Have any of you developed preeclampsia during pregnancy?

cksanders

im at high risk right now and I'm terrified.... I just want to hear stories so i can prepare myself for the worst....

jesicabrennan

I ended up with preeclampsia my first pregnancy. Everything was normal right up until 36 weeks when my BP started to creep up. At 38 weeks I got the diagnosis and an induction 2 days later. Mine was not scary, a very easy induction with just a pill and a smaller than average baby (6lbs). Try not to stress about it there's literally nothing you can do. Good luck!

PixelPosy

I was diagnosed at 36 weeks and induced right at 37 weeks. I was put on strict bed rest at home for the 3 days from diagnosis to the induction. Basically I could only get up to use the bathroom. My OB office doesn't like to induce before 37 weeks unless it was an emergency situation, which my tests came back as all borderline thankfully so we could wait. Pre-eclampsia can escalate quickly though.

My body and baby were not ready for the induction so labor was a 48 hour ordeal for us with lots of interventions, but that's not necessarily related to the Pre-E. What was, is I was not allowed to move during labor and was made to stay on my left side with only short position breaks. They constantly measured my BP with a cuff that stayed on throughout as well as monitoring baby's HB. I was also put on BP meds for 6 weeks after delivery. Everything went back to normal after that. I remember feeling A LOT better after delivery, so much more energy. 

Every experience is different though, so just work with your doctor and try to relax. There isn't anything you can do to control the situation one way or the other, but it's important for your health and baby that you get the care you need if you do end up having Pre-E.

Dajart4

Call me crazy but after researching preeclampsia I am concern I might have it. I am 25 weeks today and I noticed yesterday I was having trouble focusing. Mainly my left eye has blurry vision. I thought that this could have been caused by the car pool duty I have to do in the mornings. I'm a teacher and when outside on duty the sun is extremely bright in the direction I am facing. I didn't think nothing of it until I read up on preeclampsia this morning.
Another one of the signs is high blood pressure where there had been none. I've never had high blood pressure in my life until my 20 week checkup. The nurse asked me if I felt okay because it was high. I of cousre had no clue as of why it was elevated. I've also been swollen. Both my feet and hands are swollen but I thought that was all a part of pregnancy. This will be my first child.
I am nervous that if I call my doctor they would try and take the baby. It's way too early for that. I am also worried that if I don't say anything before my next appointment at 28 weeks something else bad will happen. I just don't know what to do.

Is it really a huge deal. I've read people who were induced were not diagnosed or induced until after 35 week. Am I freaking out for no reason?

jessandandy09

 I had pre-e with my first child.  I didn't know that was what I had because the doctors didn't really tell me until I was delivering.  My DH was in the Air force and the doctors there were just really laid back about pregnancy and concerns(this was 1996 though!)  I had high BP, protein in my urine and SO MUCH WATER WEIGHT.  My symptoms started around 5 months (and I knew I had all of the symptoms but I didn't know I had a diagnosis).  I was allowed to carry to term and in fact was 11 days overdue before I went into labor.  I had a Bell's Palsy event at 40 weeks +9 days and am lucky to have a full recovery. they monitored my pupil dilation and BP during delivery and I had to be given magnesium intravenously.  That was it.  When they gave me the magnesium they told me "this is to treat your pre-eclampsia and keep you from seizing"  And I said "WHAT?"  they then explained!
*oh and the best part was no pre-e with my subsequent pregnancies.  i had migraines with vision issues during my 2nd pregnancy but no pre-eclampsia!

PixelPosy

@Dajar14 I'd definitely express your concerns to your doctor, do they offer a nurse line you could call? If they suspect pre-e you will most likely be asked to do a 24-48 hour urine collection to test for protein. 

Pre-E is a big deal for mom, as it can be life threatening. If you are diagnosed the doctor will most likely put you on restrictions and you'll have extra monitoring. The reason they may take the baby early, is it's the only "cure" for pre-e. But they won't do that unless your life is in danger.  

I did have vision issues, migraines and a general feeling of fuzziness or feeling off as well. I didn't really have excessive swelling.

cazz15

I had it with my 1st pregnancy. I was hospitalized at 32wks and had a cesarean at 34 wks. My little peanut was born weighing 4lb 10oz. I had rediculosly high bp, blurred vision with floaters and a lot of pain. It's easy for them to diagnose with a simple dip strip in urine. High levels Of protein are an indicator. This pregnancy im on asprin and calcium as prohibitors, and am closely monitored.

jesicabrennan

OP it's a pretty big deal but they will try to keep you pregnant as long as possible. I would give your dr a call but I wouldn't freak out. There's also something called gestational hypertension that is milder and easier to manage and at this point in pregnancy I believe it's more likely you have GH rather than full blown preeclampsia. Give your dr a call and express your concerns, a urine test can determine if you have GH or pre-e and you can go from there.

laurasuzanne2006

You can mention it at your appointment but there's more to pre ecclampsia than high blood pressure and blurry vision. Simple dipstick can detect protein. No had it bad last pregnancy, crossing my fingers for a healthy pregnancy this time

jessers74

I had preeclampsia with my first and I was diagnosed at 32 weeks with him. We were able to keep BP somewhat feasible and I delivered at 39 weeks. During delivery my BP stayed around 220/180 and it was miserable. I did all natural and had to end up having a blood transfusion the next day.

I am now currently 26 weeks with #3 and am being watched closely for it with this one. My BP is high staying around 150/95 and I have the swelling but no proteins in my urine and kidney check came back good so I am just on watch. I monitor daily and rest when my vision blurs and just keep my feet up as much as possible. He has told me to treat this with bed rest as much as possible.

Edit: I did not get preeclampsia with #2 nor was it even a chance or concern.

Dajart4

I commented on this board a few months back. I had concerns about symptoms I was having. We'll on Thursday I went to my doctor and my blood pressure was pretty high. They started to get concern about the potential of pre-e even thought there was no protein in my urine. They sent me home to do a 24 hour urine collection but took blood work before I left. The next morning I got a call to come to the doctor ASAP because my liver enzyme levels were high (another sign of pre-e). They want to monitor me for 24 hours and do the urine test here. I've had protein in some of the urine they collected but not all samples. Still waiting on the results. If it is pre-e they want to induce labor immediately and if it's mild they are going to try and hold off until 37 weeks at least. I'm really praying we can hold off at least another week.

dkizz82

My SIL developed it at 33 weeks. She went into the hospital for a week where Ghe monitored her protein levels and BP. They were keeping him in until they had to deliver. Her protein levels went from 500 to 2500 so they induced and she had my nephew yesterday. He's pretty healthy and mom is fine.

Dajart4

Thanks @dkizz82 that makes me feel better. I really need to count my blessings. I'll be 36 weeks tomorrow so full term is not to far away, although I want to wait until 40 weeks if possible. I'm also a teacher on summer break. So it's not like I'm missing work or anything.

dkizz82

Dajart4 said:

Thanks @dkizz82 that makes me feel better. I really need to count my blessings. I'll be 36 weeks tomorrow so full term is not to far away, although I want to wait until 40 weeks if possible. I'm also a teacher on summer break. So it's not like I'm missing work or anything.

I'm a teacher too! Thank God for this break! Yes, my SIL is a manager at Pizza Hut and works long 12-14 hour days. I feel this really didn't help her at all. Rest up and I hope you make it til 40!

acgonzalez22

I don't want to scare you, but the doctors say call with ANY questions to encourage you to do so. My sister was having symptoms and didn't inform the doctor until it was too late. She ballooned up to the point that it hurt to walk because of the swelling, her BP was not manageable, and she lost temporary vision. This made the baby go into shock. They did an emergency c-section at 28 weeks. My sister remained in the hospital for 2 weeks and my niece in the NICU for 3 months.
This is NOT your situation but could be. My sister felt symptomatic for only 2 days before all of this. Pre-E happens gradually or very sudden. Better to be safe than sorry. The doctors know what is best for you and LO. My niece is a happy healthy 8 year old girl!

carriebelle77

I was diagnosed 3 days shy of 35 weeks. High BP, protein in the urine, and worsening kidney function. I'm on bed rest and am 36 weeks today. I'm hoping that we can keep baby in until 37 or 38 weeks. It's no fun and can go from bad to worse at a moment's notice....so don't mess with it. If you have concerns, go see your OB!!! I started feeling worse on Monday and it turned out I developed a bladder infection on top of the pre-e!

sjra1028

I was diagnosed with it at 26 weeks and put on bedrest. It got to the point where meds didn't help. I got very sick last weekend and it turned out to be from my liver. My enzymes were elevated and my platelets were extremely low. I ended up developing HELLP syndrome and delivered my baby girl on Monday via emergency c-section.
I had the steroid shots last week for her lungs. She's extremely healthy, but very tiny! She was born at GA 34 weeks. She'll be coming home in a week!