My doctor didn’t specify which type I have but based on my symptoms I assume I have Type I. Me and my fiancé have plans to have 6 children after marriage but we would like to know other couples experiences in this area. How does VWD affect pregnancy, labor, breastfeeding, etc? Your feedback os appreciated.
I was told that having children was a threat to my life! I did have one and hemorrhaged when I hit transition. My son was born csection we are both very lucky to be alive. I would never try again. Sorry but you will not live through 6.
Thanks for your feedback! These are all opinions and everyones experience is different. Just because your body was not fit to have a child does not mean the same for me
:-). We are going to consult with our doctor and if he says I can live through six then that’s what we are going to do. Thank you have a great day.
I was told if i go into childbirth i will die and if the child survived it had a 50/50 chance at inheriting VWd.
sorry, i wanted to have a lot of kids too.
Im sorry to hear that but I am going to have alot of kids. 
Hia MissGiggles - As long as your Haematologist is ON IT there is no reason whey things shouldn't go smoothly,
1, Firstly you NEED to know your type and have a plan and what treatment you can have eg DDAVP or blood products like Humate P, and your birth plan needs to be communicated from the Haematologists to your Maternity Hospital.
2, Birth and especially post-partum bleeds are the particularly risky times(up to 6 + weeks after birth) for us von Willies, so a plan needs to be made around regular treatment
3, Vaginal delivery is fine, as is induced labour and Caesarean but in case the child has a bleeding disorder(which in your case is a 50/50 chance) Ventouse and Forceps SHOULD NOT BE USED(can cause a brain bleed). During labour sometimes a slow infusion of Factor 8 is given to keep your levels up. A home delivery is to be avoided I'm afraid.
4, You MUST NOT have an epidural as it could cause a bleed into your spine.
5, Assuming you are a type 1, your levels will rise during pregnancy to help protect you and the unborn but do drop off very swiftly post-partum and that is the risky period and must be planned for by your Haematologist
6, Cracked nipples may of course bleed more but I'm no expert on this so maybe a question to your Haematologist and other who had children? Take Tranexamic Acid-you will need to check if that's allowed whilst breastfeeding.
7, Good luck :)
Helen, Leeds, UK, von Willebrands type 3
ps I have run groups for women and bleeding disorders and von Willebrands for years so have a bit of knowledge despite not being able to have kids myself.
Gynaecology and Obstetric Management of women with inherited bleeding disorders - make sure you have read and your haematologist has read this :)
13-GynaecologicalandObstetricManagementof2005.pdf (129 KB)Dkel9307 my son will be 16 in November and we have a nice enuff life though I now believe he has VWD. On the other bits of the topic I nursed him till he was nearly 3 and that was fine. Make very sure that your husband calls the hemotologist him self when the time comes if you are Set onthis ccourse. The obgyn didn’t call mine though they said they did.
Nellie thanks for the wonderful information I am definitely going to use it. We have been doing alot of research in order to take necessary precautions and Ive already picked out a hospital and obgyn that handles bleeding disorders and high risk pregnancies. I’ll also be sure my hematologist is involved Michele thanks for that good pointer.
I have 2 girls aged 4.5yrs and 2yrs in a couple of days.
I was not diagnosed until after my 2nd child. My OBGYN said she wish she had known so she could have been better prepared. I did bleed a lot she said but she managed to keep it under control. Both my girls were born via c-sec. The more worrying thing is the bleeding AFTER you have given birth. My first was horrendous! I would sit on the toilet and it just poured like a tap. The 2nd was much easier to manage but after she was born I started bleeding a lot and it wouldn't stop for weeks and when it did it was only a day or two then it started again and I had to have a mirena put in to help manage the bleeding along with prescribed medication for the VWD.
The important thing to remember is that every person is different. Every situation is different. To be honest, if my husband said lets have another I would do it all over again given the risk because I love my girls incredibly.
With the right OBGYN there should be NO REASON as to why this isn't possible depending on what type you have.
Thinking about it more given the birthing process and whilst in hospital it may all go smoothly its definitely your after care to watch. Most women bleed after birth and then get no period until 6-10weeks after but that’s when my problems started and I was diagnosed. So I would absolutely be keeping an eye on it after.