Extreme phobia of vomit. Labour vs c-section?

[Helpmeoutt]

Can anyone give me their honest experiences of vomiting during labour / delivery or during a C-section please?

What caused the vomiting?
Can anything be done to stop or prevent it?
Which birthing option is more likely to experience vomiting?

I’m not scared of birth, needles, blood or pain but the idea of vomit fills me with the worst anxiety and dread. I can’t stress enough how bad my phobia is.

I think you’re totally right! Not being a naturally vommy person makes the anticipation of it happening worse. Can I ask if you’re taking steps to get over the phobia? Or has having kids just desensitised you? My baby is coming up to 18 months and I’ve been getting worse lately, but I think it’s because she’s never had a bug so I’m just waiting for it to happen!

Two natural births- vomited a lot during the first and not at all in the second. Midwife said it's common during transition

I threw up non stop after my c section, as other said I presume the medication

One vaginal birth here. I was also really really worried about vomiting / feeling nauseous - I felt I could power through the pain, but that if I were nauseous on top of it I wouldn't cope. I declined any drugs for fear of nausea. I ended up vomiting at transition stage - I think due to the intensity. I don't remember it lasting long at all, and I didn't feel nauseous the rest of the time. As some have said, it felt like the body's natural 'ejection' reaction.
I ended up having gas and air, as I thought 'why not, I've already been sick and it wasn't so bad'. The gas & air was fine, and I wasn't sick again until quite a while after delivery (I think I was just coming down from the adrenaline), and again it didn't last. They gave me some anti sickness tablets and I was fine.

As some have said, you feel like a completely different person when you're giving birth. The things I was scared of weren't actually bad at all. It might sound weird, but even the pain wasn't as bad as I thought it would be!

I'd recommend bringing a hand-held USB charged fan as the rooms can get pretty hot, and I always feel less nauseous with a cool breeze. (get your DH to hold it for you, along with some ice cold drink!)

I think I am a little desensitised. My DD has some allergies that can cause quite profuse vomiting which I can handle but DH is so much better at handling her when poorly still, and cleaning up afterwards.
We have had a couple of bugs in the house from nursery/school too. It's been quite a while since I have vomited (I did get one bug when she was a baby that made me throw up twice) I am quite careful washing hands and things and if I feel I am getting something I take a load of activated charcoal. DH is much more likely to be sick and catch one of DD's bugs. I still sometimes panic but try to be in control and tell myself I have got through it before and I believe the activated charcoal does help.

I really feel for you I have this phobia too.

I’ve had 2 births and never vomited at all. My first labour I never had any pain relief however my second labour I had gas and air and after a while that made me feel abit sick and I panicked so stopped using it.

Are you quite sicky anyways? I think a lot of people are either sick due to pain or the medication they are on.

Three labours all vaginal delivery, only vomited (a lot) with my third. I don’t know what was different, maybe the pain relief tablet they gave me? They just gave it alongside paracetamol. Gas & air with all labours so don’t think it was that.

The only thing that made me vomit was the morphine injection. Didn't agree with me at all.

C-section. Blood pressure dropped due to the spinal and felt incredibly sick and shaky during.

vomited every hour for about 24 hours post delivery. Not fun. I even refused the painkillers and taking them would make me vomit.

I normally have a strong stomach, I think that was the last time I vomited and the child is now 16!

2 high risk pregnancies. first c section was fine. Second c section came at the end of a week where I’d been in for monitoring every day, and just as they were pulling her out they found the cord was wrapped 3 times around her neck. She was silent (nothing wrong, she was having a good look around) but I think I had a small panic attack - combined with the drugs I started feeling very sick. I told the anaesthetist and he did something and I felt better within seconds. If you feel sick then tell them and they will fix it x

I vomited in labour, no painkillers involved.

If you’re going for an elective c section the anesthetist will explain to you what to expect from the epidural. It can cause shaking and nausea but they can add anti nausea medication. This happened to me, they acted really fast and the shakes and nausea went away instantly. For me iCS was a positive experience and I felt really reassured throughout.

Vaginal birth on the other hand. Well let’s just say it was chaotic. Vomit was the very last thing any of the delivery team were concerned about.

I've had 3 births and no signs of nausea or vomiting.

Thank you so much @JadeVS72, it’s reassuring to know that it can get better just through living your life like normal - and I’ll stock up on activated charcoal!

I vomited after an induced vaginal birth with epidural - think it was the drugs. I was also super itchy which I was told was also due to the epidural.

I vomited throughout my natural birth.

They gave me an anti-emetic before my c-section. No vomiting.

to be fair you said extreme phobia of “vomit”

Don't put up and accept it.

My friend was successfully treated by an excellent hypnotist for her vomiting phobia in one session. She said it was the best thing she's ever done for her mental health. She'd get into such a state if one her children got sick and I've seen her when she's spinning out of control.

Mind you, he is an amazing hypnotist, not your bog standard 3 or 4 sessions cheapo. You need to find someone highly trained and recommended.

No vomit, natural labours.

No vomiting. 3 vaginal births. Lots of gas and air.
I also had a fear of vomiting and that makes me not be sick - have you been sick recently at all? Morning sickness? I think our bodies work pretty hard not to let it happen when you have a phobia.

I was sick after both my C sections yes, few times after my emergency in the hours afterwards and just once with my elective whilst in the recovery room.

I've had a vaginal birth and an emergency C-section. Didn't vomit in either.

I was given an antiemetic at the same time I had a diamorphine injection with my first as it could make me sick. The same was done in my emergency C-section when I mentioned I was feeling nauseous. I ❤ondansetron.

I also work in maternity theatres, and see it very commonly. Many medications, especially those that help stop bleeding, can cause vomiting.

I’ve had two EMCS, hadn’t eaten for many hours prior to each of them.

I didnt vomit during the first one, but vomited quite a few times during the second, I think it was a reaction to the anaesthetic. The anaesthetic then gave me an anti-emetic intravenously.

Anaesthetist for labour ward.

If it was me I'd have an epidural (safest pain relief option, rarely causes nausea vs pethidine and entonox which commonly does) and labour

Csections unfortunately are commonly associated with vomiting probably about 40% of patients will vomit. Most of the drugs required to stop bleeding unfortunately have it as a side effect. We give anti sickness to try to counter act it, but unfortunately a lot do vomit. We're v used to it, there's bowls immediately available and will help you through it if it happens though