Preeclampsia Birth Trauma

Hi everyone. I’m 4 months PP, my daughter was delivered @ 35wks via emergency c-section for preeclampsia, & I recently was diagnosed with PPAD & OCD. I had been having nightmares and wasn’t able to sleep and it was causing severe anxiety. I feel like I have unresolved trauma & PTSD from my birth. I didn’t think I did, but I still think about it a lot, and I’m bitter and upset because I had planned an unmediated birth. I missed out on my golden hour and special moments because I was in horrible shape and on a 24hour mag drip and in the ICU afterwards with leg compressions on, the whole 9 yards. My daughter was healthy and fine and I’m so grateful- but I feel like it really affected me.
Does anyone else have a similar experience? How did you move forward and manage the feelings of missing out in your own birth?

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Your experience sounds similar to mine with my first baby. Mag infusion, and Emergency C-section at 36 weeks, although I was in the HDU, not ICU. And I was on blood pressure medication for a couple of months PP and having renal clinic appointments. Completely different experience from what I had expected/planned for, and it took months for me to come to terms with what I had been through. I don’t know about the US, but here in the UK, you can ask to have a review of your birth experience. Some find this helpful although I never opted for this because I felt it might be too triggering. I’m newly PP with my second baby and the experience was completely different. Planned c-section was very calm, we had our own music in theatre and it was just a lovely experience which has more than made up for the trauma of my first birth. I have had amazing support from my family both times and this really helped me recover well.
Please seek help from family, friends and professionals where you can

Sounds similar to mine. I had preeclampsia with my 3rd, delivered via cat 3 c section at 35+5. She needed nicu. I needed to be put to sleep as i started to feel everything. Needed help breathing when coming round. Which led to me needing intensive care. My daughter needed some help with breathing and help her lungs adapt. I missed out on 2 days with seeing her.
I have received cbt after her birth. Unsure if anything like that is available to you

I didn’t have preeclampsia but I started contracting at 35 weeks & 2 days. My baby’s heart couldn’t handle the contractions so I had to get a C-Section. I just remember shaking and having a panic attack on thr operating table. I couldn’t calm down until they gave me more drugs and my husband walked in. When my baby was born she couldn’t breathe in her own and needed oxygen. She was on a CPAP machine for 3 days and then in the nicu learning to feed for another 9 days. I will always be said about not being able to carry her to term, have a natural delivery & have time to hold my baby as soon as she got into this world. I also suffer from nightmares and PTSD from my birth. I’m grateful my girl is fine now but I truly can’t believe I had to go through that sometimes

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Preeclampsia Birth Trauma

Hi everyone. I’m 4 months PP, my daughter was delivered @ 35wks via emergency c-section for preeclampsia, & I recently was diagnosed with PPAD & OCD. I had been having nightmares and wasn’t able to sleep and it was causing severe anxiety. I feel like I have unresolved trauma & PTSD from my birth. I didn’t think I did, but I still think about it a lot, and I’m bitter and upset because I had planned an unmediated birth. I missed out on my golden hour and special moments because I was in horrible shape and on a 24hour mag drip and in the ICU afterwards with leg compressions on, the whole 9 yards. My daughter was healthy and fine and I’m so grateful- but I feel like it really affected me.
Does anyone else have a similar experience? How did you move forward and manage the feelings of missing out in your own birth?

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