DS3, who is a lovely bundle of loveliness, arrived by elective c-section a week ago.
For unknown reasons (so far) I had a cardiac arrest during the surgery where my heart slowed to a complete stop. I was resuscitated with CPR and adrenaline before surgery was completed and I was transferred to intensive care. All tests so far point to an otherwise healthy heart. (Usual obs monitoring, ECG's and US)
In time I will be having follow up input from cardiology/anaesthetics/obgyn/perinatal mental health team/intensive care psychology. I'm now home wearing a 24 hour heart trace.
We haven't announced this in RL (apart from close friends and family), so if you know me please be discrete, we're still getting our heads around what happened.
But just WTF? How do I process this? How do I rebuild myself, DH and I feel completely steamrollered. All the while DS3 is BFing on demand 2 hourly, and I have all the usual c-section recovery to contend with. The other two children aren't aware but are starting to question why I keep crying and me saying I'm just so happy to be their mum is being met with 
.
I have zero concentration, tv/radio/music is just noise, I can't face phonecalls/visitors and apart from a birth announcement on facebook I just can't do it. I'm not even sure i'm ready for this thread so may bow out if it gets overwhelming.
On the upside, DH and I are being spectacularly kind and patient with each other and the children. We are having lots of quality time and keeping life simple and there is an atmosphere of calm in between my moments of despair and sobbing.
Anybody been through similar?
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Childbirth
Cardiac arrest during elective caesarian section. Nevergoogle in need of a bit of support.
nevergoogle · 06/04/2014 23:07
Oh, nevergoogle, congratulations and WTAF!? 
I am so sorry the happy event of your DS's arrival in this world had the shine taken off it somewhat by something so incredibly rare and scary happening to you.
Be very kind to yourself, do accept any and all offered of help and hopefully you can make your peace with events.
All these tests are important, but may (hopefully) not come up with any answers as to why what happened happened IYKWIM.
The only experience I have of drama during delivery (VB or CS) was with abnormal blood loss - did anything go wrong during your CS?? Or was this some kind of weird vaso-vagal response to the spinal? Hyporeflexia??
Sorry, I am waffling - I am so horrified for you.
Sniff that baby's head for me and rest up and let time pass.
Good grief. Poor you. And your poor DH - scary all round.
{{fierce hugs}}
the actual surgery went well. blood loss was minimal although as I lay there feeling my BP drop that was my first thought. It was me who alerted the anaesthetist right before I crashed. I had asked for the baby to be taken from my chest as I was starting to feel unwell.
Vaso-vagal syncope is something I've done before. Usually attributed to IBS but I have collapsed from the loo about every one to two years. It was investigated by neurology as there was some symptoms that resembled a fit. But all was found to be normal.
Over the past 8 years, I've had these collapses. DH has been there for all of them. Always the same pattern, labour like stomach cramps, massive bowel evacuation then collapse to the floor. I know when it's going to happen and DH is able to clear the floor, even put down a soft landing. Paramedics called sometimes, but although HR and BP low afterwards I make a quick recovery and it's always been agreed that these are vaso-vagal syncopes.
The similarities ti the cardiac arrest ;ast week can't be ignored though. Perhaps I have arrested on these occasions before? DH has always maintained that I stop breathing. But I spontaneously recover within 30 seconds, grumble about how embarrassing it all is and go back to bed.
Because these episodes happen so rarely the cardiologist is considering an implant recorder of some sort that is in situ for 18 months. It may just capture the heart data when it happens again. Unfortunately for DH and I that means waiting for the next one.
I am frustratingly independent. I named DH the 'toilet follower' and insisted he stop worrying, annoyed that me locking the bathroom door causes such distress. There's nothing I like better than to disappear on my own without telling people where I am. That's something that I'm going to have to reconsider. Will I still be able to take the kids on my own to scotland in the summer like I planned?
steady with the fierce hugs. only after the boy has had a good feed. 
Nevergoogle, my goodness you've been through the mill . Congratulations on the birth of your DS (if she says he's not too bad he must be gorgeous!) and I hope you and your DH are taking it easy now.
Presumably you've passed on the information about your previous episodes? If your DH thinks you stop breathing every time, have you told them/your GP that too?
I can't say that I have anything similar to share, although with DC1 I had a rather unpleasant ventouse delivery followed by retained placenta and severe PPH. Can't fault them on actually saving my life at the time, but the aftercare was traumatising - I've been left with a fear of hospitals which causes problems regularly. Not sure if it's PTS or similar but I was not given a debrief despite asking for it, and no one was bothered about my experience until I was 40+10 with DC2 and refusing to book an induction date. Luckily I had DC2 in the separate MLU otherwise I would definitely have needed sedation. Definitely following up on the risk of PTSD/PND is a good move.
Lots of 
for you xxx
{gentle hug}
Somebody had referred to someone having had a cardiac arrest during delivery on another thread and I went . Ooops, just because it's rare does not mean it never happens.
Crikey.
Ok, vaso-vagal collapses - I get those. Like you describe, they are basically a v sudden drop in blood pressure, more common in females (we have lower BP on average and pesky hormones), but they do NOT involved your heart stopping.
If you heart actually stopped while cables up to an anaesthetist's Magic Wheeled Table of Tricks and this was documented then whatever it was you had was not a vaso-vagal thingybob.
There's something called 'hyporeflexia' or 'dysreflexia' which happens to some people with spinal cord problems and I was furiously googling doing research last night if that kind of a thing could happen with a spinal anaesthetic? Don't know. I am no expert. Don't google unless you feel up to reading sad stories about people breaking their spines btw.
Hope you are having a good day and LittleDragonb. is putting his back in to getting your norks comfortable .
Don't lock the bathroom door, woman.
I have not experienced anything as dramatic as you, just a 'normal' emCS and it only came out years after the event that DH was terrified that I +/- DS2 might die at the time. I was worried; he was shitscared.
Be kind to yourself just now, and to your DH. You never know, you might need him to pick you up off the floor one day… and bathrooms are v hard rooms with lots of corners to be falling in. Just sayin'.
flipping norah i'm tired.
the 2-3 hour naps are heaven and as good as it gets i know, but oh for a nights sleep.
found myself getting anxious last night. rib and back pain from cpr, plus tiredness to the point of feeling physically weak, throw in some wheeziness from asthma and i thought i might be getting ill again.
dh took over with baby stuff, made me a paella at 1am, some puffs on my inhalers and paracetamol and i ws feeling more human again.
baby is sleeping longer at night but my boobs haven;t got that memo yet so i end up awake in the night when i needn't be. perfect time to worry and have a sob at the what ifs.
This reply has been deleted
Message withdrawn at poster's request.
It is relatively well known that spinals can (rarely) cause sudden drops in blood pressure and even through to cardiac arrests. There's a link to an NHS leaflet here that mentions them as possible side effects - i don't know if that might help to reassure you a bit that although rare, it is KNOWN. Really the medical professionals could do with stopping making you feel like such an oddity - that can't be helping you at all - although it sounds like in other ways you're getting good support which is brilliant and will help.
I don't think you will have been having cardiac arrests for the last 8 years - you just wouldn't recover that quickly. I have some medical training. I also have vasovagal episodes every now and then too so I understand that feeling of just wanting to crawl away and hide after one's happened.
Just be kind to yourself. You've had major surgery, in which there were serious complications. Take every scrap of help, kindness and chocolate offered. It will take you time and THAT'S OK xxx
and to you x
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Googly - he is absolutely gorgeous in every way . Will you look at those cheeks.
So sorry to hear about your delivery though. It was a major thing and will take you quite some time to get over it, but you will you know.
Meanwhile 
and for you lady!
Awww he is gorgeous! He looks just like my two did, big strapping boys :)
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