The labor was traumatic, panic attack now

[Lisa1970]

i had my baby a few hours ago. She is wonderful and the actual csect was fine. I am thrilled how everything went....birth wise.

BUT, I was a planned vbac. I have had vbacs before. But this was different. For two days, I felt attacked. I felt like someone was stabbing me with a knife in my gut, right at my csect scar, over and over again. The vbac doctor I found through ICAN ignored me, blew me off. I ended up going to a different hospital, where they took such good care of me. I could not take another of those contractions. The vbac doctor should not have ignored my symptoms. It was not normal. The contractions were over the top horrible.

My csect was a few hours ago and I am fine and great with that. But I will feel a cramp that resembles the very beginning of one of those contractions and I find myself starting to panic. Obviously, I am still at the hospital. So I was telling the nurse why I am upset, and I started to hyperventilate. It was that bad.

Anyone ever have a situation like this? Suggestions?

[Avani]

I assume you are speaking of after pains. They can occur for days after the birth and are typically worse with subsequent children. I just breathe through them and remind myself that they will be over fairly quickly. Nursing will stimulate them. They don't last long and they will disappear. I have heard that taking a pain reliever like Tylenol or Ibuprofen is helpful. I would keep yourself calm during them and just hold your sweet baby and remember the pain is very short.

[Triniity]

congratulations for the baby! and for the panic. 

I did not have any panic attacks, but had a traumatic first delivery (DD). What helped was talking (talking to kind of everybody who would listen about the feelings I had) - hours to the night watch (is this the right word?) Cuddling and bf the baby, that releases hormones which can calm you down, talk to your partner, or mother or friends, get physical touches, if this helps you (there is nothing like a back rub to calm me down). 

there are probably a couple of teas that help with anxiety, but I am not into this so much, because I don´t drink anything bitter, but your midwife might know something. 

Hope you´ll be better soon! 

Trin

[Lisa1970]

Originally Posted by Avani 

I assume you are speaking of after pains. They can occur for days after the birth and are typically worse with subsequent children. I just breathe through them and remind myself that they will be over fairly quickly. Nursing will stimulate them. They don't last long and they will disappear. I have heard that taking a pain reliever like Tylenol or Ibuprofen is helpful. I would keep yourself calm during them and just hold your sweet baby and remember the pain is very short.

No, not after pains. Pains during childbirth...I am sorry...I need to finish later..bbl

[justKate]

No experience but it sounds like the cramp/weird pain is sort of giving you a flashback to the emotionally vulnerable time when you felt attacked and were ignored by your VBAC doc.  I had awful flashbacks after DD's birth--for me, I just needed to acknowledge the hurt (inside) and it helped the weird flashback feeling go away.  Not sure if that makes any sense with where you are right now--basically its a mental thing that's triggered by a physical thing.

I really hope they are taking you seriously and can help you through this.    Big hugs to you.  Keep us posted on how you're doing.  And congrats on your new baby!

[Lisa1970]

I posted more details here. But I am still upset over what he did to me. I , obviously, ended up with a much better doctor in the end. But I still just keep thinking about what he did to me. And that my baby could have died.

[rareimer]

*huge hugs*  I know how you're feeling somewhat.  It's so hard, knowing what could have happened.  I have had several anxiety attacks about it.  Rescue Remedy can sort of take the edge off for me, and just snuggling my baby.  And talk to whoever will listen.  Again, I'm so horrified at the way you were treated.

[Arete]

After DS was born, I had pretty severe PTSD.  Flashbacks, uncontrollable shaking, chills, and nightmares every night.  And anger, so much anger.  I kept fantasizing about going and blowing up the hospital.  (Please, no one call the FBI; I wasn't really gonna do it.)  I tried talk therapy and it did absolutely no good.  I suppose many drs. would have wanted me to put me on anti-depressants, but just before I got pregnant I finally managed to come off of one I'd been on for 20 years, and didn't want to start again.  So I just suffered.  Much later, I discovered cranio-sacral massage, and I would recommend it to you wholeheartedly for physical and emotional healing.  What's going on with our bodies has so much effect on our mental state.  Your description of your pain sounds a little like some of the flashback pain I felt, and if it doesn't go away, you might want to try the c.s.m.