36 weeks pregnant, retinal haemorrhage, worried about labour

[Pregnancyeyeworries]

I’m posting on the off chance that there is anyone on here who has been in the same boat and has any advice at all!

I am 36 weeks pregnant and last week developed a very large pre-retinal haemorrhage on my right eye. I have been advised to bed-rest when possible (I have a toddler, it’s not possible 😂) but not to strain in any way as I could make it worse and my retina could detach

Midwife has referred to a consultant but that could take at least 2 weeks and I could go into labour before that happens. I’m wondering if I should expect a c-section (I don’t mind if this is the case) or if they’ll expect me to labour ‘naturally’ and what risk this might pose to my eye

I’m not getting much of an answer from anyone, my midwife was really unhelpfuland didn’t seem to understand or know anything about it, she made me feel like I was just being a bit anxious over nothing, my next appointment for my eye to see if it needs treatment is 3 weeks away and I’ve no idea if I’ll even get to see a consultant about labour before I actually go into labour

Just wondering if anyone had had similar and whether they were advised to have a c-section? Right now, I think I’d rather have a c-section because I’m quite worried about the impact on my eye during labour.

Tia 😊

Hi OP - don't have exactly the same experience but I had an eye test a couple of years ago and had quite a few "floaters" - the optician said a sudden increase in these "floaters" could pose a risk of retina detachment. She sent me straight to moorfields A&E there and then. Potential retina detachment is a big deal I think - have you seen a GP or optometrist? Not sure it's quite the midwife's area of expertise!

Hi, thanks for your reply. Sorry I should have said, I saw an eye doctor (optometrist?) at the specialist eye hospital a week ago who did some tests and a scan on my eye and he confirmed the pre retinal haemorrhage. Unfortunately I was so relieved that it wasn’t anything more serious I didn’t think to ask about the implications for labour, so I’ve been left feeling very unsure and confused. I’ll be seeing him again in 3 weeks but I’m worried it will be too late by then and I will have already gone into labour.

The midwife said if I do go into labour before I hear from the pregnancy consultant, just to let the midwives know at the hospital and they’ll get a doctor straight away (not totally confident that there will be a doctor just waiting to be called straight away, and I laboured very quickly with my little boy so I didn’t feel too happy about that).

Bumping just in case there is anyone else who has been in the same situation

Ask your ophthalmologist to speak to the obstetricians wherever you are. They will need to speak to them anyway to discuss the risks of labour/pushing (and the pros/cons of post partum blood thinners etc if you do need a section) and will probably be able to expedite you seeing/speaking to them. If that doesn't work then speak to your GP - they shouldn't really need to be doing the referring because the midwife/ophthalmologist should be able to get it sorted, but they may be able to give the system a nudge. There are always doctors available on labour ward, but it's better to have a plan in advance rather than winging it on the day.

I think that you should ask to talk to the eye specialist you saw and bring up the issue of labour. Just ring up - it is a legitimate question and your midwife will not have the answer, nor will any on call doctor who might be called when you go into labour. It is a specialist area.

I had a retinal tear - not associated with labour - but the care from the eye hospital was excellent. I really would give them a ring.

Thanks so much for giving me the push to call! I’ve called them and someone is going to call me back 😊

@pregnancyeyeworries I am glad you gave them a call, how did it go? I had retinal detachment surgery two years ago and am 19 weeks pregnant. My retinal specialist said it was safe for me to have a natural delivery but everyone's situation is different. When you do see the specialist in three weeks, remember to ask of there is an ongoing increased risk of detachment and if there are any activities you should avoid. I need to avoid any activity with a risk of a fall or impact (skiing, horseriding, go-karts) and anything with gforces (rollercoasters). Detachment is no joke, I have a permanent blind spot now and developed a cataract from my surgery. Ill need cataract surgery after the baby comes but until then I'm not really sure how good or bad my vision will be in that eye. I wish you the best!

That’s really helpful, thank you so much for replying @Eslpetheelf . The eye consultant called me back and said that there is a potential risk to me having a natural labour but she won’t know until she sees me, so she has brought my appointment forward to to this Wednesday which is great and such a relief, I’m so glad I phoned! I’ll update after I’ve seen her on Wednesday. Good luck and enjoy the rest of your pregnancy

Well done!

Best of luck at your appointment!

Hi OP, do you mind me asking what happened with this one? I have a similar issue and trying to get a sense of whether I'll end up needing a scheduled C-section - Google isn't giving me much to go on!

Hi @queenatom I’m the OP, just a different name. I had a check up at around 37 weeks and they said it was starting to heal well and wasn’t on my retina as much as they thought so they were happy for me to have a natural labour, which I did and there were no problems 😊 still got a bit of a tiny patch on my eye now but it’s healing really well and should fully disappear by itself. Hope you’re ok, it was a stressful time!