SVT and Delivery

Nichole62915

Happy Tuesday Ladies! I hope everyone is doing well!

I have some worry about delivery and was wondering if maybe some moms know what i am going through.

I have SVT (Supraventricular tachycardia). My OB says I will more than likely have to have a C-section. This is my first child so I really wanted to be able to do a vaginal delivery. I have read on line that vaginal delivery with SVT puts me at risk of dying. I don't want anything to happy to my baby or myself! But I cannot help but feel like I'm being robbed of an experience. I see my cardiologist next month to talk about what will be save for me and baby. I just feel let down.

mrs1374a

I had to have a c section and I have to have another. I don't feel robbed. My daughter is here and healthy. I hope everything goes well.

Katerina&Baby

I'm not going to tell you how to feel about it and I'm sorry that you're disappointed - there are many, many women who are of the same mind as you but personally, I just don't understand how having a c section "ruins" the birth experience - you grow and carry this tiny human for the better part of a year and then you get to meet them and have this immediate, amazing bond with your new baby after they are placed in your arms. Who really cares what the exit strategy was as long as mom and baby are both healthy? Does it make it any less miraculous that this tiny human that you created is squirming in your arms and staring up at you just because you didn't "get" to suffer through hours of labor and pushing to get you there? I think people would be a whole lot happier if they got rid of this fictional "perfect birth" plan that moms-to-be are encouraged to make for themselves and instead focused on what happens AFTER baby is safely on the outside. So no matter what your cardiologist says, if it turns out that a c section is going to be what's best for you and baby, I really hope that you can find a way to move past the feeling of being cheated out of an experience because it would really be terrible for that to cast a dark cloud over what will likely be one of the best days of your life.

klkonwi

Yes. A baby is a baby no matter how it gets here my dear

klkonwi

Oh and also you don't get a medal for the delivery either way he/she gets here

ngaines27

I hate to hear your disappointed, but I hope that will all disappear once you're holding your precious baby in your arms!

KaLikeAWind

I hope you are able to safely deliver your baby - via either method - and that you're able to pursue all the avenues available to you. I get why you want what you want, but more I just hope that you and baby make it out the whole scenario alive and healthy, and I think if I were in your spot I'd go for the safest option. Good luck!

Nichole62915

Thank you all so much! I guess I was just upset because my pregnancy so nice and easy then to hear that it was just a lot. I know all that matters is that for one the baby (Avery) is safe and healthy and me as well. I think it was just a shock I wasn't ready for.

kbbtah

@nichole62915 I had SVT but had the radiofrequency ablation done in 1999. (Since then, ive played college sports, ran marathons, and lived attack free.) I strongly strongly strongly encourage you to consider the csection...as I was told, the stress on the body from labor is intense. If you slip into arrhythmia, yes....your body can give out on you. This can obviously cause death for you and your precious baby.

I will keep you in my prayers, as I remember vividly how SVT affected me in my younger days. Also, let me encourage you to consider the ablation (if you are a candidate for it). Surgery was super easy and the benefits have changed my life. All the best to you!

shahoi

kbbtah said:

@nichole62915 I had SVT but had the radiofrequency ablation done in 1999. (Since then, ive played college sports, ran marathons, and lived attack free.) I strongly strongly strongly encourage you to consider the csection...as I was told, the stress on the body from labor is intense. If you slip into arrhythmia, yes....your body can give out on you. This can obviously cause death for you and your precious baby.

I will keep you in my prayers, as I remember vividly how SVT affected me in my younger days. Also, let me encourage you to consider the ablation (if you are a candidate for it). Surgery was super easy and the benefits have changed my life. All the best to you!

I, too, had an ablation back in 2011 due to Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome. Unfortunately, I have had 10 or so episodes since then. Some very short, but a few lasted hours. I have had one very short episode since I have been pregnant, but my OB didn't seem concerned, and hasn't mentioned a C-section. Is this something I should be concerned about?

kbbtah

@shahoi WPW certainly is a very serious case. Im so sorry to hear that you've continued to have episodes. My suggestion would be to talk with your doctor again. Do you have a Cardiac EP doc that you see? If so, I suggest going to see him/her and asking if they can be readily available (in house ready to jump in) if needed. I don't have any experience with this and im certainly not a medical professional, but that's just where my mind goes. Best to be prepared as possible. Im sure that will give you peace of mind to focus your energy on the labor and not your ticker!

All the best to you, too!!!

jennlun

Hi all,

I'm posting a reply not to be a know-it-all or attention seeking but rather to share my experience with being pregnant while managing some heart issues!

I have ventricular tachycardia (diagnosed when I was about 12). Doctors have tried the ablation on two different occasions but neither attempt was successful, so I continue to experience episodes. Also, since becoming pregnant I have had many episodes of atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter, with some episodes lasting over 7 hours and with a high heart rate.

I have seen a high-risk pregnancy specialist, as well as two different cardiologists for the two sets of issues. I had assumed that a vaginal birth would be out of the question for me. However, I've been told by everyone so far that a vaginal birth is totally possible and my heart conditions will not be a deciding factor. Doctors have said that if my heart symptoms worsen in the weeks prior to my due date, they may re-evaluate but for now they're proceeding as though I will not be having a section. They may hook me up to a heart monitor during active labour.

Obviously I don't know your medical history, and I'm certainly not a doctor (nor do I have any real medical knowledge!) but I wanted to share my experience with you as it seems that we're being told the opposite things from our medical practitioners.

Best wishes to you!

amaraujo0521

I have never heard of that..I too have SVT and my OB and cardiologist have never been concerned with it when it comes to pregnancy or delivery. I have had three vaginal births and that's the plan for this pregnancy. I've always been told svt is virtually harmless so there's never been a worry. I had some palpatations early on and even those they said are very common and not concerning.

kbbtah

@amaraujo0521 Good to hear your physicians are aware of your situation. When I had svt "attacks" before my ablation, my heart rate would shoot up over 300 beats per minute, I would pass out, and could be unconscious for up to 10 minutes. This was one of the main factors that my specialists recommended I have the ablation. It was very dangerous for me. Glad to hear your symptoms are manageable