Pregnancy & birth after SAH

[EmmaF]

Hi everyone,

I wonder if anyone on here has had a similar experience or can help.

In December 2011, I had a SAH which was coiled on 1st Jan 2012. I've been extremely fortunate and have made a complete recovery from the SAH.

In December 2012, I found out I was expecting our first baby (what a difference a year makes!). Due to my medical history the hospital looking after me for my pregnancy considers me to be high risk so I've been under the care of a Obstetric consultant. I had a follow-up consultation with him yesterday when he told me that, given the SAH, they wanted me to deliver our baby by c-section rather than naturally.

I'm reluctant to put my baby and my body through such a big operation unless there is a sound medical reason to do so. As so as I found out I was pregnant I contacted my Neuro-consultant's team who told me that I could treat pregnancy and birth normally (and that it was safe to have a natural birth) as if the SAH hadn't happened because the aneurysm had been successfully treated and I have no further untreated aneurysms.

When it comes to my brain, I trust the Neuro specialists rather than the Ob specialists. However, the Ob team want to manage their risk so, on the basis they don't understand the brain stuff, they want to take the option they consider to be 'safe'. The problem seems to be that the two hospitals aren't communicating with one another.

I just wondered whether anyone else has had any similar experiences.

Emma x

[Daffodil]

Congratulations on your wonderful news. How exciting and yes what a difference a year makes.

Linlin, another member had a baby quite recently. I'm sure she will respond to this with some sound advice.

[Gill C]

I know both Jess & Lin had babies post sah & I'm sure they will be along soon.

I know you say you are completely recovered but there are some things you need to consider when giving birth which you may not have thought of. I think the risk of causing yourself any further harm from the anni is covered by what the neuros have told you. However if you suffer from any fatigue post sah then you need to consider how a long period of contractions might affect you. For me it would be the tiredness which would concern me the most if I were to have a baby post sah (I'm too old to consider it now)

My birth although pre sah was long & tiring, after 12 hours I could no longer control my breathing & pain so I ended up with an epidural which then led to needing a foreceps delivery as I couldn't feel to push (sorry any guys reading this! I think you need to consider what form of pain relief (if any) you would want & how you will cope with a long labour if that were the case for you.

I would def listen to the gynae & try to come to some form of compromise which will allow you to manage your tiredness whilst having the birth you would like. Also discuss your concerns with your midwife & see what options they can offer you.

I don't know if its commonly offered but there is such a thing as a natural c-section where you are given the syntocin once the c-section is done so the womb contracts & the baby is born with the contractions but with the benefits of a managed delivery.

[Gill C]

http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2013/01/whats-a-natural-cesarean-and-how-natural-is-it-really

[EmmaF]

Congratulations on your wonderful news. How exciting and yes what a difference a year makes.

Linlin, another member had a baby quite recently. I'm sure she will respond to this with some sound advice.

Thanks very much Daffodil

[EmmaF]

I know both Jess & Lin had babies post sah & I'm sure they will be along soon.

I know you say you are completely recovered but there are some things you need to consider when giving birth which you may not have thought of. I think the risk of causing yourself any further harm from the anni is covered by what the neuros have told you. However if you suffer from any fatigue post sah then you need to consider how a long period of contractions might affect you. For me it would be the tiredness which would concern me the most if I were to have a baby post sah (I'm too old to consider it now)

My birth although pre sah was long & tiring, after 12 hours I could no longer control my breathing & pain so I ended up with an epidural which then led to needing a foreceps delivery as I couldn't feel to push (sorry any guys reading this! I think you need to consider what form of pain relief (if any) you would want & how you will cope with a long labour if that were the case for you.

I would def listen to the gynae & try to come to some form of compromise which will allow you to manage your tiredness whilst having the birth you would like. Also discuss your concerns with your midwife & see what options they can offer you.

I don't know if its commonly offered but there is such a thing as a natural c-section where you are given the syntocin once the c-section is done so the womb contracts & the baby is born with the contractions but with the benefits of a managed delivery.

Thanks very much for this Bagpuss. To be honest, I'd not really considered fatigue being any worse for me going through a natural childbirth post-SAH. I'm doing Hypnobirthing classes at the moment which is a method which is supposed to reduce the exertion (and pain) of natural childbirth so hopefully that may make it more easy to cope with labour if it is prolonged. I guess it's one of those things that you don't know how you'll fare until you've tried it. I appreciate your honesty in relation to your birth experience though and will definitely bear in mind that things don't always go to plan where babies are concerned!

Thanks for the link re: natural c-section - I'd never heard of this - will do some research!

Emma x

[Gill C]

Emma my plan was for natural waterbirth with only gas & air or pethedine at home!! I almost had a c-section in the end & was only 12 mins away from it!!

I think its safe to say my birth experience was about as far removed from what I planned as it could be!!

[Winb143]

Emma,

I wish you well xx

When my Sarah was born(many moons ago)Before I had her I asked my Mum "will it hurt Mum?" she replied "Yes but you will have something to show for the pain". My Lovely Sa xx Who cared for me after my SAH xx

Many Congrats and tell both sets of Docs Neuro and Gyno to get together for you and baby.

Good Luck

WinB143 xx

Edited May 24, 2013 by Winb143

[jess]

Hi firstly let me congratulate you on your pregnancy.

I was told to get rid of my first one when I refused they said I would need a c-section I again refused and was in labour for 40 something hours but we were both fine.

If your Neuro is fine with natural and you want it then go for it.

Goodluck with it all and my first was.born 13 months after.sah and 10 months after clip on second aneurysm. Jess.xxx

[Lin-lin]

Woop woop, congrats!

I had a sah in 2009 and a baby boy in 2012. He is 9 months old now.

My obs considered me high risk too and so wrote to my neuro-surgeon, who said the coil would withstand childbirth and so it was arranged that I should have a natural birth.

The coil did cope very well but there were other considerations for me.

Firstly, my age is 37. Jess is a spring chicken and was 21, I think, when she had her first. This age difference alone is significant.

My recovery from the sah is not fantastic. I have fatigue, which was made worse in pregnancy. I fatigued massively in labour and became ineffective. Also, post sah my response to pain is more sensitive. I also have memory issues and speaking to many medical staff confused me. My labour was for 22 hours and ended with forceps.

My medical team admitted afterwards that I should have had a c-section and I agree. It would have been a calmer experience and I would not have been so physically tired and weak.

This however is only my experience. Jess shows how things can be different.

That said, I've a lovely little boy and is very healthy. I'm sure we'll chat soon.

Xxxx

[MaryB]

Thank you Lin for that reply I think I wrote a long one the other day and thought I sounded like an negative old woman! I had 2 babies that were large ( a million years ago b4 my SAH) and I just thought I would pop them out in 20 minutes like my mom did. Long labor, natural birth with complications to me. SO I was saying you never know what it is going to be.

I have some younger friends with C sections and they really wanted natural births but when you have no idea how long your labor will be and my blood pressure was so high. I was saying to you just do the C SECTION!! Just do a c section!!!!! AND I do not say it lightly. But recovery from that is kinder than a long labor and your blood pressure being high etc...

Just saying.......since you asked. Congrats & Good Luck Maryb

There is another thread on pregancy here I think.

PSS. Joke to me was that by the time I was in the middle of labor I decided I did not want kids anymore:lol:. I ended up 4 days in hospital after as well. That was unheard of back then.

Where do you live?

Edited May 26, 2013 by MaryB

[EmmaF]

Emma,

I wish you well xx

When my Sarah was born(many moons ago)Before I had her I asked my Mum "will it hurt Mum?" she replied "Yes but you will have something to show for the pain". My Lovely Sa xx Who cared for me after my SAH xx

Many Congrats and tell both sets of Docs Neuro and Gyno to get together for you and baby.

Good Luck

WinB143 xx

Many thanks WinB143!

Emma x

[EmmaF]

Hi firstly let me congratulate you on your pregnancy.

I was told to get rid of my first one when I refused they said I would need a c-section I again refused and was in labour for 40 something hours but we were both fine.

If your Neuro is fine with natural and you want it then go for it.

Goodluck with it all and my first was.born 13 months after.sah and 10 months after clip on second aneurysm. Jess.xxx

Many thanks for your reply Jess. It's really reassuring to hear stories from you and Lin-Lin about how it all worked out for you both. I'll definitely follow the neuro's advice rather than that of the ob consultant as they really seem focussed on the low risk option for them rather than the right option for me and baby.

Best wishes to you and your little family.

Emma x

[EmmaF]

Woop woop, congrats!

I had a sah in 2009 and a baby boy in 2012. He is 9 months old now.

My obs considered me high risk too and so wrote to my neuro-surgeon, who said the coil would withstand childbirth and so it was arranged that I should have a natural birth.

The coil did cope very well but there were other considerations for me.

Firstly, my age is 37. Jess is a spring chicken and was 21, I think, when she had her first. This age difference alone is significant.

My recovery from the sah is not fantastic. I have fatigue, which was made worse in pregnancy. I fatigued massively in labour and became ineffective. Also, post sah my response to pain is more sensitive. I also have memory issues and speaking to many medical staff confused me. My labour was for 22 hours and ended with forceps.

My medical team admitted afterwards that I should have had a c-section and I agree. It would have been a calmer experience and I would not have been so physically tired and weak.

This however is only my experience. Jess shows how things can be different.

That said, I've a lovely little boy and is very healthy. I'm sure we'll chat soon.

Xxxx

Hi Lin-Lin

Many thanks for your reply and for your openness about your experience. I'll be 34 when I give birth so I think I also need to factor my age into considerations. Mum was my age when she had me and was made to feel like an old lady in the maternity ward whereas today age doesn't really seem to factor into their thinking.

Luckily to date I've not suffered any additional fatigue as a result of pregnancy but, that said, I'm only 28 weeks at the moment and I understand from friends that it really only kicked in for them in the last month or so - I'll keep an eye on it over the next few months.

Its really reassuring to hear from you and Jess about your natural deliveries as proof it can be done now you both have happy, healthy little ones at the end of it.

I think I need to plan for my ideal outcome but accept that as things progress, I may need to change my plan if I find I'm not physically up to it.

Thanks once again for your support.

All the best to you and your little boy.

Emma x

[EmmaF]

Thank you Lin for that reply I think I wrote a long one the other day and thought I sounded like an negative old woman! I had 2 babies that were large ( a million years ago b4 my SAH) and I just thought I would pop them out in 20 minutes like my mom did. Long labor, natural birth with complications to me. SO I was saying you never know what it is going to be.

I have some younger friends with C sections and they really wanted natural births but when you have no idea how long your labor will be and my blood pressure was so high. I was saying to you just do the C SECTION!! Just do a c section!!!!! AND I do not say it lightly. But recovery from that is kinder than a long labor and your blood pressure being high etc...

Just saying.......since you asked. Congrats & Good Luck Maryb

There is another thread on pregancy here I think.

PSS. Joke to me was that by the time I was in the middle of labor I decided I did not want kids anymore:lol:. I ended up 4 days in hospital after as well. That was unheard of back then.

Where do you live?

Thanks MaryB - your last comment made me smile. My midwife was telling me only the other day about the number of ladies who decide they've had enough and are going home just as baby starts crowning!

I live in the UK, near London.

You're absolutely right of course that although I'm focused on how it will be post-SAH because that's the situation I'm in, nobody knows for sure how their birth will go so think I need to come up with my preferred plan but be prepared to change it if my body tells me it needs to.

I'm fortunate in that I've always had normal BP - if anything pregnancy seems to have made it dip a little low - so at least that's one things I don't need to worry about for the time being - the relaxation cd's must be working!

Thanks again,

Emma x

[Rosalind101]

Hello, I had a SAH in 2012 which was coiled and then I also had a flow diverter stent put in in 2014 to eliminate a residual part of the aneurysm. I am now expecting my first baby in September 2015. I am 36. My neuro radiologists - who are brilliant - have said I'm fine to labour naturally, because the aneurysm has been eliminated. But like EmmaF, my obstetricians are more cautious and have advised an assisted delivery with ventouse or c section.

I am interested to know how EmmaF - and anyone else - got on with their plans for a natural delivery. I'm also interested to know if anyone else out there is pregnant and has had a flow diverter stent after an SAH. As I understand it, since this is a new treatment, there doesn't seem to be many people out there who have gone through labour with one of these flow diverters in their head! Thanking you in advance.

Rosalind101

Thanks MaryB - your last comment made me smile. My midwife was telling me only the other day about the number of ladies who decide they've had enough and are going home just as baby starts crowning!

I live in the UK, near London.

You're absolutely right of course that although I'm focused on how it will be post-SAH because that's the situation I'm in, nobody knows for sure how their birth will go so think I need to come up with my preferred plan but be prepared to change it if my body tells me it needs to.

I'm fortunate in that I've always had normal BP - if anything pregnancy seems to have made it dip a little low - so at least that's one things I don't need to worry about for the time being - the relaxation cd's must be working!

Thanks again,

Emma x

[Super Mario]

Welcome to BTG Rosalind.

 

I suggest you start a new thread for your query as this one is from 2013 and the poster does not post on here anymore.