How I ended up hospitalized with Postpartum Endometritis

When my third son was born I figured that I knew just about everything to expect during postpartum recovery. But one thing I was completely unprepared for was being hospitalized with Postpartum Endometritis.

Postpartum endometritis is an infection of the uterus lining that occurs in approximately 1-2.5% of vaginal deliveries and 1.5-5% of cesarean sections

I had been under the false impression that postpartum infections only happened about if you had a c-section. And since I had only vaginal births I was never anything that I thought I needed to worry about.

If you’re like me and need to learn the facts on postpartum endometritis you can learn more HERE . And learn more about the warning signs you need to know.

Sitting in the hospital a week and a half after I had my son, hooked up to IV antibiotics was an incredibly scary experience. The only information I could find was either from WebMD or a medical journal.

Hopefully sharing my story helps to not only bring awareness to Postpartum endometritis and other postpartum infections. But I also hope that hearing my story helps bring some comfort to women experiencing it.

The information contained on this site is for informational purposes only. This information is not intended as medical advice and should not be used to make a medical diagnosis. If you have concerns regarding symptoms you are experiencing please contact a medical professional

My Postpartum Endometritis story

Baby Charlie visiting me during my hospital stay

In the days after the birth of my third son Charlie, something didn’t feel right. My uterine area was sore and tender to the touch. And every time I tried to use my postpartum stomach wrap my bleeding increased.

At first, I brushed it off.

I figured that my body was just having a difficult time recovering. Just 16 months prior I had given birth to my second son who weighed 10 lbs. And my third was no lightweight either. He was 9 lbs 14oz and 21 1/2 inches long. So I ignored the feeling that something wasn’t right.

But then came the night sweats.

These weren’t the same as the night sweats I had experienced after my two previous pregnancies. These were way different. They were more intense and almost flu-like.

But again, I excused it away. Maybe all the stress I was under was just making my postpartum symptoms a worse than normal.

But then things got worse, fast.

I remember sitting in my kitchen feeding my toddler when almost out of nowhere I felt like I had been hit by a bus. It was like I suddenly had the flu. I was shaking, sweating, and started bleeding heavily.

I couldn’t ignore it or excuse it away any longer.

I went to the ER and had a battery of test preformed. But the doctors couldn’t find any definitive answers as to what was going. They knew I had some sort of infection but they just couldn’t pin point where.

Since I wasn’t breastfeeding and was going through the process of drying up my milk, the doctors thought I could be experiencing the beginning stages of mastitis.

I didn’t agree that what was going on was mastitis. My breasts felt no different than they had in the past. But I figured the doctors had to know what they were talking about so I didn’t press the issue. They prescribed me antibiotics and sent me home.

But two days later the fever, chills, sweats, pelvic pain and postpartum bleeding came back with a vengeance. This time the doctor almost immediately diagnosed me with postpartum endometritis.

I was quickly admitted to the hospital and hooked up to intravenous antibiotics. Which was supposed to last between 24 – 48 hours.

I end up being there for 8 days.

Not only did I have postpartum endometritis but it turns out I was one of the 5% of people who are resistant to the antibiotics they normally use to treat it.

For the first 5 days in the hospital my fevers continued to spike, my uterus was incredibly source and I continued to bleed heavily. I think I must have cried the majority of those 5 days.

All I wanted to do was be home snuggling my newborn. Not sitting in a hospital getting poked and prodded every few hours only to be told by the doctors that they weren’t sure why I wasn’t getting better and they weren’t sure what the next steps were.

After 5 days I told my doctors I needed a second opinion and that I wanted to speak directly with someone from the OB department. Luckily I was able to talk to the head of the hospitals OB department.

After reviewing my files she was able to figure out the correct mixture of antibiotics. She also added a medication to help my uterus shirk and push out any unseen blood clots.

Within 24 hours my fever stopped spiking, the bleeding stopped, and my pelvic pain started to dissipate. And on the morning of my 8th day in the hospital I was finally able to go home.

How did I end up with postpartum endometritis?

Although I’ll never know for sure how I ended up with postpartum endometritis I do know that I did experience a few of the common risk factors.

My labor was induced and my water was broken by the doctor.
There was meconium in the amniotic fluid
I received repeated vaginal exams

To learn more about other potential causes for postpartum endometritis click here

What could I or should I have done differently?

Looking back now there are two things I should have done differently.

1) I should have spoken up more when I first went to the ER.

When I first went to the ER and was misdiagnosed with mastitis. I knew the doctors were wrong. Sure my breasts were sore from my milk drying up, but it felt no different than the two times I had done it prior. And the pain I had was not in my breasts, it was in my abdoman.

Even though I told the doctor I didn’t think it could be mastitis I wasn’t persistent enough. I figured that as the doctor, he knew better. So I accepted the diagnosis, despite still doubting it.

As women, we know our bodies well. Especially after we’ve experienced multiple pregnancies. We need to be more confident in that knowledge and speak up more for ourselves.

2) I should have gone to the ER sooner

It took me about four or five days to go to the ER the first time. And it might have taken me longer had my husband no basically forced me to go.

The second time around it took me a solid 24 hours after I knew the antibiotics weren’t working to go back. Had I gone sooner the infection might not have gotten so bad and I could have possible had a shorter stay in the hospital.

What you can take away from my experience

You know your body better than anyone, listen to it!

Be your own advocate when talking with the doctor.

DON’T WAIT TO SEE A DOCTOR.

Don’t tell yourself that you’re too busy. Or that you’re symptoms aren’t “bad enough yet”. Taking care of yourself is just as important as taking care of your newborn and your family. If you aren’t healthy you won’t be able to take care of anyone else.