200 years ago would you have died during pregnancy/childbirth?

[LynetteScavo]

I had a kidney infection when pregnant with DC1, then a long and difficult birth, with a happy ending after a ventouse delivery. I've sometimes wondered if I would have lived through the kidney infection if I hadn't had IV antibiotics. I have no idea how the birth would have panned out.

I suspect an awful lot of us wouldn't be here now if we had babies 200 years ago.

Napdammyou, they might have had babies but they may not have survived the process!

i would have died with infection in my womb. also baby no 2 would have died of jaundice

although without epidural on delivery of baby no 1, baby no 2 would NOT have been conceived in the first place

I honestly don't know as my first labour was mismanaged but I suspect dc1 would have delivered stillborn and I would have died later of infection. Am amazed the human race has made it thus far!

SpeckleDust
Definitely the most painful part of giving birth for me (also on gas and air), sorry you had to go through it too!
The high five was a bit weird, sorry! Haha.

I was septic after prolonged PROM, then has a massive pph after dd1 was delivered by emergency section - so I doubt I would've come out of it breathing.

dd1 was distressed probably as a result of my infection & prolonged labour. After delivery (at 36+ weeks) she was extremely jaundiced (phototherapy/tube feeds/etc) & discovered to have a haemolytic anaemia - she wouldn't have made it either.

None of my other dc would've survived pregnancy since I have an immune/clotting disorder than requires fairly heavy duty medication (aspirin/steroids/clexane injections) all through pregnancy. I have a terrible obstetric history - 10 pregnancies, 4 lives births, 2 second trimester losses & 4 miscarriages.

DD1 was 12 pounds and would not have come out. I'd have died as well as she would not appear, had I survived the pre-eclampsia. If DD1 had survived, the Rh- would have stopped DD2 surviving.

Thanks goodness for progress.

Hyperemesis here too, if that hadn't finished me off, I'd have had to deal with a frank breech birth and the risks there too.

Then again, 200 years ago I wouldn't have been having my first child at 40 and would have been younger and fitter for it. Maybe I'd have been finished off by the 6th or 7th child at 40!

I would have died with DS1 and DS2. Both got stuck and needed a ventouse. Besides which both would have died pre birth as they needed induction at 42 weeks.

Yes. Either in pregnancy or birth. and might well have done in antoher part of the world today.

Hyperemesis and then transverse lie and polyhydramous (too much amniotic fluid) oh.. and DD fitting inside me

God we were so lucky.

I would have died with dd2. A 15cm cyst was found on my ovary at my 12 week scan. It twisted in on itself 3 times at 16 weeks pg and I had to have emergency surgery to remove it, and what was left of my ovary! I nearly lost dd2 in the process as I started leaking fluid after the op, luckily though I didn't and dd2 is now 4mo

The surgeon told my DH after dd was born that 50 years ago he would have lost both of us.

My 1st child would have probably been okay but the 3 subsequent ones would have died as I'm RH-ve and they are all +ve.
I may have died with DD3 as I was induced one day over her EDD because her size was making me ill.

Oh and I also had hyperemisis with both dd's that went on well past 20 weeks both times, call me mad but I do eventually want another one

I think we'd both have been fine, straightforward fast birth with no intervention provided needed. I would have needed six months a bit longer in bed to get over it all as I had a haemorrhage and slightly complex tear which presumably would have been stitched up without anaesthetic. Or did they just leave the tears in those days? Then I would probably never have had sex again I guess. Hey ho.

There was actually a big peak in maternal mortality in 1934, just before the sulpha drugs (pre-antibiotics) were introduced. Not that long ago in the scheme of things.

I wouldn't have been pregnant but, if I had, then the baby and I would probably have died in childbirth.

Three normal pregnancies & three straightforward, quick births (two of which took place at home), so I probably would have been fine.

I'm rhesus negative, as are dc1 & dc2. Dc3 is positive, but would have survived luckily due to this.

I'd have been fine

Can I just say though that anti D is usually given prophilactically, if a rh neg woman does not have it there is a small chance of severe problems for the fetus and future babies, it doesn't mean that they would have all died just because you didn't have anti D.

Yes, I didn't dilate and dd would have died inside me if not for the c-section.

I was reading some 16th century stats earlier (as you do ) 2% of pregnancies ended in maternal death, which doesn't sound too bad until you realise that women were having 12 or so pregnancies. The book said that women therefore had a 22% chance of dying in childbirth over their reproductive lifespan.

There were c-sections but these were always fatal to the mother - if you were married to a rich guy who wanted a son at any cost then god help you.

At least 10% babies were still born, and of those that were christened, 1 in 6 died before their 6th birthday.

THIS is why we have intervention. I know it is criticised for being used too often, but it does save lives.

200 years ago, my mother would have died while pregnant with me because of her severe pre-eclampsia. We're only here today because she got rushed to theatre for a c-section.

Assuming I had somehow lived, I'd have survived DS's birth fine.
But given that he was 6 weeks early and needed CPAP to help him breathe at first, I doubt whether he'd be alive now without modern medicine.

I had pre eclampsia and appendicitis, didn't dilate, dc in distress, and after delivery I had sepsis.

No way for either of us, or if they had got dc out suspect he would have been brain damaged.

I am really grateful to be in this country, in this century, and not one of those groups with high maternal neo natal deaths.

I probably would have after giving birth to DD3. Both she and I had an infection by the time she came out. She would certainly have been dead (she nearly didn't make it in 2009) and I would have carked it in hideous pain from sepsis, probably before her lifeless body was expelled. Sobering stuff.