Anyone develop HELLP after birth?

wendyj

I've posted this question on a couple other boards, but haven't really gotten any responses, so I thought I'd try here. My friend just had her baby on Thursday after developing pre-e. I learned today that she's now in ICU due to HELLP Syndrome. A mutual friend of ours told me a little about it (she's 3 hours away from me), but if anyone can share more, I'd really appreciate it. I'm really scared for her.

SBMBride406

No, that's really strange. I had HELLP and they said that I would be fine once they removed the baby and the placenta b/c HELLP is a reaction to the pregnancy.I did have issues after the fact but they were b/c of the surgery + low white cell count. The liver issues were gone within 48 hours.  I didn't realize it could come after the fact. I hope she's ok!

TriciaJoy

No, mine was before.. but I did want to say that it's not unheard of. Do you know what's going on? It is scary, but hopefully it starts improving very soon. Once she gets over the hump, things usually get back to (fairly) normal pretty quickly, but it's just a process of getting the body to recognize that everything is better.

I was fortunately that it only took me about 12 hours after delivery for things to start improving, but it does sometimes take longer than that.

I hope your friend improves quickly. 

wendyj

Thanks, ladies. I heard from her DH not long ago - she's doing much better and is expected to be out of ICU and back in maternity tomorrow. Evidently, her bp went back down after delivery, but her blood and liver counts were out of whack.

SBMBride406

That's really scary!

TriciaJoy

I'm glad she's doing better. it's usually the liver stuff that has to "peak" afterwards. That's what took about 12 hours for me to pass..

Though actually, my bp took several weeks to regulate.. I had to go home on BP meds for a little while. And unfortuantely some people's never regulate..

Damned Pre-E/Hellp.

Mommy2Gav

HELLP was the reason for my delivery and I was told that I would get worse before I got better. And the Dr. was right. The 3 days AFTER my ds was born were worse than before he was born. But I recovered quickly. My OB was shocked that I was doing so well so soon. So to anwer your question, although it developed before the birth, it certainly got worse afterwards.?

SWMcFarland

Mine was before, which is why I was induced so early.  It took about 12 hours for liver functioning to return to normal, but my BP still hasn't returned to normal.  And I am not confident that it will. 

Hope your friend is doing better!!

tierelieber

The only way to treat HELLP is to deliver, HOWEVER- it's been almost five months since DD was born, and my liver enzymes are still elevated. I saw a GI specialist a few weeks ago, and I had a bunch of blood work and an ultrasound to rule out anything else, such as liver disease, etc. Everything was negative, so the HELLP was still affecting my liver enzymes. My GI doc said that it can take 3-6 months for your system to return to normal after having HELLP.

BrainySmurfette

I had it both before and after.  Initially, I improved after birth and was moved to the maternity ward, but I had a second, more severe round about 60ish hours post partum.  My blood pressure was higher and my liver enzymes were worse.  I was moved to L&D, and equipment and doctors from the ICU were brought up to treat me.  I wan't moved there b/c my doctor thought it would stress me more (emotionally) and make my BP go even higher.

I still have high BP, but I'm otherwise OK. 

wendyj

Thank you all for your help. I had pre-e, with elevated bp after birth due to an underlying, unknown at that time, heart condition. I never developed HELLP, so when my friend did, it freaked me out. She's out of ICU now, so hopefully I can talk with her soon. THanks for keeping  me sane!