Long recovery from pregnancy/childbirth? (sorry very long)

[happygilmore]

Would be very glad to hear of any experiences as now starting to get fed up of this.

I gave birth two months ago, after being induced due to the start of pre-eclampsia (diagnosed after BP went up and just over the criteria for protein in urine). I also have pre-existing high BP but otherwise have always been in good health.

Had quite a long induction, two days, but baby born OK. I then had a large bleed after the birth due to tears and was very ill - ended up having a blood transfusion the next day. I also had two infections, one internally and the other showed up on my blood tests. I then was extremely ill a few days later and ended up being treated for severe pre-eclampsia, BP very high and kept having huge jerking movements of my limbs (like a fit but unconcious). Odd thing was I didn't have the other blood results of pre-eclampsia so it stumped the doctors.

BP has taken a while to settle down, and my heart rate was very high a few weeks later which had me back in hospital. I have had loads of tests - anaemia, thyroid etc but all now coming back normal.

Except I'm really not feeling normal at all. To cut a long story short I feel as if I have severe flu, very weak, muscles aching and bad headache. I'm too unwell to look after my baby for long and DH has had to take leave from work to do this.

Neurologist told me after the birth that I had been through a lot of physical trauma and that he thought I was experiencing a strange kind of overreaction to pregnancy hormones and I would gradually get better (perhaps 3 months). I'm due to return to see him in a few weeks but in the meantime I'm getting really fed up, I feel like my life has stopped and all I want to do is look after my baby properly - even for a day or two!

I've scared myself that I'm not going to recover and that I have some kind of ME type illness, as I've never heard of anything like this happening to anyone else. Does anyone have any similar experiences or ideas?

Sorry it should read - like a fit but NOT unconscious)

Sorry to bump, anyone?

Just feel like this is a bit of a nightmare that has no ending at the minute.

It was like this for my first. I had a really bad 2nd degree tear. I knew it was bad when my very experienced midwife said 'I've seen worse ...' indicating 'but not many'. It did take me three months to recover, with infections that would not go away, antibiotics that I found I was allergic to and my DS1 who woke every 3 hours for the first 3-4 months. I had to put an ice-pack on my bits too which was . I was utterly exhausted and very run down.

However, over 3 months I did improve. I made a point of getting out every day if only for a walk because it made me feel better physically and emotionally.

I hope you start improving soon. Get some help (Mum, MIL) if you can as it is invaluable.

If it's any consolation, when I had DD1, 2 years later, it was a painful but so easy compared to DS1. I had two paracetemol the next day and needed nothing else.

thanks for replying and glad your second birth was a lot easier

I think what is so frustrating is the infections etc are now clear yet I still feel horrendous. I really am getting cabin fever now but going for even a short walk seems to be beyond me unfortunately.

Took me four months after having my first to even start to feel normal again. Second one was so much easier too. I felt bad as i couldn't pick him up and carry him upstairs etc. - i could barely get up myself. Then i started to feel a bit better (had lightbox treatment on my scars etc.). There are only two years between my two boys so you see i very soon felt better .

Don't be too hard on yourself, don't judge yourself alongside the 'just popped 'em out' types. Consider it the same as major abdominal surgery. Take the time to get better and go back to your GP with any worries. PND is not inevitable after a bad birth but you are bound to feel low and tired.

Did you produce any milk? Have your periods restarted? Has your appetite disappeared?

Thanks port, glad it was better for you second time too. I don't think I have PND yet - I've been pretty positive up til the last week or so when it's started to get to me a bit because this has gone on so long.

Butterbur - think my milk came in two days after delivery, my breasts were very engorged and sore. Only managed to bf a little that night, then collapsed next day and never noticed any leaking/engorgement or anything after that.

Periods restarted last week after a 2 week break from bleeding after birth. Appetite a bit less than normal but not dramatically.

Sorry am typing rubbish, it should say "I collapsed" the next day, it reads like it was my breasts!!

sorry to hear how unwell you are feeling. I had a horrendouse third degree tear with my first dd and remember clearly how crap I felt for the first few months. I never thought I would get better, ever. I vividly recall going for a 10 minute walk and feeling so ill I had to get dh to come and pick me up in the car. It was agony. Could hardly look after dd and cried everyday from the pain.

However, I got over it all to go on and have a second baby (and like other posters found my second birth much much easier to recover from). Things I wish someone had told me:

You will recover, it may take a while, but you will.

Don't worry how long it takes. I used to wake up and think 'well it's been 8 weeks and 2 days and I still feel awful'.

Just because it seems that other women who've given birth have recovered and are back to normal it may not necessarily be the case. None of my friends knew how badly I suffered after giving birth. I acted as if everything was OK which isn't the best idea.

Hope you feel better soon!

I would go back to your GP and ask them to do some tests. Full blood count (to check for anaemia), thyroid function (your thyroid can become underactive postnatally) and pituitary function tests. It is important to rule out the medical causes for such profound tiredness and there is an outside chance that you might have suffered with something called Sheehan's syndrome - when the pituitary gland shuts down after excessive blood loss at/after delivery.

Sorry to hear about how bad it was for you xboxwife, glad it was also better for you after your second!

Drlucy - GP is useless but am seeing endocrinologist regularly. Have had fbc and thyroid function checked and are fine, not sure about pituitary function. Consultant thought I was improving so was leaving off more tests for the time being but am back again shortly and will say how bad I feel. I've been anaemic in the past and I feel even more tired than then - this is on a par with just after I delivered and needed the transfusion, I can barely get dressed I'm so tired.