Postpartum infection, or my second-go-round at the hospital
How do you like my fancy captioning? The black typeface looks very ominous. POSTPARTUM INFECTION.
Well, it is ominous. And something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. If you’re looking for the short shortcut story, here it is:
I got a bacterial infection in my uterus after the birth, spiked an insanely high fever, was hospitalized for two days on IV antibiotics and am supposed to really take it easy and just rest for the coming weeks.
—
Here’s the shortcut version:
One week out from BabyLoves’ birth, I felt my worst. Is this normal? After a week of a few different healthcare provider opinions, it was determined I should go see an OBGYN and find out what the heck was making me so sick. The OB was fabulous. Oops–this is the short version. She diagnosed me with “endometritis”–no, not endometriosis–but an infection in the lining of my uterus that’s very uncommon for vaginal births. She wanted me to go to the hospital ASAP for IV antibiotics to prevent, or treat if it was already happening, sepsis. Two days later, BabyLoves & I were happily discharged, bacteria-free. And now it feels like I’m just starting recover from his epic birth.
—
Longer version? Details on how awesome the OB was and how fabulous our nursing care was at the hoppy? Here it is.
BabyLoves’ birth was great and hard. Wonderful labor. Terrible pushing & tearing. But his girth worked in his favor for a great latch from second one, great sleeper, great weight gainer, and overall super happy baby. He’s up almost two pounds since birth already and we’re not even four weeks out yet.
My recovery was slow initially. I kept wondering how long I’d need to ice and be on anti-inflamatories that first week back home. I’d shuffle around, lay on the couch and watch the big kids play while baby slept on my chest. AA stayed home that whole week and was amazing, of course.
But taking Motrin around the clock wasn’t my idea of fun and as the week’s end grew near, I kept thinking I should be done with this already.
Reality check: I did push out practically a 10 pound baby, and have almost two hours of repairs. Yes, I probably still needed Motrin.
Friends came by with food frequently, saving us from cereal for every meal, and I felt pretty normal as I chatted with them, showing them chunky baby and thanking them profusely for the food. AA’s sister & brother-in-law happened to be in town and I actually got out of my bathrobe to say hello briefly, and offer them brownies.
But by one week out, I felt so much pain and discomfort. Two baths a day with my sister’s wonderful sitz tea soak would dull the pain, but when I got out, it was back. My lower back hurt. Something had to be wrong. I smelled weird, too!
On the one hand, I kept rationalizing it, thinking, well, you had a really big baby and lots of stitches. On the other hand, I’d think, well, you’ve gone through this twice before and never hurt like this nor felt sick overall. Just yucky. Just bleh. Just can’t-move-pale-cheeks-no-appetite-stabbing-pain bad.
I won’t bore you with the details of who was looking at my swimsuit area, but eventually I was referred to a lovely OBGYN group that works with my midwives.
I didn’t want to go. I’d get better. I didn’t want to pack up the baby. I didn’t want to get out of bed. I didn’t know if I could get out of bed. By Sunday, I was downright shaking with chills! Saying goodnight to SuperBoy, I had to turn off his fan. It was achingly cold in his room. I walked around, holding the baby, closing all the windows on the second floor. It was freeeeezing out. Until suddenly it was a sauna. I couldn’t breathe. Gasping for air, and dripping sweat a lllll down my legs. My armpits smelled like raw chicken gone bad. Open those windows! No, wait, turn on the A/C! How could the whole house be on fire?
Then it felt like my prescription suddenly not right? Was I wearing AA’s glasses? Stumbling around looking for what presumably could only be my glasses somewhere–not on my face–it hit me. You’re getting worse. You’re really sick.
But I ignored the voice. I cried in the bathtub that night–ugly crying. Like the time my business professor in college shredded me after a presentation in front of a large class. Like my face was the inside of a watermelon. Hard crying. Maybe it’s postpartum depression that’s making me so sick? Maybe I’m a big wuss.
**This is why I’m sharing these all too personal details about my infection. If you’re feeling overall sick, and you have stabbing pain in your swimsuit region, run, don’t walk to your provider. And don’t leave until they’ve ruled out endometritis. If they figure it out early enough, you can just take a round of oral antibiotics, usually augmenten. You’re not a wuss and you’re not a complainer. You may have a very serious infection that can affect the rest of your baby-making-parts and go into your bloodstream and shut down your organs. No joke, ladies.**
Where were we? Oh, yes, the ugly crying. Followed by my mother the following morning telling me in no uncertain terms that I looked very ill and that either I go to an OBGYN or the ER. And it was her birthday. Happy birthday, mama. How could I tell her no? She was looking very cross. Very cross indeed.
Dragging my feet and hauling my baby in the sling, I sludged up to the doctor’s office with my sister, who kindly agreed last minute to come with–just in case he fussed and she needed to hold him while I was examined. Good thing she was there, because as it turned out, I was feeling worse and worse and could scarcely put one foot in front of the other to get into the office, collapse onto the examining table, and close my eyes, waiting, enduring, waiting for the doctor.
She was a fabulous practitioner, great bedside manner, and cousin to my other sister’s high school boyfriend. NO WAY–it’s a small world after all. After the pleasantries, she checked me out. Turns out I was very hot. Everywhere. Like a little human spa. VERY very hot, and with a fever clocking in at the amazing temperature of 102. My abdomen was spastically sore when she pushed on it, and oh, yes, I felt badly everywhere.
She explained to me that I was very sick. That I had a bacterial infection in my uterus. That she wanted to admit me to the hospital across the street–right away– for IV antibiotics. That I would need to be there a few days. That she wanted to prevent the bacteria from going into my bloodstream (sepsis) and then other organs. That she wasn’t kidding. Oh, yeah, and that I really shouldn’t be driving myself anywhere.
What? Endome-what? The hospital? Right now? I just want to lay down on the floor and sleep/die. The hospital overnight? What about my newborn?
Fast-forward to returning to the hospital we had just birthed at two weeks prior, with the world’s sweetest nurses, back to the maternity ward, with my baby and my husband, and my iPad, and some fresh fruit, and my lavender bathrobe. When we arrived, I could barely walk. This time, not due to contractions like the last. This time because the infection was sapping the life out of me. I wheezed my name at the nurses’ station and they hustled us into a room. They were expecting us, me, this. Sick mama alert!
I slept, got medications, slept, got more medications, and assuredly killed every bacteria in a 5 mile radius of me. It was exhausting but obviously urgently necessary.
BabyLoves was everyone’s fav baby, as most babies are not that big around there. At every shift change, the new nurse would say, Oh he’s just so big and look at how well he nurses! Small (big?) favors in so many departments with his personality and person.
Our beloved midwives stopped by and chatted. The nurses were capable, caring, and very attentive. But I gotta ask: who doesn’t feel guilty asking a woman with tons of education and expertise to fetch you water? Awkward servitude. We had the same nurses a few times go ’round and by the end, they felt like family. Hell, my mom even made them fudge.
The only unresolved matter was the results of an ultrasound before I was discharged. Thankfully, no sign of any remaining placenta, but there were blood clots. I’m supposed to let my doc know they emerge, or my fever restarts. Hopefully everything goes back to business as usual in the lady department and my body can turn to healing up. Fast. Because my poor mom & sisters & dad & husband. They’ve been carrying the big load of two squirmy, semi-naughty kids. And I’ve been eating food in bed. And hanging out on my computer.
Last, but not least, truly, truly, thank you. Thank you for your love & prayers. Thank you for reading & being here. Thank you for sharing this journey with us. Big smooches, gentle readers!
That’s so scary! I’m glad your mom put her foot down and I’m glad you’re well.
It was scary–especially in hindsight. My mom is a force to be reckoned with, so when she put her foot down, I knew it was all over! 🙂 Thank you so much for your concern.
I know this is old but I can’t find anyone going through what I am. First of all I am glad you caught it and are ok. I had my baby 9 days ago via emergency csection because during labor my placenta abrupted. After stay at hospital the day I was being released I had a fever of 103 and the said I couldn’t leave and started 3 Iv antibiotics then after two days of that I was released with oral antibiotics and Motrin then I keep having a fever breaking through no higher than 100.4 but it scares me because I have been on antibiotics for days shouldn’t my fever be gone? I don’t know what to do bathe blood work at hospital didn’t show one thing just a infection ??
Hi friend!! I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I have no medical advice other than to keep calling your provider and don’t feel embarrassed about following up with lots of questions. That’s great if they caught an infection early!
OMG, Nell!!! So glad you’re on the mend.
Wow. SO GLAD you got yourself checked in time and that you are (hopefully!) on top of the infection. It must have been so hard going back to the obgyn so soon after giving birth: one of the last things a new mum wants to do!
Helen–that going back in was one of the toughest parts! But I’m really really lucky I listened to those around me & my own body and did!!
Omg Nell. That is so scary, and I can only imagine how awful you felt. I’m glad you’re on the mend. And he is looking adorable!
You are so kind, Christy–he is big & happy! Yes–super scary and totally a lesson for all of us on listening to our bodies and continuing to ask questions even if a medical provider tells us we’re fine!
Nell! I have been so out of the loop that I missed this! I’m so sorry that you had to go through it and very grateful that you got the care you needed. I will add you to my prayers tonight for complete and total healing.
Melody, you are so loving to pray for me! Thank you so much. It has been a long journey and I’m still fighting a residual infection as a result of all the antibiotics, but hopefully there’s a light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not another infection 🙂
Love your blog. Praying for a speedy recovery.
Thank you so much, Tricia! I’m on the mend from a different infection right now (sheeeeesh)! And hope to be fully normal (was I ever normal?) soon. Your prayers certainly have helped tons and loads.
A little late to the ball game but I was just looking around your blog & stumbled upon this. So glad you are ok. 🙂 It brought back several emotions from when I had my first baby 2.5 years ago. Long story short, I had retained placenta (a lot) that they discovered (or I discovered) at two weeks postpsrtum. Very scary! We had our second daughter almost four months ago & my body doesn’t like to give up all my placenta (sorry if that is TMI). Thanks for sharing!
Never TmI here! They did a few ultrasounds thinking I had retained placenta. Thankfully I didn’t but I’m so sorry you did!! So awful.
[…] weddings, family visits. But I also was in bed for almost two months after I had him because of that pesky infection in my uterus that knocked me […]
I was wondering if the infection made anyone infertile BC I got this infection after my delivery and have been trying for another and its not happening.
Great question!! I haven’t been pregnant since but also haven’t had my cycles back so I don’t know first hand. What does your provider think? I’m so so sorry you’re having to deal with this 🙁
I stumbled upon your blog while reading up on Endometritis to better understand what happened to me. I pretty much went through this exact same experience a few weeks ago after having my first baby (a big baby boy just like you! And he is now almost 8 weeks and up nearly 4 pounds!). I was discharged from the hospital after what I felt was a smooth and pretty simple birth. I came home and gradually became sicker and sicker each day. I kept thinking it was just the effects of the birth and epidural, but as I gradually took on a fever I knew something wasn’t right. I ended up going to the ER, barely able to walk from lower back pain and zero energy, combined with all the swelling downstairs. I was admitted for 2 days and had the drip of 3 antibiotics, plus an additional 2 weeks of antibiotics at home. It’s a miracle that my son is breastfeeding successfully, given all that happened with the antibiotics and Mommy being unavailable at times, plus introducing a bottle to a 1-week old baby for those 2 days. I am so glad I read your blog because it makes me feel a lot better to know that someone else went through this. I have been struggling to accept what happened to me and have felt very alone about it, despite all the love from my husband and family and friends. In some beautiful way your blog has helped me with healing mentally and emotionally from this experience. Thank you.
Dear Gina, I’m so so so so glad you stumbled over to this. It’s so so scary!! I’m so glad you’re alive and okay and you’ve been able to be where you want to on your breastfeeding journey. I think I really suffered some trauma when it was all said and done–and really didn’t know anyone else who had gone through it. I think the numbers are like 3% of vaginal births. So we are in this club together!
Reading your story has made me cry. I just did a Google search for “recovering emotionally after uterine infection “, and your blog was the first result that came up. We had our third homebirth – a big, handsome boy – beautiful, easy, clean, smooth birth. Three days later I was in the ER with 102.9 degree fever. Ended up being a uterine infection, with the culture coming back positive for Strep A. Do you know what the bacteria infection was that caused yours, by chance? Thankfully, a ten day course of oral antibiotics cleared it up, praise God. I have been using supplements to clean up the resulting yeast and rebuild my immune system. But emotionally, at nearly 4 months post partum, I have still been dealing with the anxiety and fear over it. Little things remind me that my body was broken. The birth that was so easy and healing, compared to the first two, ended up scaring me emotionally and mentally. Birth is beautiful and babies are such a blessing, but this has caused me to question the strength of my body to do that very thing. I’m sorry for rambling on, but I am so thankfully to have read your story and know I’m not alone, and that you came through on the other side,and understand the mental and emotional battle that goes with it. As a praise though, our son was and is completely healthy, and has been a wonderful nurser since birth – he’s over 16 pounds now, and is such a happy baby who brings us so much joy!
Hugs, sister. SO SO HARD!
I know this is old but I had just went through about the same thing though I was in the hospital for a week with the infection, here now if your fever is high they keep you for 48 hours, if it still doesn’t break then you stay another 48 hours. It was rough and like you I would not wish it on anyone the fever was crazy and the antibotics were rough not to mention all the sweating along with it. I’ve been home two weeks now and just finished my oral antibotics so I’m hoping I do not have this happen again. Long labor and they had to pop my water so I’m guessing it was from all of that. Glad you got better and hopefully any one who reads this takes the warning still and goes and gets checked asap if they have any of the symptoms
Oh friend! so so sorry!!
I just read this and am about 3.5 weeks postpartum and just finished my oral antibiotics but at about 2 weeks postpartum I had gone into the ER with a 107 fever and had a heart rate of 160. For the two weeks prior to going into the ER I felt terrible but it was my first baby so I thought it was normal. We’ll when I went in after many test they told me I had endometritis. I was admitted for 3 days with IV antibiotics. The doctor wouldn’t let me leave until I have 24 hours without a fever. Once they sent me home they prescribed oral antibiotics. I’m very thankful as well I went in that night. I’m glad you’re okay but, it’s also nice to see that I’m not the only one this happened to. Crazy thing is I also had a boy and he was 9lb 8oz with a vaginal delivery.
oh friend!!!
Oh friend!!! So crazy!!!
Such a good read after going through a very similar thing. I had sepsis 11 days postpartum. This story brought tears to my eyes as it just takes me back to when I knew something was wrong with me and I had to go straight to hospital.
Thank you for sharing. I think sharing helps the healing process. I had mastitis while this was also happening to me and unfortunately couldn’t deal with breastfeeding and gave it up. 5 days in hospital and 3 types of antibiotics. Thank God for family.
I’m so sorry you had to go through this!
I did this, but it was directly after childbirth spiked a high fever and. They put me of three sets of pure antibiotics, they thought about life flighting me to Wichita, KS. I was alone and scared . Just me and babygirl..my other three we’re w. Gma, and what makes it worse is it was a couple days before Xmas. I was sure I’d die on Xmas and my poor babies would nvr enjoy a Xmas again. I was very scared and emotional, and just down right sick . By Xmas Eve me and dollface were the only ones left in the baby ward. … That made it scary. They brought in Santa and his elves and i bawled my eyes out bc they were so kind to do so. My fever still hadn’t broke but it was lower, and I’d had all of my antibiotics by about 11 that night . And so they decided to let me go home to be w. All of my babies. I’ll tell you there was no better Xmas gift than holding all of my babies and knowing i had more days to share w. Them. I know what i have, and I’ve always known what i have, but i didn’t realize quite how much i treasured an valued my little family until i knew they would lose me before they could remember me. Hold your babies tight.
I’m glad to have come across your story — I lived this too. My newborn was 10 days old and I did go septic because of Emdomyometritis. Fighting for life for 9 days in the hospital, several antibiotics to save my life and months of physical therapy after the antibiotics caused nerve damage in my inner ear. My whole world was spinning (literally and figuratively). Couldn’t drive for months! What’s so strange is that it was a very quick vaginal delivery to a 6lb boy. Thankfully I have a great support system with my husband, family and friends. There’s no way we could’ve made it without months of help. I should have died.
Honestly it’s 3.5 years later and I’m still emotional about it. Three years after that we decided it was time to try for another (knowing that infection was such a fluke), but we recently discovered that our dreams of a big family have been crushed too… the infection was so bad that it made me infertile. I know God has a beautiful plan for our family, but I definitely struggle with some PTSD from all that! I live a combination of grief for what that infection cost me (missing out on my son being a newborn, and now infertility) and gratitude to the Lord for allowing me to survive and continue being a wife and mama.
Hugs to all of you 1-3 percenters!
Thank you all for posting this!! I can’t seem to find much online about uterine infections. I am so thankful to be snuggling my 8 week old girl and 4 year old son right now. I am recovering from postpartum endometritis as well. I hemorrhaged 4 times after birth starting at 4 weeks due to retained membranes. I had to have a D&C which stopped the bleeding for a day or two then the infection caused more bleeding. I just finished 1.5 weeks of oral antibiotics and I am still having pain. I was wondering if any of you remember how long it took you to recover? I feel very alone in this and my OB doesn’t seem to answer my questions. I am scared there is more wrong. Thank the Lord my baby is also healthy and a great nurser. I am so sad to have missed so much of her being a newborn to deal with my health. Plus, I am afraid of being infertile from all of this. It’s nice to hear from other ladies who had similar circumstances. I don’t want to sound ungrateful when I talk about it. Thankful you all had healthy babies too!!
Hi friend! I am so sorry you’re going through this!! I had a healthy baby after this one so don’t worry about recovery! It took me about a month or two to even feel like I could really function. So just rest, okay!!