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Pregnant Having Pots


ladyt

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Hi.

So any one here having diagnose of pots before getting pregnant?

Ust woundering how the pregnansy whent for u all, and how the pots symtoms behaved, during and after it all.

And for u whit sever pots how do u deal whit being a parent?

Would love any input u can give me :)

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I was pregnant with POTS. It wasn't good. Tachycardia and dizziness were worse. The baby did just fine and technically I did "fine" too, just felt really BAD! I was induced a bit early because I didn't think I could make it through one more day. I was also caring for my 4 year old at the time mostly by myself. It was a lonnnng 9 months, but the baby was beautiful, healthy, perfect! After having her my symptoms went back to what they were pre-pregnancy. It was worth it. :D You can't go by other people though. Some women are so much better when pregnant. As far as parenting with this - it's not easy! But I couldn't imagine my life without them.

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My experience very similar to Naomi's. Got worse with pregnancy and also post partum (for me). Post partum was the worst--probably due to blood loss/traumatic delivery. I was also undiagnosed with POTS until 3 months after my daughter was born. It was of course all worth it, however I believe my experience would have been better if I had had a diagnosis besides depression and anxiety, during the pregnancy. There are meds that can be used during pregnancy if needed. I would talk to a high risk ob/gyn about my specific situation prior to pregnancy.

Some women feel much better during pregnancy, as Naomi says...

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I started having major symptoms halfway through my second pregnancy, and my symptoms remained the same throughout my third as well. For this last pregnancy, I actually went weekly for IV infusions for the last trimester, and it seemed to help for a day or two immediately afterwards. Although the symptoms themselves did not worsen, it is a challenging illness to deal with while your body changes due to the pregnancy, as well as taking care of any other children you have. I had to have help caring for my 3 and 1 year olds while I was pregnant this last time, and now need someone with me and the kids all the time. So I guess one thing to consider is how well you can manage an infant with your symptoms!! But I consider each of my kids to be an enormous blessing, and I am so thankful for each one of them. Yes, it is challenging being a parent with POTS, but I think it's challenging for anyone, regardless of disability :)

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I had no change.in symptoms in my first trimester, except for tiredness. Did great my second and absolutely terrible.my third trimester.

Birth went suprisingly wel. I had to be induced because my bp was so bad. After birth was amazing for me. I felt so much better and my bp was actually high.

After about six months I completely crashed and relapsed. I really havent been the same.since. You will definently need a lot of help especially in the beginning, but its do able. No matter how exhausted I am, I always find some energy to do it :)

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I had my baby in 1994, and was diagnosed in 2005 but I think I have had POTS long before I was diagnosed. My symptoms during pregnancy were tachycardia, dizziness/vomiting, feeling like I was going to pass out at times. I remember them saying they had to give me an injection to help me stop bleeding. I felt even worse after having the baby. I was very dizzi/vomiting, and couldn't breath, and was nauseated several months after having my baby. But, it was all worht it.

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Tanx for the replyes, and keep them coming :D

I am whit lotusflower, if u could say if u had pots before pregnancy or not. Cos many getts their first real pots during pregnancy as i understand.

If u also could say somthing about the brith it self, if u deliverd "normaly" , c-section, if they used vakume or well i dont know the word. What type of pain meds u had etc etc.

I dont mind pain, but my system often reacts very bad to it, whit very unbalanced bloodpressure and hart rate etc etc.

And where u considerd high risk pregnancys and got spesial atension during the pregancy and birth.?

From what i read it seems like many that have bad pots symtoms before pregancy, often do better the 2 term, and then it depens in the 3 part. And then often better for about 6 mnths after, some keep felling a lilte better for longer than that.

But i would love to hear your stories, and also how old u where when pregant.

And what would be the risk factors for the lilte one growing inside?

Where i live even my cardio know very lilte, so my info has to come via the internett B)

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I had my first bout of POTS/MCAD in my teens and it has gradually gotten worse over time (with long periods of ups and downs). At 29 I wasn't finished with my education yet but knew my body was struggling so I decided I'd better have kids before I got too sick (I didn't know what it was back then, just that I was going downhill). My first pregnancy was during a time that I wasn't having a really serious symptoms flare, went well until my daughter turned breech and became distressed at 37 weeks and was born by emergency C section. I did ok afterwards but again slowly felt like I was getting sicker. My second pregnancy at 33 was much harder - I had real trouble with POTS/OH. I didn't know what it was, just that I felt terrible and always had tachycardia. I had some bleeding and was put on bed rest and I think that made it even worse. My son was also born by C section - healthy but required bili-lights for jaundice. They are both healthy and wonderful now, worth every second of it. But I have never really been able to come back from the second pregnancy.

Both times since I was undiagnosed I did not have high risk prenatal care and was with midwives, who are licensed medical practioners where I live.

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I just had the epidural. I wouldnt do the other meds, they tend to lower bp and not really help the pain, but make you feel stoned :[

The epidural did lower my bp even though I was given TONS of IV fluids. My hr was higher than the babies (I think it was around 170 laying down) I was in labor for 27 hours (inductions are not fun). Only pushed for 10 mins though. I didnt take any pain meds after, just tylenol. I felt really good after, but slowly started getting worse everyday. It was around the 6 month mark that I could no longer drive or do anything. Horrible fatigue, ect.

It is all worth it, but I am debating on whether or not to have another one later on. It takes a lot out of your body, and I think one might be good enough for me LOL

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Like Sarah, I can see know that I've had symptoms for probably about 10 years, but I first realized something was really wrong during my second pregnancy. I've just realized that I probably noticed the symtpoms because I got pregnant with my first son right when my daughter was starting to walk and was out of her bucket carseat. Up until then, I could always just sit/lie down as needed, and she was safe and contained.

All three of my pregnancies were completely uncomplicated, and had midwifery care for the last two. I was 26, 27 and 29 when my kids were born, and we're not going to be able to have any more because I can't take care of any of the kids on my own right now without a babysitter for me ;). My labours were 15, 3.5 and 4.5 hours and I pushed fifteen minutes or less with each. had an epidural with the first and the last two were natural. With my first I also had fentanyl (similar to demerol) before the epidural, and I would never do that again. I think because of my sensitivity to medications, I felt completely whacked out for upwards of 10 hours, part of which was after my daughter was born....it was almost like a strange out of body experience :)

I found that the pain during labour was less of an issue than the exhaustion from being up for so long without sleep. When I had the epidural the first time around, I napped for a couple of hours after it kicked in...the reason I agreed to have it was that I was concerned I wouldn't have the energy to push and end up with an emergency c-section, and I'm glad I did it :). We talked about it before the last two were born and DH and I agreed that if the baby was breech or very large, we would definitely plan a c-section rather than risk an emergency one. I personally think it would have been too physically demanding to go through labour and then also have to recover from surgery!

If you have any other questions, pleae don't hesitate to ask! :)

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tanx for the replyes :)

The docs have told me that they would like me to deliver normaly. They are experiensed whit people whit high bloodpressure, ,but i am not sure they are experiansed whit the high hart rate B) They would whant me to not push , but use some sort of vakume. And they would give me an epidural. And also it seems like they would have the plan readdy for a c section. My dream would ofcorse to be to deliver at home in a bath tub. My dream is also to be totaly heathy ;)

i know that opium type pain meds lower my bloodpressure in a reallyu bad way. So i hope they belive me when i tell them so..

I really , well cant spell the word. I am greatfull for u shearing your stories whit me. I think this is somthing the potsies whit out children think about.

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I think my dysautonomia developed because of my pregnancy or post pregnancy complications. I had a daughter when I was 21 and it was a perfect experience. At 26 it was a little less perfect. I had a complicated delivery that lasted a long time and put stress on my body/heart. I lost a substantial amount of blood and required several transfusions while in the hospital. I came home and on two seperate occasions hemorraghed really badly. It wasn't until the second ER visist that it was discovered I had retained placenta. I had surgery in April and in October, it was like someone flipped a switch and I became very ill one day and have not been the same since. I know the pregnancy or stress on my body is to blame. But like everyone says, those babies are worth it!!! I wouldn't redo it for anything.

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hi misstraci

i am sorry your last pregnancy was so stressfull that it is to blame for the pots. But i think i have read that people getting pots from pregnancy or other sudden ocasion has a better chance of recovery. How long have u had pots for now? I cross my fingers for u getting better. :)

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casper:

Thank you and I'll cross mine for you as well!!

I hope you're right about pregnancy induced or sudden onset leading to a better chance of recovery. For some reason, I've always thought it was the opposite, that I have less of a chance of getting well. I hope you are the correct one :)

I found out I had POTS about 6-8 weeks ago (officially diagnosed) but it started in October of 2010.

How long have you had it?

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Thanks Casper for asking this question - it is a really interesting topic.

Yuliya, Dani, Naomi, Frugalmama - can I just clarify one thing - did you have POTS before you got pregnant? Or did pregnancy cause your POTS/dysautonomia?

I have had pots all my life it seems, and I don't really think it effect my pregnancy since each pregnancy was different. sorry I left that out.

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Hi.

I had symtoms all my life, it got gradually worse. A few fainings in my teens, and in the early 20 i started fainting alot. The docs dont really bother whit my other systoms, they are ust fixeted on the fainting. I got my diagnose back in 1998, in usa actually. I have been bedridden og sofa ridden for long peroids. I use wheelchairs when out and about, and also at home. But i do walk short distanses at the house. like in the bathroom, cos the chair dont go there (but i do have a chair to sit on, and one in the shower too).

last year becouse of allergy pills i have gotten a lilte better life qualaty. The whinter is very hard on me, so this winther i was moslty in bed. I hope that will change now that we are getting a better heating system in the house. I know a lot of potsys strugle mostly whit the heat. I have alsways strugled more whit the cold. Even though I dont really sweat. That i live in a part of the world where the summers dont reallly gett that hot i guess makes a difrens B)

i am 35 so my childbearing years are fewer. When i got my diagnose, the cardio i whent too (and still go to) said it probl wasnt a good thing for me to gett pregnant.

When i gott older and didnt recover i asked again. I whent to the hospital to ask them, ofocurse they couldnt give me any answaers at all. The only thing they where focused on was how i was supposed to care for a child.

I have been thinking about that a lot also. I have bigg limitasion, and would not be abel to do many many things. And how to deal whit my health issus and caring for a child, well its going to be a bigg challenge. But I have a healty partner. It will ofcourse but a lot on him. And how he will deal whit all this only time will tell. Some years ago i stoped taking any birth controll pills. ust see what would happen. When over 30 u ust has to make a choise.

And i also meet and heard about people whit very sever diabilitys that has children. People that need help whit everything (paralysed from the neck down etc ).

I am not working, and hope to gett disabillity this whinter, well what i really whant is getting all better, i have been on temporeary welfare for many years now. I feel very bad about it. but also know that i have tryed really hard to gett better, whit very lilte help from the health system.

I hope u all gett a nice weekend. Here its raining and a lilte cold, so no summer B) But then lovlely weather to stay indoors in... :)

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