UC Maternal Mortality Rates

[klemomma]

I know it's like almost impossible to get stats on UC, but does anyone have any info on maternal outcomes of UC?

I read a story about a HB where the mom nearly died, and now I need to work that out of my head.

I have UC'd and want to UC again, but I read that you can bleed to death in 8 minutes. I've never had a PPH, I am always prepared to eat my placenta and transfer / call 911 as need be, but the fact that you can bleed to death so quickly is freaking me out in my head.

I know it is a risk of UC (well, birth in general). If a mama were to experience a bleed so traumatic, how much better would her chances be in the hospital?

Any information / insight is appreciated.

[basje]

I think your questions are important ones. I had a major pph and lost half my blood volume in about six minutes. I had a wonderful UC at home delivering my full term baby (8.9 oz) and went to the hospital after for someone to repair some minor tearing. I hemorrhaged as I was about to be discharged and was rushed into emergency surgery wherein I was given a 19 liter blood transfusion and put on a ventilator for three days in hopes my body would recover from the trauma.

Here is what I learned. Had I not been 25 and otherwise healthy the doctors would not have given me a transfusion (according to the head surgeon). In most hospitals I would not have survived, any other hospital in 100 miles wouldn't been able to do much. I was was at the best high risk delivery hospital in northern California I had 7 high risk obgyn's working on me over the course of 5 hours. I had three anesthesiologist and another 2 were consulted over the phone who were off duty. I took all of the A+ blood they had at the blood bank that night. I spent three days on a ventilator as my body processed the shock from the donated blood.

In most cases if you hemorrhage as I did, it is more likely that you will not survive it. Yes, if you do so in a highly advanced hospital, with enough blood of your type, a skilled surgical team who has the resources to dedicate a large team to you exclusively, no prior health complications and are young you've got a better chance. But it's still a long shot.

Here's the thing, having a massive pph of this kind is exceedingly rare. In my case it had no apparent cause or way to prevent it. Some things are simply an act of God or karma depending on your personal views.

My doctors say that in any future pregnancies that I would not be considered high risk because what happened to me was so rare that there would be little chance for it to happen a second time. If I am to have another pregnancy I will again choose to UC. Some people might be shocked by this, but still even after the complications I had, I am more comfortable with the risks to myself and baby of giving birth at home than in a hospital. I think that the choice to UC is dependent upon which risks you would rather take, because there are risks in all of the choices. For me the chances of unnecessary surgery that would kill me or my child in a hospital birth seem more likely than an unassisted homebirth. What is right and most comfortable for you though is dependent upon your own soul. I am sure that you will make a responsible choice for each future pregnancy.

[klemomma]

Thanks so much for sharing your story! How scary for you :-(

I think that you kind of hit right where my mind is. If you have a pph so bad that you could die that quickly, there's a good chance you won't even survive in a hospital. If you have a less serious pph, you *probably* have time to call 911 and transport.

Of course, then if a mama died pph in a UC, everyone would likely blame the UC, whether or not the mama had any decent chance of surviving in the hospital.

I don't know.

I had a really great UC, and I had a really great natural birth at our birth-center-within-the-hospital. Being at the hospital annoyed me, and the nurses annoyed me, but I wasn't really concerned about hospital risks, because of the particular environment and my particular care providers. I still prefer UC, but sometimes feel that in my particular case, the hospital doesn't increase my risk of issues *that* much and does probably improve my chances slightly with very rare yet extremely serious complications. But in my heart, I am a UC mama.

Ahhhhh, it is so hard to balance all the risks of all the options.

Any other stories / info?

[klemomma]

basje - I also think that someone was looking out for you and your LO, because all your circumstances lined up just right, thank goodness :-)

[turnquia]

Most PPH can be handled with adequate time to transfer. Like the person said above those crazy PPH are generally so rare and when/if they do happen many hospitals them selves are not even equipped to deal with it. Usually with a bleed that large it becomes a systemic issue called DIC. Your body tries so hard to clot to stop the bleed that you use up all of your clotting factors and platelets and then you suffer bleeding from all over. It takes more than just blood to fix this issue. Meds such as clotting factors, platelets, fresh frozen plasma etc.

But again those catastrophic PPH are so rare. Soooo rare, and many times result in mom getting a hysterectomy, + all the other things the previous poster mentioned above.

You may be able to find stats on the rates of the large post partum hemorrages but I"m not 100%.

There are so many things that can go wrong in birth, for both mother and baby that its sooo darn scary to think about. Rest assured those other things happen so rarely though.

[rhiandmoi]

Is a midwife an option for you? A midwife can do a lot to improve your chances if you live in a state where a midwife can carry meds. Between uterine massage, pit, coagulants, etc. many moms are able avoid a transfer. Many midwives will work with you on how much hands on interaction there is during the birth, almost all are going to be less hands on than a hospital birth.

[earth2birth]

Originally Posted by klemomma

I know it's like almost impossible to get stats on UC, but does anyone have any info on maternal outcomes of UC?

I read a story about a HB where the mom nearly died, and now I need to work that out of my head.

I have UC'd and want to UC again, but I read that you can bleed to death in 8 minutes. I've never had a PPH, I am always prepared to eat my placenta and transfer / call 911 as need be, but the fact that you can bleed to death so quickly is freaking me out in my head.

I know it is a risk of UC (well, birth in general). If a mama were to experience a bleed so traumatic, how much better would her chances be in the hospital?

Any information / insight is appreciated.

I hate to sound crass, but sometimes women die in birth. Overall unhindered birth no matter the care setting woman can be extremely safe. Being in the best care facilities cannot always save lives. Birth is safe overall, but sometimes nothing no matter where you give birth anything can be done.
Most midwives are extremely adept at PPH and other issues, sometimes even better than hospitals, because they are right with the mother the whole time.

Good nutrition is key to a healthy birth. Lots of iron, protein and knowing your body will be key to a good birth.