Pregnancy and the Pacemaker

I am almost 26 and have been married for about 7 months. My husband has been with my from the first medical appt to the first pacemaker and now the replacement I had last September. Having children has always been important to both of us. Next September were going on a late honeymoon and plan on TTC after that. I have an AV block that is treated with my pacemaker. I am taking no heart related medication just something for my migraines which I plan on weening off of the summer before.

My question is has anyone been thru this? what can I do to prepare my body? I have talked to my doctor and she said it would be just like any normal pregnancy but I really just think more in the medical field don't realize that most pacemaker patients are not in there 20s and planning a pregnancy.

thanks
-Jenn

5 Comments

Been there done that 3 happy times

by maryanne - 2009-07-26 01:07:07

Greetings and welcome to the club.

Pacemakers and pregnancy....Well 25 years ago when I was pregnant with my first child they took lots of precautions with me...I was monitored up the ying yang...and when it came time for the birthing of my daughter needless to say it was not a very private affair. Every nursing student and medical student seemed to be in the room along with the regular staff, my GP and the OBGYN. They wanted me to have an epidural as they didn't want to put my heart under any stress....everything went smoothly.

Almost 4 years later when it came time for my 2nd daughter I was monitored but not as closely.

My 3rd daughter arrived 4 years after that and I had ZERO intervention. I mean of course I went for all my doctors check ups and ultrasounds the standard stuff....but when it came time for birthing I delievered her naturally....and again every thing was fine.

PM's are so common now.....and as long as you are healthy and don't have any other underlying medical condition I think you should speak with your GP and decide what it is YOU want not them.

Just on an aside....if you look at the top right hand corner of this sight there is a search icon.....I know this topic has been discussed previously and there might be some other suggestions or thoughts from other moms.

All the best...and congrats on celebrating a late honeymoon.

Cheers....Mary Anne

did it once with my ICD no problems !

by millymollymoo - 2009-07-26 04:07:21

hi I have just joined. I had my second child in march 2004, I had a ICD fitted at Barts Hospital due to VF and am diagnosed with VT in 1996 and had it replaced August 2004! Quite a busy year ( defib battery had depleted but they couldnt replace until august)
I was asked to have my son at Chelsea & westminster and by caesaeran, but refused!!!! had an epidural and all went perfectly well. My local hospital made more fuss than my cardiologist at barts, he was brilliant and told them off. By the way I am on sotalol and 1 aspirin but had no probems (although a crash team were waiting outside the door)

My advice is speak to your cardiologist XXX good luck XXX

been there, done that twice :o)

by Tracey_E - 2009-07-26 08:07:15

I also have congenital av block and got my first pm in my 20's. I had two babies post-pm. Maryanne, another member, has me beat with three. :o)

My ob and cardio talked because I was a first for both of them. They both said what yours said- it would be just like any normal healthy pregnancy! The pm essentially fixes our problem. Since our hearts are otherwise healthy and we're not on meds, there are no big concerns. The best thing you can do is what anyone ttc should do- take vitamins (add a folic acid supplement), exercise and eat right. Only a few very little things were different for me.

The nurses at the ob's office offered me phenergan when I got atrocious morning sickness, said it was harmless and anyone can take it. I looked at the side effects- one is changes in heart rate- and called back, insisted on talking to the dr and he agreed with me it was a bad idea. So, if you're looking for natural solutions to extreme morning sickness in a few months, come see me! LOL

They put me on a heart monitor and preventative antibiotics when I delivered. They said if delivery got long and drawn out and my heart showed signs of stress that I wouldn't be allowed to continue and they'd do a c-section. Both went just fine.

Epidurals are another thing to discuss with your ob and the anesthesiologist when the time gets closer. One of the side effects can be changes in bp and hr so I chose to do without rather than do something that could potentially increase the chances of a c-section. It was my choice, they would have allowed it! I am a drugophobe, I won't even take an aspirin unless I can't stand the pain so know that I was already thinking I wanted to skip it, this was just one factor in my decision. Flip side of the coin... we have another lady here who chose the epidural because less pain means the mom is more comfortable and less stressed- i.e. easier on her heart. We're all different and there is no right answer for everyone. Learn what you can, talk to your doctors, then make the decision that's right for you.

Not heart-related... I tried a chiropractor for migraines when I was pg since I couldn't take my prescription. He cured them, I have not had a bad one or taken anything for them since! When I start to get one now, I scoot to his office as fast as I can and he can stop it before it gets bad.

Have a wonderful late honeymoon! Best wishes conceiving quickly and for an easy, uncomplicated pregnancy! My girls are 11 and 12 now and I'm on my 4th pm. Life is good :o)

No real problems

by kj - 2009-07-30 05:07:11

Hi i had a baby 10 months ago so the experience is very fresh in my mind.
When i was first pregnant the midwife referred me to an obstitrician as i had a pacemaker. The obstitrician treated me like i had a severe health problem. (I don't!), I had my pacemaker implanted for congenital heart block in when i was 7, and am currently awaiting a date for my 5th battery change. (I am 24)
After speaking to the obstitrician (and deciding he knew nothing about pacemakers), i spoke to my technitions. They told me i would have no problems with pregnancy and giving birth. And were also positive to say i could have my wish of a home birth with just my husband and a midwife present.
About 4 months into the pregnancy i started to feel weak and faint so saw my technitions the next day and they increased the settings on my pacemaker. Due to the heart needing to work harder in pregnancy to support the growing baby.
No other problems with the pregnancy, it just so happened i have a completely unrelated surprise premature baby born at 27 weeks, but all is well with her now and she doesnt have my heart problem.
Good luck with trying for a baby, mine is my whole world. Any questions please dont hesitate to contact me.
Kira x

pacemakers and pregnancy and hypothyroidism and PCOS

by rebeccamcgrath - 2012-02-11 04:02:38

Hi Guys

It sounds like having a baby with a pacemaker is just the same as having a baby without one :-) How was the pain relief for you? Were you offered the usual suspects?

I would love to go for a mobile epidural, if I am lucky enough to conceive, and wondered if anybody on here had had any experience with a mobile epidural, as opposed to a spinal block.

Did you have to have your pacemaker settings changed much?

I hope that you are all well :-)

we are currently TTC, and I am absolutely terrified about the morning sickness and the pain of delivery! I guess, an epidural is the way forward, as when I had gas and air for my first pacemaker, I felt DREADFUL .

I too suffer from migraines, and UTI's and have quite a nasty one at the mo. I spoke with a urogynaecologist about this, and he said that it was ok to have antibiotics, as the infection needs to be treated! ahaghaghaga!

:-)

Thanks for your comments and advice in advance :-)
Becks

You know you're wired when...

You have a 25 year mortgage on your device.

Member Quotes

I had a pacemaker when I was 11. I never once thought I wasn't a 'normal kid' nor was I ever treated differently because of it. I could do everything all my friends were doing; I just happened to have a battery attached to my heart to help it work.