Has anyone gone through labor & delivery while having dystonia?

[MommyAllison]

A friend of mine is ~37 weeks pregnant and was recently diagnosed with dystonia. She hasn't been able to find anyone who had dystonia while going through labor & delivery, and would really like to know what to expect. Please post or PM me if you are willing to share your experience! Thanks!

[DrSally]

What kind of dystonia does she have?

[shilo]

no personal experience, but i've worked with my share of dystonia and chorea patients in the past. sorry i can't offer more, but if it were me or someone i cared about, here's where my mental ramblings lead... sorry it goes to mostly clinical thoughts and activity restrictions (that's the therapist talking).

dystonias can run the gamut in how debilitating they are, where and how much of the body they involve, how rapidly/if they resolve, progress, etc.

it's been a while, but if iirc, some types of dystonia can be made worse with anesthesia (not remembering if this applies only to general anesthesia or if it's true of regional anesthesia as well). depending on what type of dystonia (what muscles and area of the body it's effecting) she probably ought to be meeting with an anesthesiologist and neurologist jointly NOW, if she hasn't already, to formulate a care plan that's on file when she gets to the hospital. beyond a birth plan, it needs to be in her chart what is and is not safe from the dystonia standpoint.

again depending on where the dystonia is and what parts of the body it may be effecting, will it effect her ability to care for/nurse/room in with the baby at the hospital? if so, she may want to formulate a plan with her ob/hospital ahead of time so that provisions for an extra bed for an assistant overnight is approved ahead of time. same goes for once they get home - if the dystonia is likely to persist after delivery, does she have extra help set up at home?

tough diagnosis to be getting anytime, let alone this close to the end of a pregnancy. hoping for the best for your friend.

[MommyAllison]

Edited for privacy

Thank you for the thoughts and advice, Lori! I will pass them along to her.