Pacemaker and pregnancy

been there, done that!

by Tracey_E - 2018-10-09 21:46:39

I, too, am, congenital. I was told all along I was not to get pregnant without having a pacer first, that there's no way my body could handle it. They didn't even bother testing me because I always had limited stamina. I got my first pacer in 1994, my babies are both in college now.

Having the pacer has been nothing but a blessing for me. My energy and stamina skyrocketed. It's great that you are so active! However the low rate at night is likely draining your energy so you may come out of it feeling the same, or you may find out (as many of us did) that we didn't feel quite as good as we thought we did before.

Have the cardiologist talk to your OB. OB's don't see a lot of paced patients! Mine was ready to send me to a high risk specialist and was talking about fetal monitoring and I don't even remember what else. The cardiologist told him that the pacer fixed my problems and that he should treat me like any other healthy pregnant patient. I worked out right up until I delivered both times, had two uncomplicated deliveries, they even let me in the birthing suites instead of the main hospital. The only concession was I was put on a heart monitor, told that if things got too drawn out or my heart showed any signs of stress, that there would be an immediate c-section. 

Surgery itself was easy, nothing even close to how I imagined it. That was before the internet so I couldn't find anyone else like me, and I'd had a lifetime of building it up in my head. 

Figure a week or two to feel yourself again, 6-8 weeks to fully heal. Me? I'd start TTC as soon as I stopped the pain meds but you might wanna run that by your doctors first. It doesn't happen usually happen first try but even if it happened that first month, you'd be all healed before it mattered. Women have gotten pacers while already pregnant so question them if they want you to wait. 

Life afterwards? No one looks at me and sees a heart patient and most of the time I don't give it a thought. I do Crossfit 5 mornings a week and I'm training to run a half marathon with my oldest so for now I'm also running 3 days a week after CF class.  This Saturday I'm signed up for a yoga class. Last week I took some friends on a ropes course, I was the oldest but the first one done. I hike or ski most vacations and never pass up a chance to kayak. No grass grows under my feet :o) 

AV block is not genetic so our kids cannot inherit it. 

If you have questions about the surgery, paced pregnancy, living with a pacer or just want to chat with someone who's been in your shoes, feel free to message me. It's nowhere near as scary as it sounds. 

Same as you

by KJ7 - 2018-10-11 17:27:18

I'm in the same boat as you. I have complete heart block (diagnosed at age 2 so they assume it is congenital) and recently got married. About a month before the wedding my now husband and I went to my cardiologist to talk about wanting to start a family right away (I am 38 so we are trying right away). I went through a number of tests and he said the same thing - that my heart may be too slow for the stress pregnancy brings. He gave slightly different advice - go ahead and start trying and if/when I get pregnant come back and see him monthly. I was a competitive swimmer through high school and now run half marathons, hike mountains and do HIIT training about 5-6 days a week. Of course, I too am following whatever advice my doctor says for the benefit of any future children. 

Two pregnancies and pacer dependent

by Sasser - 2018-10-21 01:37:05

Like you I had a congenital defect. I learned I needed a pacemaker 2 years after getting married. We waited a while before deciding to start a family and even had some genetic testing done. The testing indicated it was very unlikely the congenital defect would be passed onto babies. My OB was amazing and did more frequent ultrasounds (which was a nice blessing) and ordered an epidural be given to me sooner (than may normally be given) when I went into labor. Doctor didn't want me to labor too long / too hard. I also consulted a high risk OB for my first pregnancy, but did not with the second pregnancy. We did have a problem with the hospital we originally were going to deliver at. Just before my due date my OB checked with them and advised them I had a pacemaker. Long story short I had to go to a different facility. So I would advise you to check that aspect out in advance! Both pregnancies were wonderful and deliveries went fine and no issues with the pacemaker. Our beautiful girls are amazing!