.