Transition During Childbirth!

[Friedbrain]

I apologize for all my "little episode" questions, but I am new to investigating dysautonomia and am fascinated to find people who have experienced things I've been experiencing for (over, apparently) 8 ys.

Something someone mentioned in another thread brought me back to my experience during childbirth of my first son, which was over 14 ys ago. It was induced, but during the transition, my entire body started to shake uncontrollably and SO intensely. My dh got into bed and tried holding onto me as tightly as he could because I couldn't stop shaking. Well, I just looked it up, and sure enough, adrenaline is involved in the transition stage, which PERFECTLY matches with the concept that I am hypersensitive to adrenaline, which causes the shakes, or even these shaking-type seizures (if that's what they are)! Wow, I'm amazed that no-one questioned it back then. I mean, I guess I was told that the "shakes" sometimes happens during transition. But d*mn, if someone coulda pointed out back then that I was being supersensitive to the adrenaline, I might've been better prepared in the subsequent years in dealing with it. It's only NOW that I'm starting to piece it all together, and I'm now taking over 10 pills a day in order to survive. It'd be nice if it could've been caught earlier. Not that I'm bitter or anything........

Anyone else have this experience?

[lieze]

Yeah and I remember my teeth chattering too.

I just started wondering about the affects of childbirth on the vagus nerve.

I've had four kids and just things I experienced during & after are sticking in my mind now too like urinary incontenance after the first. I didn't even know I had to pee it just came out. I was in tears thinking I was going to be incontinent for the rest of my life.

I guess I had that problem temporarily after almost all my babies and then with the last I also had some fecal incontinence. That was scary too.

My fourth delivery my body wasn't really acting right at all.

The labor was strange it wasn't painful and the uterus wasn't really having big contractions but for whatever reason my cervix was dilating.

After my epidural I got very short of breath and I think my bp went up.

I was very uncomfortable up until the baby was delivered.

[lieze]

Okay I am remembering now during my very first labor and delivery I had an episode that felt like my blood sugar dropping. I felt weak and fading and I called the nurse to have her check my blood sugar and it was fine. There was nothing wrong with it. That sensation that I had is very similar to how I have felt with POTS episodes.

[Rachel]

I did shake during transition in labor, but I don't have hyperadrenergic POTS and am not sensitive to adrenalin. Shaking during transition is normal, and isn't a cause for concern. Transition in labor is a very intense time, and it can cause all sorts of things like nausea, vomiting, shakes, tremors, sweating, feeling hot or cold, and more. Every woman is going to be a little bit different in how she feels and responds to the transition phase. Unless someone's symptoms were dangerously severe I don't think an OB would have reason to suspect an underlying health issue or autonomic dysfunction.

Rachel

[Chaos]

Hi. I also had the shakes with transition and actually for quite a few hours after delivery with all 4 of my kids. Like Rachael said though, it's pretty common and considered a "normal" part of labor/post-delivery.

However, I had similar shakes after all 3 of my TTT, after a 3 hour glucose tolerance test and periodically for who-know's what reasons.

Does make you wonder how it all ties together.

[comfortzone]

Two hours into a dental procedure - sitting in his chair while he "a new guy" tried to do his best ~ under the semi-watchful eye of the regular dentest.... I began to shake.... and it got worse and worse and worse ... two hours with your mouth wide open is really tiring and trying - but totally bearable... Evidently though my body thought other wise. I almost shook out of the dental chair... They were forcing me to drink juice and it did nothing ... so they called an ambulance and had to go to an ER -- and was admitted for observation over night. Nothing conclusive ... but I just guessed it was all the lidocaine shots I got - sometimes I need a few extra.... Or like some kind of freaky panic or anxiety attack - though I felt little to no anxiousness ... in fact I was bored to tears while the new guy was taking so flipping long.

It was embarrasing to say the least and kinda freaky.... I do have a connective tissue disorder -- who knows how that factored into it.

Hope you do well and have a great holiday season...