Help! Bloodclot, clexane & childbirth..

[BellasMama21]

Hi my lovelies,

I am currently 34 weeks pregnant and was diagnosed with a small clot in my right lung in November. I've been put on blood thinning injections (twice daily) for at least 3 months and also told I'll need to be on them for 6 weeks after baby is born too. Has anyone been in the same boat?

This is baby number 2 and I'm sad to feel like this because I was so positive with my 1st.

I don't feel like I have all of the info other than I'm at high risk of hemorrhage and if I need a c-section withing a certain time frame of my last thinner, I'll need to be put to sleep. I'm honestly a bottle of anxiety and terrified of giving birth at this point.

I could really do with hearing from other women who may have experienced something similar (good or bad!) So I know I'm not alone.

Thanks xoxo

Hi, im on clexane injections due to a clotting disorder. This is my second pregnancy and I had them throughout my first pregnancy too. I'm 40 weeks now and I do get nervous injecting myself every morning just incase I go into labour. I have to keep injecting unless there are signs I'm in labour. Everything worked out fine with my first birth as my waters broke but I didn't go into labour so I was induced and by the time I gave birth the clexane was well out my system.

This time everyone tells me second babies usually dont mess around as much so to expect things to happen more quickly which does make me a bit anxious. However, everyone I've spoken to about my worries have been really reassuring and they've told me there are drugs they can give to reverse the effects of the clexane if need be to reduce risk of blood loss/pph. I've been told I have to have the injection to speed up birthing the placenta and I also went on a drip for 6hours after my first was born to help everything contract back down a bit more quickly and this will probably happen again. My biggest worry is not being able to have an epidural if I needed one. But I'm trying not to think about it too much as whatever happens it will be mostly out of my control so just got to hope it all goes smoothly again 🤞

Thanks for your reply
My main concern comes from my dosage I think. I am on 80mg twice a day where I think a lot of women are only on 40mg which would mean it leaves there system a lot quicker.
It's all fun and games isn't it!

With my first baby I developed a blood clot at 35 weeks and was on 100mg clexane twice a day for the rest of the pregnancy. I was induced a week early so that the timing of my labour could be controlled and then stopped injections 24 hours before my induction. I restarted 24 hours after birth.
My consultant said they would avoid a c section as much as they could for the reasons you've been told, but also reassured me that they have clotting drugs they can give to help prevent hemorrhage if needed. It's much more common than you think, and the hospital staff will know exactly what to do.
(Sympathies on the injections, I used to hate doing them because of how much it stings!)

Ah, yes I'm on 40mg plus aspirin as a therapeutic dose I think they call it. I don't think the dosage makes much difference - it's the time it takes to leave your system (which I think is 12hrs any dose - I could be wrong, I've been told I need 12hours from last injection for it to be out my system) but when you're injecting twice a day rather than just once I guess that's the big difference. Totally get your worries. Maybe have a chat with them and they'll reassure you with a bit of a plan. Maybe ask if because of your dosage they would look at inducing so there is a bit more control over how much clexane is in your system? I'm being induced again now (nothing to do with the clexane though, just the fact I'm over 41 weeks now) and feel a bit of relief that it gives some control over this. Assuming I don't go into labour today anyway 😬

I'm an obstetric anaesthetist. Many many many are on clexane in pregnancy, we are v used to it.
It doesn't massively increase the risk of bleeding and there's tons of drugs we have to stop bleeding (which we'd rather do (if rather than when) than you have complications of a clot)

You can't have a spinal (quick awake injection in the back for forceps/csection) or epidural within 24h of a dose of treatment clexane, so if its an induction or its safe to wait, we will to let you have awake interventions. If its not we would need to give you a GA

Theres lots of other pain relief options in labour if you're too early for an epidural

https://www.labourpains.org/

This is written by anaesthetists and explains everything

If you search my previous posts I've written lots of essays and made a few YouTube videos to explain everything but in short you'll be fine don't worry we are very used to dealing with this

It's 12 hours for prophylactic dose (to prevent someone developing a clot in the first place

24h of treatment dose (higher dose to treat an already formed clot