Amniotic Fluid Embolism

I gave birth 7 weeks ago. Emergency c section after the doctor broke my water. ( fourth child, amniotic sac was broken by the doctor in all). I went into DIC during the section The doctor keeps telling me he doesn't know what happened. My placenta was fine, no abruption. I think I might have had an amniotic fluid embolism. How do I know for sure?

Hi Ladies, 

I suffered AFE whilst trying in vain to deliver our beautiful girl Chloe in August 2012. Its been suggested that the AFE began when I was trying to push after having an epidural. I had an emergency c-section once my OB realised I had a reduced mental state and wasn't capable of pushing. Chloe had to be revived once born and we were both taken to ICU. I was very lucky to have chosen to be in the hospital i was with an ICU just next door. 

I am just fine now, however Chloe passed at 6days. She was so beautiful. The sweetest little thing who rocked our world!

I only started googling AFE last night and was surprised to read such varying stories of affects this has on women and babies. 

I was told my my doctors I can have another baby, and with regards to AFE hitting again, i have as much chance as any other woman in the world. Im not predisposed to it. I had a breezy low risk pregnancy. 

I had considered a natural delivery for next time as its open to me. however looking deeper at myself, my reason for having a natural delivery would be purely pride and for the experience. I haven't made up my mind, and im not pregnant yet, but I'm heavily leaning towards a planned and hopefully a beautiful c-section experience. 

 

I remember feeling buggered or 'over it' in theatre, but in reflection my brain had shut down to 'essential services' so getting excited about her birth wasn't in my capacity. I had also been in labour for over 20hours so feeling buggered is probably ok. 

I never heard Chloe cry, she was revived after birth and tubed. Its one of the sadest thing that we never heard her. I'm glad she was with us for those 6 days. I'm glad i met her however sedated. 

 

I'm SO glad to start connecting to other women who have survived this. I've heard of mums and bubs both surviving and then another couple of scenarios. My brain is fine, my body is fine, im even starting my handover at work this afternoon. I'm nervous as hell to go back into the office and rejoin that part of my life again.

 

I'd be really glad to keep in touch with other AFE survivors. I don't feel like im a survivor as i never felt like i had a struggle for life. But my hospital experience reminds me of the trouble I was in.  

Hi Amy I am also a AFE survivor and would like to no if the chances of this happening again r likely?
Thankyou
Lee

I experienced AFE on 13th dec. 1999. I was hospitalised for two months with temprature. Had a DNC and endoscopy. I had svere depression afterwards. My family suffered mentally, physically and financially. After 15 years i still feel the effects. It's horrible. I lost the child as well.

If you had two successful pregnancy and did not get or experience afe can you get it with a third pregnancy?

Yes, you can get AFE at anytime with the first or fourth child. You will find many women on the AFE support group on FB that had their AFE with a third or fourth child, but not the first two.

They don't know what triggers it. I survived AFE with my first child. I was induced and after 36 hrs of labor was fully dilated and started pushing. My pelvis was too small and my son was trapped. His blood pressure started to drop, so we went for an emergency c-section. As soon as my son's heart rate was dropping, I started to feel whoozy like when your are too drunk to drive. This is when I think the AFE started. Thank god they got my son out in time, but then I started to bleed out during the c-section. After massive transfusion and 7 hours of trying to find the bleeder, they were able to close off the uterine blood vessel that was not clotting.

I think what caused the AFE for me was a combination of the inducing drugs, the meconium in the amniotic fluid and I believe i had a tear in my amniotic sac before they broke my water. When my son was trapped from being to large to clear my pelvis and I was pushing, I think I was forcing meconium tainted amniotic fluid into my blood stream, along with the inducing drugs in my system, caused the toxic AFE reaction that lead to severe hemorrhaging. I was lucking I didn't have a heart attack, drop in blood pressure or breathing problems that others have had that can lead to death. I feel so lucky to be alive to see my son grow up healthy and happy!