Preeclampsia? Any had it?

[F1Julie]

I was diagnosed with it around 36 weeks. I was really swollen and had high blood pressure. I was put on partial bedrest for a few days and then went back for another doctor appointment. I was put on full bedrest then. I went into labor on my own 3 days later. DD was born at exactly 37 weeks. She was a little small, but no other complications or side effects.

 

[DisneyDotty]

I had it with my first. I went in for my routine exam and dr. (a family practitioner, not ob/gyn) noticed elevation in bp and swelling. Then the protein in urine sealed it. Referred me to ob/gyn who monitored fetal heartrate/checked urine again, and decided to admit me. Because baby was 37 weeks, labor was induced. Unfortunately, magnesium counteracts pitossin, so it was a sloowww labor. After 22 hours, doc was ready to do a C-section, but lo and behold, dd came. She was fine. I was fine. And had no problems during my 2nd pregnancy 4 years later.
But it was scary, and I wish you all the luck.

 

[ilovepcot]

*Most* of the time there are obvious signs and things can be well managed with a great outcome. However, from learned experience, PE can hit suddenly with no warning the mom is *aware* of. My DIL does everythig by the book...she's a doctor herself and is "no nonsense".

The day before she was to go in for a scheduled C-section, my DS found her in convulsions. She had a stroke on the way to the hospital. Naturally, an emergency C-section was performed and she and the baby were in intensive care for 3 weeks. DIL was in a coma for a good bit of that time and we were holding our breaths because her neurologist didn't know *if* brain damage had occurred or *if* she would wake up! They were also concerned the baby could have suffered brain damage as well from lack of oxygen. Turns out no damage to either and that made for a wonderful Christmas! Yes, that was Christmas 4 years ago. They're coming next week and you can be sure we're doing DISNEY!!!!!! We have sooo much to be thankful for!

 

[CheshireVal]

Does anyone know what causes this?

I have a family history of high blood pressure, and I was actually on blood pressure medication last year... aside from a family history, the cardiologist never could figure out what was causing it. Eventually I was able to wean myself off the medicine, but my bp is occasionally abnormally high during doctor's visits.

I'm very worried about this happening during pregnancy, which I hope to try within the next year!

 

[mtemm]

with my first I was diagnosed with PIH (pregnancy induced hyptertension) at 33w6d and I was promptly placed on bedrest. I was hospitilized 2x, both times I was sent home on bedrest with nurse visits and increased dr. visits. In this case my bp shot up to 140/90 (huge considering my bp pre-preg was 110/60). eventually my bp stabilized and although I remained on bedrest, I was able to go full term. with Daniel I had no other symptoms at all, just elevated bp (no protein, swelling,etc).

With the twins my bp spiked at 26 or 27 weeks or thereabout and it went very very high with them. Again I was put on bedrest, hospitilized a handful of times and released to home bedrest and many many dr. appts...I think we were going 2 or 3x a week. Again no protein, although some swelling, but not bad. bedrest worked for me until I was 34 weeks when it started getting even higher so I was hospitlized for the rest of my pregnancy...about 6 more days. even the bedrest wasn't working at that point. I had the twins 5w1d early, thankfully they were very healthy, just a bit of jaundice. right after I had them I spilled huge amounts of protein so they officially labled it pre-eclampsia.

If you are dealing with this, I wish you all the best. Its scary, but listen to your dr.s and take care of yourself. If you have any questions feel free to ask or pm me.

 

[mtemm]

Does anyone know what causes this?

I have a family history of high blood pressure, and I was actually on blood pressure medication last year... aside from a family history, the cardiologist never could figure out what was causing it. Eventually I was able to wean myself off the medicine, but my bp is occasionally abnormally high during doctor's visits.

I'm very worried about this happening during pregnancy, which I hope to try within the next year!

From what I've read and from the info I got from my obs/peris, pre-e can be sort of like an allergic reaction...she blamed my husband for me getting it. It is more often seen in first pregnancies but not subsequent ones, unless there are different fathers. multiple pregancies (twins,etc) have higher risks, too. I have a friend who was textbook...had it with her first baby, but not with her second.

sounds like you may have white coat hypertension. I ended up with this pretty badly because I was always scared I would end up in the hospital again. they had me take my bp several times a day at home with a good electronic cuff and keep a record. it helped.

I would say speak to your ob/gyn now about your plans to conceive and how to avoid bp issues. There are some theories out there that eating large amounts of protein (I think 120g +) will help avoid pre-e.

 

[themepark]

I had preeclampsia in my first pregnancy. I went in for my normal OB/GYN appointment at 35 weeks. I felt fine, had no swelling, felt no different than any other time in the pregnancy. My BP was elevated so they put me on partial bed rest and sent me home with an appointment to come back in 3 days. When I returned 3 days later, I still felt fine but my BP was still high. They checked my urine for protein and sent me straight to the hospital where I stayed for 2 weeks until they induced labor. All the nurses and doctors kept saying how odd it was that I wasn't swollen with as high as my BP was and high protein count in my urine. DD was induced at 37 weeks and everything was fine. I was on the mag sulfate and it made me feel miserable, wiped out and nauseating hot. The labor was long like someone else mentioned because of mag sulfate and pitocin counteracting each other. My DD had no complications and is a healthy 11 year old today. I had my DS two years later with no complications in the pregnancy. My doctor at the time told me that preeclampsia was more common in first pregnancies. Don't know if that's true or not, but that's what they said. It was a scary time especially considering that I felt fine. If I had been home, it would have been hard to have been on bedrest since I felt so good. It was hard to believe that something was wrong, but I could sure see it everytime the nurses took my BP.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I had it, but not until the very end of my pregnancy.

All through my pregnancy my BP was 90/65. Then around week 39 FIL died on a Wednesday, funeral on Friday, Dr. on Saturday morning. She said my BP was through the roof, protein in my urine, change in reflexes, and I was seeing "sparkly dots". She said the dots were because my BP was so high. She put me on bed rest for the weekend. Went back Monday, and even though I stayed in bed and ate no salt all weekend my BP was even higher. She put me in the hospital for induction at 5 AM Tuesday. DS was due that Saturday, but he was still situated very high up. She initially thought I would go to 42 weeks based on his position.

DS is healthy, and no complications during delivery. DH and I only wanted one child, so we haven't tried it again!

 

[KarenC]

I had pre-eclampsia with both of my kids (they have the same dad) and don't really have anything to add about my experience that hasn't already been posted. I used to worry about problems with high blood pressure as I got older. Last year when I went to my gyne, she said she wouldn't worry about high blood pressure as much as she would some "weird auto-immune thing". Two months later I was hospitalized with ITP--an autoimmune disease where the body destroys its platelets. When my doctors took my history they were very interested in the history of pre-eclampsia and said they thought the two were somehow connected. They don't know what causes pre-eclampsia or ITP. There's a plaque at the University of Chicago medical school reserved for whoever figures out the cause of pre-eclampsia.

 

[FSUGrad97]

Has anyone here had preeclampsia? What did the dr. do for you and what did you have to do?

Thanks!

Yup! I had high blood pressure (160/100), protein in my urine, and excessive swelling.

I went in for a normal appointment at 34 weeks, and my blood pressure was very high. I went on bedrest for about 2 weeks, and my BP was monitored every other day in my Dr.'s office. I also had to stay on my left side, and I also had to do a 24 hour urine test.

When my blood pressure didn't lower, my Dr. put me in the hospital. I went into the hospital on a Thursday, and my DD2 was born on Saturday night.

I was induced and had a c-section at 36 weeks. Since I had the trifecta of preeclampsia, they were extremely concerned about possible kidney failure and stroke. My DD had no complications, and stayed in my room with me.

My blood pressure was still higher than they would have liked after I had her, so I stayed in the hospital until the following Wednesday.

If you have any questions, let me know.

 

[FSUGrad97]

Does anyone know what causes this?

I have a family history of high blood pressure, and I was actually on blood pressure medication last year... aside from a family history, the cardiologist never could figure out what was causing it. Eventually I was able to wean myself off the medicine, but my bp is occasionally abnormally high during doctor's visits.

I'm very worried about this happening during pregnancy, which I hope to try within the next year!

After my experience, I did a lot of research about it, and unfortunately doctors aren't sure what causes it. THey do know that if your mother had it, or the father's mother had it, you have a higher risk of it. Since it strikes women of all sizes and ages, finding a cause is important. My doctor said that he has a case as bad as mine maybe once every three years, and that in my next pregnancy, I might not have any problems at all.

My doctor was very proactive, and I think that's why my DD2 and I did well.

 

[FSUGrad97]

Were there any symptoms that any of you noticed?

I only noticed that my feet and hands were swelling, but mine was gradual. I also gained a lot of weight - like 7 pounds in a week. I blamed it on Halloween and the Twixs I kept eating. Other than that, I had no symptoms and I didn't feel bad.

 

[kellydizfan]

I had it with my first. 140/100 bp and swelling. I might have had protein in the urine - don't remember. I took myself out of work 2 weeks early as I was not sleeping, headaches, etc. I was due Christmas Day. He put me in the hospital December 22nd. Induced labor 8 a.m. on the 23rd after they were able to get my bp down. My dd wasn't born till 3:24 a.m. Christmas Eve. I was fine after and so was she. It was a very hard labor. He didn't want to do a c-section on me. I am glad he didn't. DD will be 12 in just over a week. I didn't have it with my other 2 kids. I had other problems. Gestational Diabetis with the other 2. Good luck - please keep in touch with the dr.

 

[staceyfe]

I was diagnosed with preeclampsia at 37 weeks, and put on full bedrest. Induced at 39 weeks. I had no symptoms other than mediocre swelling, which I thought at the time was a normal part of my pregnancy. Incidentally, I read a couple of years ago that preeclampsia can cause male babies to be born with an undescended testicle, which was true for my son.

 

[kbkids]

I was diagnosed with preeclampsia at 37 weeks, and put on full bedrest. Induced at 39 weeks. I had no symptoms other than mediocre swelling, which I thought at the time was a normal part of my pregnancy. Incidentally, I read a couple of years ago that preeclampsia can cause male babies to be born with an undescended testicle, which was true for my son.

That's a new one. I had not heard that, but my DS was born like that too. I assumed it had to do with his prematurity, may still be, but by his six week appointment, it had corrected itself. That's interesting.

 

[kldmom2000]

I had it with my first pregnancy in 2000. I was diagnosed a couple of days shy of the 30 week mark. My BP was 200/110 and I was sent to the hospital maternity ward immediately. They hooked me up to the fetal monitors and it turned out I was having contractions. They pumped me with fluids to stop them and after I was stable, I was sent home and put on strict left sided bed rest for the duration of the pregnancy. I had to go every week for the fetal non-stress tests and twice a week to my OB. While having my non-stress tests, I met a woman who became a close friend-she was also due the same time as me and was being closely monitored because she lost her first baby at 34 weeks due to uncontrolled pre-eclampsia On the day I turned 37 weeks gestation (July 29), my water broke. I was scheduled for a c-section August 8, 2000 (due date was August 19) due to her being breech. Kate was born via c-section July 29th and was blue. She had an APGAR of 2 and they did get her breathing within the first minute she was out... it was a very, very scary pregnancy and first few months, but we're both fine. I had a second pregnancy (2002) w/o pre-eclampsia (just a huge ovarian cyst that time keeping my baby company!!!)

 

[FSUGrad97]

I had it with my first pregnancy in 2000. I was diagnosed a couple of days shy of the 30 week mark. My BP was 200/110 and I was sent to the hospital maternity ward immediately. They hooked me up to the fetal monitors and it turned out I was having contractions. They pumped me with fluids to stop them and after I was stable, I was sent home and put on strict left sided bed rest for the duration of the pregnancy. I had to go every week for the fetal non-stress tests and twice a week to my OB. While having my non-stress tests, I met a woman who became a close friend-she was also due the same time as me and was being closely monitored because she lost her first baby at 34 weeks due to uncontrolled pre-eclampsia On the day I turned 37 weeks gestation (July 29), my water broke. I was scheduled for a c-section August 8, 2000 (due date was August 19) due to her being breech. Kate was born via c-section July 29th and was blue. She had an APGAR of 2 and they did get her breathing within the first minute she was out... it was a very, very scary pregnancy and first few months, but we're both fine. I had a second pregnancy (2002) w/o pre-eclampsia (just a huge ovarian cyst that time keeping my baby company!!!)

I'm so glad to hear that your second pregnancy went so well, since I worry that I will have to deal with this my next pregnancy .

 

[bengalbelle]

Cats - do you have an update for us? I hope you received good news at the Dr.

I'm encouraged by those of you who had a PIH/preeclampsia free second pregnancy. I was diagnosed with PIH in my 6th month, on strict left-side bedrest until I delivered, with a hospital stay in between. I delivered a healthy, though small, baby at 38 weeks.

I am very nervous about getting pregnant again. Has anyone been medicated for their high bp during pregnancy?

 

[disneyfanforever]

I had preeclampsia as well with my first son. I was diagnosed around 36 weeks I believe and was induced at 38 weeks. I was so scared but he is now a healthy and active 8 year old.

With my second son, I worried the entire time that I was going to get it. However, I never did and the pregnancy was perfectly normal (except that I was a crazed lunatic constantly taking my blood pressure and worrying).

 

[lynetteSC]

any updates yet? I hope she is doing ok!!!