October 19-25
Week 29 was a bit of a rough week. We had our second birthing class on Thursday night and about ten minutes into it I fainted. I’m fine and the baby’s fine, thank goodness, but it was a bit of a scare.
By now most of you know that needles make me nauseous. Well, at this week’s class the anesthesiologist came to talk to us about epidurals. I first read about the details of an epidural in one of my pregnancy books during my first trimester, and I have to admit I got a little nauseous. (The only time during my pregnancy that I ever felt nauseated.) I immediately closed up the book and tried to put it out of my mind. Well these last few weeks I’ve decided I needed to suck it up and get more used to the idea of possibly needing an epidural, so I’ve been back to reading about them, and honestly I’ve been doing so much better. I think the initial shock wore off and the added exposure has helped. I knew the anesthesiologist was coming to this week’s class to talk about epidurals and I was really looking forward to it because G and I had a lot of questions for him.
Well, ten minutes into his presentation he pulled out an example of the tub/catheter they insert in your back and I got a little queasy. I needed to go to the bathroom and decided that was the perfect time for me to take a quick break. As soon as I walked out of the classroom my mild queasiness quickly turned to more significant lightheadedness. The exit was nearby so I decided to head outside for some fresh air. I was only a few steps down the hallway as my lightheadedness quickly got worse and I remember the outer parts of my vision getting grey and fuzzy. I remember reaching for a wall or something to hold onto as the grey parts took over my entire sight in a matter of seconds, and that’s the last thing I remember. I ended up fainting in the hallway outside of class, hitting my head during my fall.
I’m not sure how long I was out but I don’t think it was long; just a few seconds. I came to with some people standing around me and I was still pretty fuzzy. I remember asking someone to get Greg (who was still in class). I’m not sure what position I fell in, and although I hit my forehead (mid-fall) and had a sore knee, they said they found me laying on my back, so I have to believe I landed on my back and not my belly. I can’t handle thinking otherwise.
Our birthing class is at the hospital so I was lucky (albeit embarrassed) to have immediate medical attention. I kept trying to tell them I was fine, just a little shaken up, but they insisted on admitting me to the ER to check things out. They did an ultrasound to check the baby and she looked good–nice strong heartbeat and moving around like her usual self. Up to that point I’d been trying hard not to cry, but of course the tears came pretty easily once I knew our little girl was okay.
They did an EKG to check out my heart and everything looked fine. They kept me there a bit for observation and then let us go. I felt lightheaded and dizzy (and shaken up and embarrassed) for the rest of the night, but got a good night’s sleep and the next morning I felt better. I have a bump and a scrape on my forehead, but my bangs cover it so it’s no big deal. I sure I’ll laugh about it soon, but the worry that something could have happened to our baby is still pretty fresh. Not to mention seeing poor G turn white as a ghost when he turned the corner to see his pregnant wife on the ground. I wish I could take that moment back.
I really don’t know how or why this happened! I know I get queasy with needles, but I’ve been reading about epidurals for the past couple of weeks and have been fine with it. It had been about 3 hours since I’d last ate, but I’d had a big meal at that time and wasn’t hungry at all. I have low blood pressure normally, and it’s gotten lower with this pregnancy (it was 90/50 at my last appointment) but I haven’t come anywhere NEAR this close to fainting since I’ve been pregnant. My best guess is it was just a perfect storm of all three things coming into play.
The good news is we’re fine, and I hope this never happens again.
On a much brighter note, my close girlfriends hosted a small baby shower for me on Saturday, which was so much fun and just the thing to get my mind off recent worries. More on that to come!
Additional Week 29 Posts:
Pregnancy Woes
Flats & Ruffles
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I am so glad that you and your precious little one are okay. One of the things that brought me comfort during all my 5 pregnancies was knowing that the baby in the womb has an incredible protection system all around them – the best “airbags” ever, designed to keep that baby safe during bumbs, slips or falls. I also dealt with a lot of lightheadedness while pregnant. My blood pressure and iron levels are low normally then lower during pregnancy. I found by increasing my iron and stabilizing my blood sugar, it made a huge difference. I could be lightheaded right after eating, which made no sense! For the lightheadedness, my midwife suggested I drink liquid chlorophyll (Nature’s Sunshine brand is mint flavored so it tastes great) in my water and I noticed a huge difference. It contains iron and stabilized my blood sugar levels which can get out of wack. Perhaps you want to talk to your healthcare providers about anything you can do to deal with it. God’s blessings as you continue to carry His marvelous creation within you. Have a great week!
I’m so glad to know that I am not the only one this upset when it comes to needles.
I’ve never liked needles either. I passed out getting my five year old shots, once in high school, and once in college- all due to just thinking about getting shots-not even the actual shot. So when I got pregnant with my first baby, I vowed I would not look at that big needle. You are much more responsible than I was about it. I wanted to know possible side effects, safety concerns, but that is where it ended. I knew I wanted an epidural and wanted to go into it blindly. So I did and it was fine. The guy came in, I didn’t listen or look at anything and it went ok. I did that with my second baby too.
I hate that you had to go through such a scare. I’m glad all is well. It’s amazing how protective those bellies are!
Jennifer
I’m so glad that you and baby girl are ok!!
I totally sympathize with the embarrasment! I passed out cold during my glucose test. They had to call my husband out of work to come up to the hospital. I felt so bad, knowing that I’d made him a nervous wreck and super embarrased having the entire lab staff standing over me.
Don’t worry about the epidural. I was TERRIFIED of it, but once you’re in the moment, you won’t think about it. The best part was, after the epidural, I slept through 2 hours of my labor. They had to wake me up to push. haha.
Once again, so glad that you and baby G&D are ok!
Oh my gosh, how scary. I’m so glad you and the wee one are okay!
I know that feeling exactly! It happened to me too last Tuesday (at 14 weeks pregnant). Mine was due to dehydration though and happened in front of a bunch of co-workers. I also have low blood pressure so that may have something to do with it. I’m glad you and baby are doing ok! It’s so scary!
So glad you and baby girl G&D are ok! My husband is like that around needles as well, so I kicked him out while I had my epidural, and I closed my eyes the entire time. Honestly, (and you can take this for what it’s worth) but getting my IV’s was WAY worse than the epidural.
Oh, and I slipped on ice not once, but twice, while pregnant…so I can share in your embarrassment!
Oh no! I’m so glad you and baby are okay!
Oh my! Glad to hear you and baby are okay, that would be very scary!
I am so glad you are okay! I fell belly-first on the ice when I was pregnant and even though I went to the doctor and he confirmed the baby was fine, I cried every time I thought about it… I know it’s a scary thing. Hopefully your birth will be so smooth and easy that you won’t even have to worry about that stupid needle.
Oh my goodness, what a scare!! I’m so glad to hear that you and baby girl are okay.
And you’re more brave than me, there is no way I wanted to see that epidural needle. I even closed my eyes when I got it with baby #1. I plan to do the same thing for baby #2, lol (which I just announced on my blog today… YAY!!!)
How scary! I’m happy that you and baby are okay. What a traumatizing day.
oh my goodness! glad you and the little bit are okay. I have low blood pressure, too (around 100/60) and it runs in my family. we’ve all been known to pass out or come close when getting up from a resting position, especially when in a hurry or over being excited about something (like needles!). it’s embarassing, yes!
So glad you and Baby G&D are okay. How scary!
My goodness! Glad you both are fine now. And seriously, if you get an epidural, you won’t even see any needles. All the action happens on your back and you’ll be turned away. You’ll be FINE!
jbhat
So glad you and baby are ok!
Wow….it is so good to hear that everyone is OK!
Wow! What a scare for you and your husband, but thank goodness all is okay. I too was TERRIFIED of the epidural. I don’t think I had enough facts about the epidural to drown out the irrational thoughts I was having about it, so I just kept imagining the worst. I did get through it though and had a wonderful nurse who held me very still and talked me through what the anesth. was doing. In hindsight I wish I had asked more questions ahead of time and armed myslef with the facts. You are absolutely right to read up on it and ask your questions because you REALLY don’t want your epidural fears to detract from the miracle of your child-birth. You’re going to do great! Take it easy and eat some nerds!
This from a loyal reader who had even more irrational fears when I had to have a C-section with my second one!
Glad that you are both ok!!
Scary stuff indeed.
Take care,
Jill
Thank you all so much for your concern, kind words, and support. I’ve had a few more bouts of lightheadedness, but nothing to this extreme, thank goodness! Yesterday I had a dr. apt. and got 2 flu shots and didn’t even flinch, so I was pretty happy about that! To all the girls who shared their experiences w/falling while pregnant–my heart goes out to you! It is so unbelievably upsetting. I’m so glad you’re all okay!
@Chantelle–Lately I’be been feeling lightheaded sometimes after eating too, which seems so strange. Thanks for the tips!
@jenni–Congrats on Baby #2! What wonderful news!
OMG Dusty!! I had no idea! You poor thing – that is so scary! I’m glad you and baby are ok and hope you don’t have another one of those scares again!!