Blood clot/pulmonary embolism while pregnant

Nancy - posted on 02/28/2013

Does anyone have an update to this? I would love to know if any of you ladies have had success having babies after suffering blood clots?

Shaunna - posted on 08/25/2012

Hiya I had my son 6 month ago but a few days after I had him I was in real bad pain, the birth happens all to fast he is my second child and I new to expect after pains but as far as the midwives were concerned I was fine and could go home but to days after I had gone home I was rushed back in to the maternity ward I was in server pain and couldn't stand up straight and was so tired because I hadn't slept for few days because of the pain. When i got to the maternity ward they took blood test and admitted me turned out i need 5 blood tranfusions because i lost so much blood during giving birth, they also found I had an infection in the womb so I was put on quite a few antibiotics and a few by iv (drip) after 3-4 days I was aloud to go home to be with my new born son and my 1year old daughter but as I was at home I were still in quite alot of pain to the point I couldn't hold my new born son or feed him i was in to much pain and quite weak but I thought it was normal and just carried on taking the antibiotics the docs sent me home with but the next day I was in even more pain and extremely tired because I still hadn't slept my partner took me back to the maternity ward but they couldn't find out why I was in so much pain and kept me in a day or to with strong painkillers then sent me home but I was back in the next day beaches i was in so much pain i couldn't take it no more i couldn't walk and had server pain in my grown , the doctors give me pain killers through injection (pethedine) so i could try get some sleep but it hadn't work and the pain was getting more and more painful i noticed my leg had swollen so they put me straight onto fragmin injections and sent me for an xray which confirmed i had a blood clot so they kept me on fragmin and i was given stockings to help the blood flow in my legs but the next day i noticed my left leg had swollen up to , both my legs were 5 times bigger than ther normal size they looked like they were just guna expload, i couldn't walked and needed to nurses to help take me to the toliet and back, by this point the doc relised something wasn't right and sent me for a ct scan. When the doctor got the results back he was shocked it comfired that i had the clot but a clot no doctor in the world has ever seen before i had a full body clot ( from my ankles up to my neck ) through my main being and the clot was blocking all my organs up. I was rushed in to intensive care and put on a heprin drip i was given morphine for the pain which help for a little while but my body still carried on swelling all my stomach swelled and my sides the doctors had got in touch with specilist all around the world and no one had ever seen anything like it. They told my parents and partner i would be lucky if i survived this and told them i was a ticking time bomb ... After 3-4 weeks in intensive care i was aloud back to the maternity ward were i was kept on a heprin drip but i couldn't have my son stay in hospital with me because i was unable to do anything for him i had another ct scan which showed the clot was stil the same and nothing had changed i was told by some doctors to never have another baby which was a big shock because i hadn't wanted more , eventually after 3 months in hospital i was aloud home on fragmin and after a while i went on to warfin and have my blood monitored every couple of days i see a specialist every few month so he can get to the bottom of why all this had happened , i asked him if i wasn't aloud any more children and he told me that i (COULD) but only in few years and when my clot has gone i was told i would be on fragmin all the way through the pregnancy and for a whole after to make sure nothing like this happens again i was told i was lucky to be alive and the only reason i had survived is because i am only 20 and my body started forming new little veins for the blood to flow through . I was glad to here i can have more children , it been 6 months now since they found my clot and am doing good the clot has gone out my legs now but have left scars on my veins it just in my stomach and chest and still blocking some of my organs up but am getting there slowly i have small damage to my liver through the clot and also because all thee medication i had been on , but am looking farward to the future and having more children with my partner i don't mind having the fragmin injection though the pregnancy as they are not painfull at all , the needle small so can't feel it going in the medications just stings going in but that's all . :)

Elizabeth - posted on 01/26/2011

OMG thank you girls, oct 17th 2009 i went into early labour at 36 weeks with my second child a son, my first was a girl. both emergency c sections. my second pregnancy way different way harder, but i got preeclamsia again. so i was high risk for both being monitored all the time.
anyways the healing process after my second cesection was horrible got an infection and everything i could barely move or do anything for almost 12 weeks. then feb 4th 2010 was the worst desicion of my life, after 24 years of battleing tonselightus, i had a tonsilectomy my tonsels remmoved. i was in bed for 10 days striaght in horrible pain didnt eat for 10 days only drank water was on morphine and advil and tylonel. it was a disaster, finally my husband had to return back to work, my mother had to leave, i was left alone with my children , i could barely walk my leg hurt so bad, i was weak, pale, dealth like, i was dying and didnt even know it. called my mother crying and said you need to come back she lived an hour away. 3 days later on feb 17th i had my health nurse come to check up on me and baby, when she saw me and my leg told me to get to the hospital. by the time i got to the hospital, i was barely able to stand concentrate, i was hanging on. they did my vitals rushed me to the back. 4 hours later i am diagnosed with DVT in right leg, put on needles and warfrin, in and out of the hospital non stop. they said if i had waited another day or 2 i would have been DEAD, i had never been so scared in my entire life, my life flashed before me, like what could i have done to prevent this, why did this happen to me, what did i do to diserve this. i hated everyone and anyone but more myself for almost taking me away from my children, my son was only 4mths old. i went into a bad post pardum depression. i hated so bad.
but i felt something was wrong, i was rushed back to the hospital feb 20th then rushed to another hospital, where i was diagnosed with PE/ DVT during a CT SCAN. i fell into a deeper depression all i could do is cry it felt like i let my family down, that i let my self down. do for the next 10mths i was in and out of the hospital and emergency apppoinments, on warfrin, finally dec 1st had my 3rd ct scan, nulclear testing blood testing and ultrasounds, it was all gone but a little piece in my leg not enought to worry about the doctor said. that i did have alittle vein damage. but he saw no reason for me to be on the bloor thinners anymore, even with me haveing the FACTOR 5 BLOOD clotting gene. that i only found out when i clotted.
i started crying i was scared scared id relapes and this time it would be too late.
so i am pleased to say i have been off blood thinners for 1.5 mths, and live in fear everyday with the unkown will it happen again.
they told me i could have more babies I WANT 1 or 2 more . we wanna start come october but im scared still have to talk to the doctors, they said i would have to go back on the needle for blood thinning at some point after the 2nd or 3rd trimester then again after the c section. i am scared because i am already high risk with my other 2 children i will be 10x more high risk this time. my husband wants more even though he is scared for me. i dont wanna die, i dont wanna harm a baby. it will be my life and the life of the unborn child at risk one or the other or both. i dunno what to do im so confused/ im sad and angry. we wanted to wait for 5 years, but i am 25 i wanna be done with the diaper stage by the time im 30. i dont know what to do no one understands they just call me an excessive complainer all i do is complaine that i should suck it up. that i should just be happy with what i have. they dont understand i need support from people who understand, i dont talk to anyone in my family except my father who is against me having anymore, even though its not his decision i dont know what to do i am scared and thankful i found your guys story thank you for sharring i too live in ontario canada

Andrea - posted on 04/14/2010

Thank you very much for your response. Finally, someone who understands how I feel.I had to do the injections in the hospital for a week and I hated them. I dont think I could do them for 9 months. I am still under the Warfarin treatment. I had a pretty large clot but luckily not large enough for surgery. They told me I will be on it for a full year. I asked the doctor if he would redo the CT scan and he said there was no need to. I don't think so, I want another CT scan to make sure. I have not done the IUD yet because my doctor will not bill the insurance because of what they will reimburse her for. Well, an IUD costs $500. I did not have the money then and now I don't have the time.

After the last 2 c-sections you had, I think I would think twice about a 4th. She may be right. You have 3 beautiful boys so why take a chance something could happen. What does your husband think about it? Mine has mixed feelings like I do. When the time comes that we want to expand our family, its something we will need to decide together.
Do you currently have to do blood work weekly? I did until February. My numbers stayed the same for 3 months so the nurse asked the doctor if I could do every other week and he said yes. That was a huge relief.
I would love to keep in touch. Its a relief to finally have some one who I can relate to and who understands what I am talking about.

Amy - posted on 04/13/2010

Andrea I am worried about the same thing, but I have three kids so my thought is alot different. I did always want 5 kids but now with this PE I am thinking twice. The injections scare me which is why I am trying to find people who did it to confirm in my mind its not a bad thing. I guess a little part of me still hopes I can have my princess given I have 3 boys 4yrs of age and younger I would love to finally buy pink and lace :)
Andrea are you going through this right now? I am still on Warfarin, happened to me on Jan 22 when I had my third. Even last week I had pain in my rib area on the right side and called the hospital and they told me I probably just slept properly I shouldn't have pain when I'm being treated right now...sure enough the pain went away so must have been just a side pain from sleeping on my sides.
I am worried because although my OB tells me I can have more kids, she tells me also be grateful for the kids I have and remember you have three wonderful boys who need their mother around so the what if fears are there. Mind you again it is because she saw me go through 2 emergency c-sections, the last one planned, the 2nd baby my stitches popped after surgery and it was ugly with the blood loss (almost had transfusion) and then the PE with this one. I'm sure she thinks I'm nuts to want more but I am focusing on getting better before any more babies are considered around here. For now I am on the IUD (or will be soon) as being on Warfarin is deadly to get pregnant and was told they would terminate my pregnancy if I got pregnant.
Thnx for posting, its reassuring to find more moms out there who are dealing with this.

Andrea - posted on 04/12/2010

I had a emergency c-section with my first child. I was discharged from the hospital but was re-admitted to another hospital for shortness in breathe. They found a clot in my lungs. I was in the hospital for 5 days treated with injections every 12 hours and warfarin. Once they were comfortable with my INR & PT numbers, they discharged me on the warfarin. For awhile, I had to get my INR & PT checked weekly but since my numbers have been staying in the range, I now do it every 2 weeks. My OB and pulmonologist said I could have more kids but they would do injections during the pregnancy and monitor me more. It scares me to death but yet, I don't want my child to be a only child and I would love another child. The doctors all make it sound like its no big deal but to me it is. The what ifs are in the back of my mind and I don't want my son now to grow up with out a mother. I am still scared. Every little ache and pain I have, is it something or just acid reflex.

Heather - posted on 03/10/2010

oh anytime amy! keep me posted!!!! and if you need someone to talk to im here!!!!

Amy - posted on 03/10/2010

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. As much as I talk about this with others no one understands me but now you do !

Heather - posted on 03/10/2010

amy, i live in the states, so that may be why i had all of the different specialists working with me... i think different doctors tell you different things... (which is sad and doesnt help any) my weight was a factor too.... and i had a lot of scar tissue and they cut my bladder and had to repair it, so i was on the table a lot longer for the second kid.) it may also be different for you because you have had one more c section that me.

im not a doctor, but as far as birth control goes, you still do have options, the depo shot, like i said is safe for women who have had blood clots, there are also completely non-hormonal forms of IUD's you can also get. i mean, for me they did a complete in depth work up on my blood and tested it for a ton of disorders and checked my dna and stuff to see if i had any genetic diseases that i didnt know about.... and they didnt find anything.... and i personally, feel that if they cant tell me why, then it mustve been a fluke.... or because of my weight or what not. but, like i said different doctors will tell you different things....



having blood clots is terrifing =( i remember feeling like i was broken and something was wrong with me! i used to freak out if i felt even the tinest chest twinge.... and i used to make sure i never sat for more than 3 hours before i got up and moved around.... all kinds of things. so i know how you feel. =( its actually nice that i found someone who went through the same thing as me... even after all this time.



i am pretty sure, not positive, but almost .. that i was told that if i wanted to have more children i could, but they would start me on blood thinners either right before or right after my csection... im pretty sure it was right after the csection, for 6 months.

if you are uncomfotable with what they are telling you, get a second opinion on it... i would if i were in your situation and wanted more kids.

=) hang in there, right now its tough because its so fresh in your mind.... as time passes, you will feel better.. i promise. =) i did...

Amy - posted on 03/10/2010

Heather where do you live? I have a few doctors working with me but nothing like that.

I wonder why? Im in Ontario, Canada.

I saw an internist who specializes in odd situations, he is at the hospital. I saw him twice and he told me to go back in 6 months to see him. I do have pharmacists calling me every few days to check on me and I test my blood at the hospital those days so they can tell me the proper dosage of meds to take.

I was told by the specialist that although they will never really know why I got the clot, I cannot go on hormonal meds ever agin like birth control or meopause meds in the future. He also mentioned to me if I choose to have more kids it is not a problem but I need to see him prior to getting pregnant so we can prepare for it and he will put me on blood thinner injections. Were you told this or everything is back to normal for you now? Its so scary to go through this...my husband now doesnt want anymore kids he is terrified for me but I do not want this to stop me. I am going to focus on getting better with this and see a homeopathic doctor afterwards to see if there is anything else I can do for myself. I know being overweight is a big factor to this so I have alot of weight to lose and then maybe 3 or 4 yrs down the road I will consider another baby.

Did the doctors tell you you could have more kids and what would happen? This was my third c-section, this time though the spinal and epidural would not take they had to knock me out general anesthetics. That was also weight related...they couldnt tap into my back properly because of the fat...sigh...time to lose the 3 babies baby fat I put on :)

Heather - posted on 03/09/2010

i had 2 blood clots in my lung after giving birth to my second child. i had a csection previously, and had absolutely no problems what so ever with that one. i was at home, when i felt a pain in my arm kind of between my shoulder and collarbone. they told me that was when the clots hit my lungs. i was scared to death. i cried for about 2 days afterwards.... i was on lovenox shots for 5 days and then coumadin. i had a pulmonologist, cardiologist, and hematologist in addition to my regular doctors and hopefully you do as well. the hematologist should be running your blood, looking for any unknown clotting disorders that you could possibly have not known about. they should also do a full work up to see if there is anything else that couldve led to your blood clots. the pulmonologist should be the one checking your lungs to make sure that the clots dissolve back into your system (they should after a few weeks, but you stay on the blood thinners until you are completely healed from the csection....) blood thinners are a pain to be on, you have to watch what you eat as far as broccoli and stuff - and visit the doctor to have a lot of finger pricks...

once they determine whether or not there was a cause of your blood clot they should tell you whether or not you are high risk for another one, or if there was another reason (such as you being immobile for too long with out those stocking things or because of scarring or whatever.) once 6 months has passed if you get all of those answers, then your OB may feel comfortable putting you back on regular birth control. - i didnt so i am on Depo provera. which is safer for people who had blood clots. as for being pregnant ... they told me that if i were to get pregnant i would only have to take blood thinners after the c section.... so im not sure if you can bring it up, or if its an option for you or not. i had my daughter almost 4 years ago, and i went off the blood thinners after 6 months because they couldnt find any reason i had the clots....and i have been fine ever since.... if you have any more questions feel free to send me a message =)