Scoliosis/Pregnancy/ Herring rods placed in spine/Birth

Thanks for the important information given by all of you, I had my surgery at the age of 16 and the rod was inserted to the upper spine (near the neck). Now I'm 28 years old with 6 months pregnancy...I want to have a normal delivery with out a epidural or any other injection to the spine since we do not have that facility.... my Gyno states I may not be able to go for normal delivery with scoliosis... but after reading all the feedback from you, i trust i have a chance of normal delivery... pls. give your comments~

Hi All

 

I noticed this recently and thought I would let you know how I went with it all.  I had the op for scoliosis in 1983 when I was 15.  I had my son in 2001 and had a C section.  The only reason I had a C section was because my son was breach and was told up until the moment I went in if he had turned I would have been sent home to return when labour started.  However he hadn't turned by the time my op started so all was good.  I had a spinal block which went fine.  They had never experienced someone like me before so I was really a test case and was told if the spinal did not work I would have to go under anaesthetic which meant my husband would not be allowed in for the birth.  Thankfully the spinal block worked and everything was fine.  I would think nowadays anaesthetists are far more familiar with this condition now so wouldn't be too concerned but would urge you to seek advice if you have any worries.  Anyway just thought I'd share that everything can work out fine.

 

Cheers

Hello,

Hello,

just to inform you that I had a spinal fusion with Harrington rod instrumentation 27 years ago and I have delivered with normal birth without epidural, 3 daughters aged 10,5 and 3. I am really very happy that I had this experience and I recommend to you, don't be afraid, having children is a blessing from God and the children will fill your life with joy and love. So if there is no complex serious complication I would recommend you to try to have a child  rather than avoiding a pregnancy. 

 

Stav

My rods were put in 30 years ago. The fusion didn't completely work, and I have broken the rods in several places. However.. I had natural delivery of 3 children starting 2 years after rod insertion, all in the 8.5-10 pound range without any epidurals or drugs. Yes, it hurt, but didn't last long. I have been lucky and don't have any back pain resulting from the deliveries. Talk to your doctor. I know several women like me, who have successfully delivered naturally.

I had herring rods since age 12 to correct scoliosis. I've been pregnant four times, two miscarriages and two normal births, with local anethesia. I do just about everything except, roll in yoga, that was when I realised I had limitations due to my rods. Other than that, no problems. Best of luck

I had my rods placed in my entire back (upper and lower scoliosis) in Feb '12 and now Sept '12 am 19 weeks pregnant. I am getting scared about pregnancy and childbirth, I've had three regular births (2 with epidurals) previously so this is the first since surgery. The doc has given me some pain meds every once in awhile to help with some of the pain. Any advice or encouragement????

It makes me feel so much better seeing that it IS possible to have a baby with rods. I had rods put in and my lower spine fused in 1996. I am now 26 and trying to have a baby and was worried that I wouldnt be able to. THANK YOU!! It is also nice to see that I am not the only one going through this!

Thank you for all of these messages!  Like Amanda, I am 26 and beginning to have babies on the brain; of course in '99 when I had the surgery at age 13, it didn't cross my mind to ask such questions.  And now, I'm finding that it's true that there is very little information out there on pregnancy and scoliosis surgery.  It's nice that we can learn from each others' experiences.  Thank you for your stories!

Hey I hope you have a safe delivery.. Just trust in God.. He is the ONLY one that can truly help :). May God bless you and your baby Thanks for sharing! Remember God loves you and will save :) just got to answer His call and mean it whole heartedly :)

I had scoliosis surgery in 8th grade, I'm now a sophomore in college with no immediate plans of getting pregnant. Everyone on here is talking about the actual labor, but I feel like since I went through that surgery, I can handle whatever additional pain the labor throws in, for a day or two. What I'm more concerned about is the actual pregnancy. I have noticed that even 5 or 10 extra pounds hurts my back, what experiences have you moms had with all the additional weight put on by pregnancy? And just overall, how much did it suck? :)

hello it was ok for me as i had 3 pregnancies without major problems because i had put only 8 kilos and had a low body weight before pregnancy

Thank you so much for taking the time to post this! I too have Harrington rods put in when I 12 and I've already come to terms with no epidural since anethesiologist might be iffy about it anyway. Just wanted to be as best knowledgeable as I can before trying to conceive 1st time :D Thanks again! and good luck everyone!

HI! I am 30 years old and a mommy of 3 boys. I has herring rods put in in 1997 for severe scoliosis. I delivered all my babies naturally... of course with no epidural. They tried, but they did not work. I will say it is nice to here from other women who have had this same surgery. I do often wonder what the long tern effects will be- I have pain at times, but nothing I can't get past. Thanks for all the stories!

I delivered both of my kids naturally without any problems. I was told I could not have an epidural due to scar tissue from the scoliosis surgery.