Did this happen to anyone else after giving birth? Warning, don't read if you're nervous about labour...

[Anotheroneofme]

Tmi warning, don't read this if you are scared of an impending labour or induction.

I had an induction 6 weeks ago due to hypertension at 39+3 and me and baby are fine. From having my waters broken to baby's arrival was only 5h 20 mins. Easy. Obviously it was painful but gas and air and diamorphine helped. I had a second degree tear which was stitched. I had a pph which doesn't concern me as much as what else happened.

My uterus stopped contracting after stitches were placed. I had been losing golf ball size clots of blood, contributing to the pph. To restart uterine contractions, another syntocinon drip, as used in induction, was put in. When the drip started my heart rate shot up and I started shaking and feeling sick. The midwife called the emergency bell and turned the drip off and 6 other midwives and a surgeon came in. It turned out my uterus was blocked with a clot. They prepared theatre and blood transfusions for me but they werent needed. The surgeon performed a bimanual whereby he pushed on my womb from the outside and pulled out the clots from inside. Agony. The drip was put back on and I was also given iv fluids due to the blood loss.

I was so out of it that its been difficult to get my head around what's happened. I've had to ask dh numerous times what happened and why. I'm fine now just feel a bit traumatised by it.

Has this happened to anyone else? Help me feel less alone :(

Oh another that is just bloody awful thankfully I never felt that way after my two dc but unfortunately it seems its not uncommon

The lack of explanation is terrible. DS was an 'exciting' birth and I was visited by the consultant who delivered him later that day to see how I was, then a MW on the antenatal ward asked if I wanted to read my notes and ask any questions and explained about the debriefing and how I could access it at any point in the future (so bear in mind that you can talk to the HCPs at any point in the future as well). I was actually fine (I think the fact that I was so well looked after post birth helped) but got to see my notes from my previous births which were fascinating (although I did discover all 3 of my DC had the cord round their neck when born and DD1's agpar scores at birth were terrible which was horrible to discover even in retrospect).

I thought I was over this but tried to have a blood test Friday morning and had a full blown panic attack in the room. :(

I had a huge PPH last time. I lost 3 litres. Id had a c section so the epidural line was still in and they just topped that up but the anaesthetist said that he was standing by to knock me out if we had to go to theatre. Mine wasn't clots, I was on heparin throughout so my blood wasn't clotting normally to begin with, and just poured out all over the floor. I hadn't noticed. I was in recovery and my husband pointed to it running off the bed and I said j didn't feel well - hot and dizzy and sick.
All hell broke loose and the bi-manual compression was very vigorous, but eventually it all calmed down. My haemoglobin dropped to 3.
I had (obviously) a hefty transfusion and spent the night in recovery with two airbus just midwives.

I remember thinking I knew where vampires got their reputation from! I was incredibly thirsty - litres and litres of water, and I couldn't sleep despite being knackered. And of course I was deathly grey!

It's a few years ago now and for a while i thought about it a lot - Id pour 3 litres of water into the sink to see how much it was etc. I saw my haematologist afterwards and he said that their quick actions had undoubtedly saved my life and that with a haemoglobin that low, without the transfusion Id be "pushing up daisys."

OP best wishes. It's a very very scary thing.

absolutely go for a birth reflections appointment - they should offer something like this at hospital. I had a similar experience although needed the 2 blood transfusions and was in hte high dependency unit for 2 days on oxygen. I'm still seeing a councellor for post traumatic stress after it all as it was utterly terrifying and i continued to have flashbacks about dying. Our midwife was terrible and it went on longer than it should as noone noticed how much blood i was losing despite my telling them i wasn't feeling well. It wasn't until i collapsed they started to pay attention to me! I still burst into tears at the thought of it all but time has helped. Please ask someone for help, it wasn't a normal birth and you need support to understand exactly what happened and why

Chipped and babybear that sounds dreadful! Mine was nowhere near that bad, I feel like I'm moaning for nothing :(

Something similar happened to me. Ok birth, baby was born in the pool, but afterwards my uterus didn't contract so lots of bleeding, DH recalls lots of pumping from the outside and blood splooshing out.

However I kicked off so much as they were trying to examine me they took me to theatre under general. It was worse than delivering a 10lbs baby imo. I had just pushed a baby out of there, no way I wanted anyone putting things up there. And no, gas and air isn't bloody helping!

I had 4 blood transfusion and came round 4 hours later when it was all over. I feel a bit that I didn't even know this was a thing that could happen. I did all the classes etc, and people don't seem to talk about the risks / possible complications at all.

Chipped - yes the thirst!! Because of my catheter and leg compression things I couldn't get up, so every time someone came into the room I was like "water... please!!" I requested DH bring water, OJ and sprite the next day and drank the lot!

Oh my goodness, op, and everyone else who's posted too, I'm so sorry this happened to you but thank you for posting. I think this is what happened to me when I had my first miscarriage, 5 years ago. I had no idea what was going on (was in a&e) and no one ever explained, or even talked to me much, just got annoyed that I couldn't get my head round what they were saying when they tried getting me to sign consent forms. After that everyone brushed over it as just an early mc, as it was before 12 weeks (11w 6days). I now have two wonderful children who were thankfully born in a more or less straight forward fashion, but I still think of that day and shake. Thank you so much for explaining.

And you're absolutely not moaning for nothing, op, no one could possibly think that from what you've written. Do go and ask for a debrief at the maternity unit, it has been really helpful to friends of mine.