chorioamnionitis - please has anyone had this ? please reply a simple no if not

[bubs82]

I have posted this elsewhere with little response. People understandably don't like problems but I feel ignored and my anxiety is so bad , just would like to talk to someone about this. Thankfully my boy is alive tho it was touch and go, but am afraid of long term problems. Any input would be appreciated as googling only brings up cold, clinical medical articles, not from the mothers point of view. My hospital tried to hide this infection, I only know because a student midwife mentioned it by mistake and I made a formal complaint against the hospital and sat in a meeting with my notes and read it for myself x

 

[Snowdragon]

Sorry never herd of it, hope your ok x

 

[bubs82]

Thank u for reading and replying.. I'm doing ok, just worrying about my son xx

 

[vixxen]

Did your waters break and they not realised, sorry i've not experienced this but can understand your frustration at having no one really to talk it through with.

 

[bubs82]

Did your waters break and they not realised, sorry i've not experienced this but can understand your frustration at having no one really to talk it through with.

Yes my waters broke but the mw who examined me said they hadn't, and sent me home telling me I had thrush. I felt such shame, but knew u don't flipping leak clear fluid from thrush. 3 days later I was still leaking, and it started smelling bad. I got sickness and diarrhea , but when I rung the hospital I was told its only a stomach bug and to stay home. Couldn't even keep water down. I ended up with a fever, went up to 38.9c and got my husband to take me in anyway. I could hardly stand. They wheeled me into a room and forgot about me for over an hour. My husband went to ask what's going on, they said 'oops forgot u were there' my babies heart rate was >180 and mine was elevated also. I had terrible abdominal pain on one side. I then got examined by a doctor who said MY WATERS HADN'T BROKE AND WANTED TO SEND ME HOME ! I refused and demanded another opinion.
A consultant finally examined me and confirmed they had gone days ago, there was hardly any fluid left. I ended up with EMCS as my sons heart failed and he was born with sepsis. He was kept in SCBU and tested for all sorts, including lumbar puncture. There is possible heart or brain damage still waiting on further tests.
The hospital tried to deny responsibility but I'm pursuing this. Anyway my concern is my son, would just like to hear other experiences, hopefully with a happy ending !
Thank-you for reading

 

[vixxen]

They are responsible what idiots!
Best of Luck and big hugs!

 

[bubs82]

They are responsible what idiots!
Best of Luck and big hugs!

Thank you

 

[M&S+Bump]

It sounds familiar - I was never told directly what it was I had but I read the hospital discharge notes and I'm pretty sure that's what it was down as (had to hand them over to the insurance company last year so can't check now)

I was in labour for days and then when my waters went, they smelled bad. I had a high temperature in labour and was told my blood results showed signs of infection so I couldn't have any pain relief, then Joe's heart-rate, which had been slow and not recovering well from contractions, went totally erratic and my blood pressure went sky-high, and I had an EMCS. We were both to have IV antibiotics twice a day after the birth, I had them for five days and he had them for seven, as it turned out the infection was worse than they had originally thought - they suspected meningitis at one point but eventually said it's a lung infection he had, two lumbar punctures proved inconclusive as the results were contaminated and I would NEVER allow those again as the only difference it would have made to treatment was antibiotics for five days instead of seven!

He was in NICU for a few days as he struggled to breathe but recovered well and hasn't had any lasting effects from it that we can see. He was discharged from the follow-up clinic at five months old and they said he was perfectly healthy and he's now a 15-month old ball of energy and you'd never know he started life off in a plastic incubator covered in wires.

Obviously our story isn't nearly as bad as your experience sounds to have been, so I'm not sure if it's helpful, but I thought I'd write it for you anyway.

 

[bubs82]

M&S&bump, wow our stories do sound very similar, and ur symptoms certainly sound like chorioamnionitis! And our babies are the ones who had to suffer because of it. I've learnt they are very reluctant to admit the presence if this infection, there are many ladies out there who have been mislead. I'm so happy ur Lo is thriving, gives me hope ! My lo is still going thro tests at the mo. To be signed off fit and healthy is all I could ever hope for

 

[M&S+Bump]

M&S&bump, wow our stories do sound very similar, and ur symptoms certainly sound like chorioamnionitis! And our babies are the ones who had to suffer because of it. I've learnt they are very reluctant to admit the presence if this infection, there are many ladies out there who have been mislead. I'm so happy ur Lo is thriving, gives me hope ! My lo is still going thro tests at the mo. To be signed off fit and healthy is all I could ever hope for

Yes, I remember them being very vague and just saying 'infection', nobody ever told me where it came from or anything like that - my waters definitely had not gone prior to going into labour so there was no infection risk from that - the infection was already present and well established before membranes ruptured. To this day I actually don't know where it came from or if anything could have prevented it.

I hope you get some answers soon

 

[elfin2011]

Hmmmmm. Well, my story is not entirely dissimilar.

First pregnancy, went in with labour pains at 40+4. All seemed well, but during labour they said I had an infection of the womb (goodness knows where this came from, but they claimed my waters must have already broken - I'm pretty sure they hadn't however). My temperature was very high and unstable, and my baby ended up being born by emergency c-section due to 'extreme' distress. He went straight into SCBU and we were both pumped full of antibiotics.

I was so shocked by it all, I never did get to the bottom of it. It was always strugged off whenever I tried to broach it those days in the hospital. He needed support to breath at first, but was discharged from SCBU after a couple of days. When pregnant with my second, the MW said what happened during my first labour was probably due to chorioamnionitis.

I remember that the consultants were concerned about organ failures and brain damage, but he has nothing wrong at all. He's a happy, healthy, very intelligent 3 year old.

During my second pregnancy, still traumatised, I insisted on a planned c-section before term, plus I kept an eye on my temperature during the pregnancy, because I felt I needed to take every precaution I could to avoid it happening again. My second son was born without incident.

 

[bubs82]

Hmmmmm. Well, my story is not entirely dissimilar.

First pregnancy, went in with labour pains at 40+4. All seemed well, but during labour they said I had an infection of the womb (goodness knows where this came from, but they claimed my waters must have already broken - I'm pretty sure they hadn't however). My temperature was very high and unstable, and my baby ended up being born by emergency c-section due to 'extreme' distress. He went straight into SCBU and we were both pumped full of antibiotics.

I was so shocked by it all, I never did get to the bottom of it. It was always strugged off whenever I tried to broach it those days in the hospital. He needed support to breath at first, but was discharged from SCBU after a couple of days. When pregnant with my second, the MW said what happened during my first labour was probably due to chorioamnionitis.

I remember that the consultants were concerned about organ failures and brain damage, but he has nothing wrong at all. He's a happy, healthy, very intelligent 3 year old.

During my second pregnancy, still traumatised, I insisted on a planned c-section before term, plus I kept an eye on my temperature during the pregnancy, because I felt I needed to take every precaution I could to avoid it happening again. My second son was born without incident.

God that does sound scarily similar, the high temp is key as u said. Im not surprised they were avoiding ur questions, they don't like to admit to the presence of this infection I bet it would be in ur notes.. I think ur midwife is correct. What makes me sick was mine was a scheduled c section but as this happened at 37 weeks they handled it so wrong.
I'm so glad ur boy is doing well!! That all my worry might be unfounded. U have given me hope I'm so relieved ur second experience was a better one. Thank u for ur story xx

 

[lizziedripping]

Haven't had it, but know of it hun. Just wanted to say, good luck in pursuing your case and please don't be fobbed. This sounds like a dreadful case of neglect, and even tho they might not have been able to prevent the infection anyway, there seemed to be gross neglect which might have altered the outcome.

I can understand your anxiety for the future, but don't assume an issue with your lo darlin, my micro preemie daughter had the odds firmly stacked against her, but is now a healthy 7yr old. Try to maintain a cautious optimism

 

[bubs82]

Haven't had it, but know of it hun. Just wanted to say, good luck in pursuing your case and please don't be fobbed. This sounds like a dreadful case of neglect, and even tho they might not have been able to prevent the infection anyway, there seemed to be gross neglect which might have altered the outcome.

I can understand your anxiety for the future, but don't assume an issue with your lo darlin, my micro preemie daughter had the odds firmly stacked against her, but is now a healthy 7yr old. Try to maintain a cautious optimism

Thank you ... it does help to know of lo's with difficult starts turning out to be happy and healthy, u sound like u had a lot to deal with so I appreciate u taking the time to reply. I certainly don't want to spend precious baby time overworrying and thinking the worst.. right now he is happy if not 'healthy' I don't want him to pick up on bad mummy vibes!!!
I'm definitely not letting it drop, it helps that others recognise that wrong was done - the hospital management certainly tried to tone down the situation, and 'normalise' everything. I need to stay confident in my belief that I was let down and hope I can go someway to preventing this happening to others xx

 

[elfin2011]

Hmmmmm. Well, my story is not entirely dissimilar.

First pregnancy, went in with labour pains at 40+4. All seemed well, but during labour they said I had an infection of the womb (goodness knows where this came from, but they claimed my waters must have already broken - I'm pretty sure they hadn't however). My temperature was very high and unstable, and my baby ended up being born by emergency c-section due to 'extreme' distress. He went straight into SCBU and we were both pumped full of antibiotics.

I was so shocked by it all, I never did get to the bottom of it. It was always strugged off whenever I tried to broach it those days in the hospital. He needed support to breath at first, but was discharged from SCBU after a couple of days. When pregnant with my second, the MW said what happened during my first labour was probably due to chorioamnionitis.

I remember that the consultants were concerned about organ failures and brain damage, but he has nothing wrong at all. He's a happy, healthy, very intelligent 3 year old.

During my second pregnancy, still traumatised, I insisted on a planned c-section before term, plus I kept an eye on my temperature during the pregnancy, because I felt I needed to take every precaution I could to avoid it happening again. My second son was born without incident.

God that does sound scarily similar, the high temp is key as u said. Im not surprised they were avoiding ur questions, they don't like to admit to the presence of this infection I bet it would be in ur notes.. I think ur midwife is correct. What makes me sick was mine was a scheduled c section but as this happened at 37 weeks they handled it so wrong.
I'm so glad ur boy is doing well!! That all my worry might be unfounded. U have given me hope I'm so relieved ur second experience was a better one. Thank u for ur story xx

No problem, happy to share. I do wonder if I should ask to see my notes, now that finally 3 years on I can talk about it without crying! I wish you all the very best for your little one, and that you get your happy ending soon. x

 

[bubs82]

Seeing my notes did actually really help me, there was no more speculation, and they couldn't hide anything. I saw, black and white step by step what happened. It has helped me deal with it. I'm sorry u have felt so upset years later, I can see this affecting me for a long time too. Trystans heart scan is tomorrow, if I get positive news it will be a huge boost. I still get paranoid over my temp now, a few weeks after my EMCS I had internal bleeding that got infected - I got a temp of 39 and fever, dizzy and pain all over my uterusI was terrified, like it was happening all over again and got admitted into hospital again. And to top it off, the doctor who was put in charge of me walked into my room - and it was the one who tried to send me home !!!! I was hysterical. She even remembered me and asked me questions.. she looked uncomfortable so she definitely knew she cocked up. But I'm so emotionally messed up after it all xx

 

[elfin2011]

Thanks for your reply - I think I've decided that I will ask for a review.

Good luck for Trystan's heart scan (beautiful name btw).

 

[midori1999]

Yes, I have had choriamnionitis in April 2010. I got it after prolonged premature rupture of membranes. My membranes around 'twin 1', Megan, went at 14+5 and at 23+5 (I was in hospital at that time awaiting a decision on treatment for blood clots in my lungs) I woke up with symptoms of infection, which rapidly got worse. By 2pm, Megan had been born and it was obvious (because of the amount of puss) that I had had an infection for weeks, but had had no symptoms of it and although I was being regularly and properly monitored it hadn't shown up at all. Sadly, because my waters had gone so early, which meant there was little chance for lung development to happen, because she was so premature and because of the infection, we lost Megan when she was 15 minutes old. Her sister, Imogen was born at 2.11pm and she lived in NICU for 9 days. She was just too premature to survive, although she was a fighter, they both were!

I had been aware of the risk of infection from the time my waters had gone and had a lot of time to research, so I knew about choriamnionitis before I had it. I have since been pregnant again and although I have had several early miscarriages, these are due to a blood disorder, not the choriamnionitis. I do now have a baby girl, who I had since the infection and everything was fine in my pregnancy with her, although they did query 'foul smelling' amniotic fluid at her birth, but no infection showed and she was fine.

I am not sure if this helps. Good luck with your son's heart scan.

 

[bubs82]

Thanks for your reply - I think I've decided that I will ask for a review.

Good luck for Trystan's heart scan (beautiful name btw).

That is really good - I really think it might help 'close the door' on it. Thank you for your support, im so glad u like the name as I had a mixed response lol. I hope u get the answers u need xx

 

[bubs82]

Yes, I have had choriamnionitis in April 2010. I got it after prolonged premature rupture of membranes. My membranes around 'twin 1', Megan, went at 14+5 and at 23+5 (I was in hospital at that time awaiting a decision on treatment for blood clots in my lungs) I woke up with symptoms of infection, which rapidly got worse. By 2pm, Megan had been born and it was obvious (because of the amount of puss) that I had had an infection for weeks, but had had no symptoms of it and although I was being regularly and properly monitored it hadn't shown up at all. Sadly, because my waters had gone so early, which meant there was little chance for lung development to happen, because she was so premature and because of the infection, we lost Megan when she was 15 minutes old. Her sister, Imogen was born at 2.11pm and she lived in NICU for 9 days. She was just too premature to survive, although she was a fighter, they both were!

I had been aware of the risk of infection from the time my waters had gone and had a lot of time to research, so I knew about choriamnionitis before I had it. I have since been pregnant again and although I have had several early miscarriages, these are due to a blood disorder, not the choriamnionitis. I do now have a baby girl, who I had since the infection and everything was fine in my pregnancy with her, although they did query 'foul smelling' amniotic fluid at her birth, but no infection showed and she was fine.

I am not sure if this helps. Good luck with your son's heart scan.

oh im so sorry for the terrible experience u had I had no idea just how much devastation this infection can cause. I'm so happy to hear ur little girl arrived safe and well. I truly appreciate ur story, and u sharing ur experience with me. Thank you