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C-sections
Ritzy19
member
Fluid on baby's lungs after surgery
Ritzy19
member
in C-sections
Quick backstory regarding my last delivery/experience.
DD was born on a Wednesday evening, and early on Friday morning she was spending some time in the nursery so DH and I could get some sleep. A nurse came into the room and told us that she had to be raced to the NICU because she was breathing abnormally/very fast and was being evaluated. Come to find out, she had fluid on her lungs from the CS and they explained that it was quite common because that fluid is usually squeezed out of their lungs when they are delivered vaginally. Makes sense. She was in the NICU for that entire day and ended up receiving antibiotics for a few days as well. I don't recall the exact reason that she was given the antibiotics, but I think they were being overly cautious in case it was something else as well causing her breathing issues.
Since that time I've talked to other Moms who have had CS's, and some of them have said that their babies were taken right to the NICU and apparently had the fluid sucked out of their lungs/etc. Don't know 100% what the process is, but I do know that they were more closely observed right off the bat.
When I was at DD's ped. last month (the same office that will be taking care of new LO) I asked the Dr. about this and told her my concerns over what happened last time. She basically just made it sound like they weren't concerned about it, but I certainly am! It was very scary when DD was taken to the NICU, and I just kept thanking God that she was in the nursery at the time that they noticed it. Who knows if I would have noticed that she wasn't breathing properly? Or what if we were both still sleeping and she stopped breathing? I kinda' felt like the Ped. thought I was overreacting, but honestly I'm worried about it happening again this time around as well.
Am I being crazy? Do you think I should talk to my OB and see if she knows anything about this happening? Call the Ped. office again? I don't want unnecessary procedures done on LO, but if it seems like fluid on the lungs of CS babies is so common... why don't they just do something right away instead of just waiting it out?
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,and He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
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Re: Fluid on baby's lungs after surgery
It is quite possible she was breathing fine and then the fluid finally affected her. I was told that DS may need the NICU right away, as it is common for c-section babies to have breathing problems. However, he never needed it(he was suctioned). He did need to stay in the nursery after we were in our room, due to not being able to regulate his temperature. He was back with us within 5 or 6 hours(I think).
This is exactly what occurred with my DD. she was breathing fine right after birth and for the first 24 hours. It was on Day 2 while in my room where it became apparent that she still had some fluid in her lungs. She was able to resolve it on her own but spent that night in the NICU for observation. I
I too had this experience with DS1. It wasn't until she was about 24 hours old though and it happened in our room. She just suddenly started coughing and gasping for air. I ran for the call button for the nurses' station and our nurse came right away. She explained that it's very normal for c/s babies to still have fluid issues the first few days after delivery. It was so scary though!
Now, I'm scheduled to deliver twins this Friday via c/s and I am paranoid about it happening again. My pediatrician will be attending my delivery, so you can believe I'm going to ask her about it right away.
DD1 had this same problem - she was resuscitated twice in the operating room before being taken to the NICU for further observation. While there, they administered antibotics as well - to prevent possible infection.
I don't think that you are being crazy, but I also don't think that it is something to stress over at this time. Like the PP mentioned, it could be that there was not a problem at the beginning, which is why nothing was done initially. This time around, I would just be more observation of your LO and express your concern prior to your c/s and then again afterwards. Again, I would not stress over it, b/c now you are aware of it and can ask the right questions/have the right discussion about what to do this time around.
We had the same thing happen down the the antibiotics for no apparent reason. I had a surgical complication that makes a VBAC not recommended, so I'm definitely nervous about this going forward. It was terrible having him in the NICU, and it made breastfeeding much more difficult.
ETA: He had the fluid suctioned, but that didn't completely fix the problem. His breathing regulated after a few days. I can't tell you how many hours I spent watching him breath and counting respiration rates once we got home.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,and He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6