Med free for a fainter

hmk1111 · April 2012

I have a fainting condition that occurs randomly in which I will pass out, and more often than not also vomit or pee myself ( I know, really classy stuff). I am eager to have a med free birth but am concerned with problems with fainting throughout labor. There doesn't seem to be any pattern to my fainting but anxiety and dehydration tend to not help the situation. Anyone else have problems with this during labor. My condition is know as neurocardiogenic syncope, aka an unexplained faint.

Tisharp · April 2012

I don't have this condition, but I have passed out from stomach cramps a few times in my life (I found out I'm lactose intolerant), so I'm worried about the same thing happening from late contractions.

102007 · April 2012

hmk1111:
I have a fainting condition that occurs randomly in which I will pass out, and more often than not also vomit or pee myself ( I know, really classy stuff). I am eager to have a med free birth but am concerned with problems with fainting throughout labor. There doesn't seem to be any pattern to my fainting but anxiety and dehydration tend to not help the situation. Anyone else have problems with this during labor. My condition is know as neurocardiogenic syncope, aka an unexplained faint.

I have this as well (though...they called mine vasovagal syncope, which may have something to do with low blood pressure?). In any case, I'm very interested to hear the replies!

superned · April 2012

102007:
hmk1111:
I have a fainting condition that occurs randomly in which I will pass out, and more often than not also vomit or pee myself ( I know, really classy stuff). I am eager to have a med free birth but am concerned with problems with fainting throughout labor. There doesn't seem to be any pattern to my fainting but anxiety and dehydration tend to not help the situation. Anyone else have problems with this during labor. My condition is know as neurocardiogenic syncope, aka an unexplained faint.
I have this as well (though...they called mine vasovagal syncope, which may have something to do with low blood pressure?). In any case, I'm very interested to hear the replies!

I also have vasovagal syncope and while I had trouble with lightheadedness and almost fainting while pregnant, it was not an issue during labor or delivery.

I would certainly let your OB or MW know about your condition (and the L&D nurses at the hospital, if that's where you'll be) and remember to keep hydrated. You might be strongly encouraged to get IV fluids, so I would also plan ahead about how you want to handle declining or accepting them.

You'll likely have at least your DH/support person around you, so be sure to let them know if you feel faint. I always get tunnel vision, nausea, and sweating before I faint, so I try to be aware of those clues and move myself to a safe position and alert people nearby, if I can.

I think even more than delivery, you might find yourself more prone to fainting in the hours and days immediately post-partum, so be sure to stay hydrated and listen to your body.

hmk1111 · April 2012

All good advice. From what I understand the two conditions are quite similar. I have mentioned it to my OB and will continue to bring it up but thanks for the advice about keeping everyone informed and staying hydrated, I am sure that will be a big thing during L and D. And good to know about post-partum. I hadn't even thought about that.

102007 · April 2012

Superned, was there a certain point in your pregnancy when your symptoms affected you more than others? I ask because I've been relatively symptom free in the past few years, and I haven't yet had any issues during pregnancy. So my thought process is either that I've just become so good at predicting my episodes that I'm managing them to the point I don't notice, I've outgrown this altogether, or that it's looming for me later in pregnancy.

Just interested in how it worked for you!

Thanks

MitoRachel · April 2012

I am not sure if my situation is close enough to be of any help, but I'll go ahead and put in my two cents. I don't faint, but often my body will go to extremes to keep me from fainting. So, instead of passing out I'll get a really high heart rate and look like I'm having a seizure even though I am aware of what is going on. Before I gave birth 10 days ago my doctors set in place a protocol. I had a hep lock put in during labor and then when I started jerking I was given a full bag of fluids as fast as the machine allows. If I had shown more problems then they were going to monitor my blood pressure as well. Does everyone's blood pressure drop when they faint? If so you might think about things that tend to stabilize blood pressure like picking positions that aren't standing for labor and delivery. I thought I would want to labor in water as the pressure of water helps my heart rate a lot, but at the time it sounded terrible! Having IV access wasn't a worry because I didn't sign the consent for pain meds/epidural so I knew they couldn't just give me something without me knowing. Also, don't worry about vomiting and peeing- labor and delivery nurses are used to that.

I loved my basically natural birth (I also had IV adrenal medicine since my adrenal gland is basically dead) and hope all of you ladies have great births.

superned · April 2012

102007:
Superned, was there a certain point in your pregnancy when your symptoms affected you more than others? I ask because I've been relatively symptom free in the past few years, and I haven't yet had any issues during pregnancy. So my thought process is either that I've just become so good at predicting my episodes that I'm managing them to the point I don't notice, I've outgrown this altogether, or that it's looming for me later in pregnancy.
Just interested in how it worked for you!
Thanks

I had the most trouble during the first tri with both pregnancies (so far). A fainting spell would come on really quickly if I was standing in one place for too long (like waiting in line at the post office - that was fun). I think that's a fairly common symptom in the first tri though.

Later on I occasionally had problems first thing in the morning after the shower, when the heat from the shower had dilated my blood vessels and I hadn't eaten anything yet. I tried to remember to drink some OJ or have a snack first thing in the morning to help and some mornings I had to lie down before I got dressed to wait for the symptoms to pass.

I've also become pretty good about listening to my body, so I haven't actually fainted in years (knock on wood!). When not pregnant I only notice symptoms a few times a year, if that. But there's so much going on with your body during pregnancy that I have to be especially cautious. I hope you continue to be symptom-free!

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