Those who had pre-eclampsia..

marker56

To start with... I am wondering if I'm headed in that direction (hopefully not, but BP is starting to rise, legs have developed swelling quite quickly and its not going away overnight anymore, weight jumped up in the last week), but I wanted to see what your experiences with it were.  I'm already off work, not on bedrest due to irritable uterus but taking it easy.

When and how quickly did it develop, what treatment were you given, when did you deliver, what helped, etc.   Just curious what your experiences were...

pea-kay

I was admitted after my 32 week MFM appointment because my BP started to go up, I gained 17 lbs in 11 days, and I was spilling a bit of protein. I lasted another 9 days before I delivered, but I didn't have severe pre-e even then.

RedWingsFan

I had a NST at 36w2d (on a Friday) and a BP check and my BP was normal; Went back to the doctor for my 37 week appointment the following Tuesday, so four days later (I was actually 36w6d), and my BP was pretty high (160/100) and I had protein in my urine - I delivered via emergency C-section two hours later.  I should note that the blood flow through DD's cord was also starting to deteriorate, so that might have been the main factor in my dr's decision to deliver, but I'm not sure. 

For what it's worth, I didn't really have noticeable swelling or weight gain between those two appointments, but I do remember having headaches and just not feeling right - but I chalked it up to being on strict bedrest for almost 10 weeks and being 36 weeks pg with twins!

Good luck!

heathb21

I had pre-e.  My weight jumped and I was SO swollen.  That happened around 31 wks for me.  My blood pressure was slowly starting to creep up, but then one day (at exactly 37wks) it just spiked and I had protein in my urine.  But there was a 6 wk time period between the early onset of it and when it actually happened.  My dr wasn't concerned at first with the swelling or weight gain, she just said it happened and we would watch it.  At that time I was already going to the dr once a week and also doing weekly NST (a different day). 

I delivered on exactly 37 wks via c-section.  They discovered the pre-e, during one of my NST's.  Luckily my dr was on rounds and stopped by.  2 hours later, I had my gorgeous babies!  They were very healthy!  6lbs 14oz & 5lbs7oz.  I dropped 30 lbs by the time I left the hospital, that shows how much water weight I had!

 Just relax as much as you can, keep your feet up whenever possible.  Pay attention to your body and don't be afraid to call your dr if you feel something off.  Good luck!

E&RMommy

I have the beginning of the spectrum - I have gestational hypertension.  I haven't started to spill protein yet, so it's not pre-eclampsia.  My MFM has me taking Aldomet 500 mg twice a day to keep my BP lower as I have already been having bad headaches the last few weeks.  This is a controversial move because we're not treating the disease merely putting a bandaid on it.  I am not sure I would be doing the same for my patient (and that's soooo hard for me).  Anyways, I am doing daily weights and gaining anywhere from 1-1.5 lbs a day.  Yikers.  That is from the capillaries leaking and fluid third-spacing.  This will not get any better until after delivery.

So for now I am just continuing daily weights (watching for a big jump) and continuing to check my BP multiple times a day.  If I have spots in vision, headache that doesn't improve with tylenol, pain under my right breast or just anything funky I am to call right away.  I am thinking I will start checking my urine for protein in the next day or so because it's a little frothy these last few days, and that is not a good sign.

Even if it becomes mild pre-eclampsia, the standard treatment is delivery at term for a singleton.  I'm not sure what my MFM will do if I develop mild pre-E....if it is severe we'll for sure deliver.

Well I've typed my novel.    Rest up.  Pre-E can develop quickly, so you are doing the right thing by watching very closely for the signs/symptoms.

ervin412@gmail.com

Probably about 32 weeks or so, I would start swelling if I was on my feet too long, but it wasn't too bad. I was only about trace-1+ on the protein, and my BP was normal-ish (120/70). I turned 36 weeks on Easter, and it was like something changed, and I went downhill fast. I was swollen all the time, felt like crap (kinda like I had the flu), etc. I ended up pretty much putting myself on strict bedrest, and lasted another 2 weeks. At my 38 week Dr appointment, I had a BP of 150/90, 4+ protein in my urine, and gained 7lbs in 2 days, and had HORRIBLE pitting edema in my feet and legs. Needless to say, I was sent to the hospital to be induced after that. I was induced and put on Magnesium Sulfate (BP by this point was 170/110). Delivered my girls vaginally after a 15 hour induction. They were 6lbs even and 6lbs 3oz and perfectly healthy. In the 8 hour period after I had them, I put out 3600ml of urine (I had a catheter)! The day I went home, I was down 45lbs! I had LOTS of fluid weight on board! 

marker56

Oh My Goodness - thank you all for sharing your experiences, and glad to hear your positive endings.    The amount of edema and the suddenness of it all has me a little nervous, but I do know what to look for and am keeping close eye on things.  I see the OB weekly and am having NSTs weekly... and am watching my BP/weight at home on my own.

Also glad to hear a lot of that fluid comes right off... although that is the LEAST of my worries, it's still reassuring (the health of my girls is #1).  The scale this morning made me wanna cry, but I'm sure at least 4# of my gain over the last week is edema related...

E&R Mommy... hoping your symptoms stay stable, if not improve for you soon!  I completely understand your concerns about "putting a bandaid" on the BP issue, but at the same time, I probably would do the same thinking that if you keep the BP down, at least you can keep the babies in utero safely longer.  I find myself treating my body totally different than what I recommend to my patients too... and just hoping I'm making the best, most informed decisions for me & my family

MrsDonnelly2007

mine developed in my 34th week.  i had awesome bp, etc before that.  my bp was  bit high, a little protein in my urine so they sent me to do a 24hr urine collection and blooodwork.  came back 2 days later and i gained 5lbs in 2 days from the swelling and my numbers were off the charts.  I delivered at 34w2d. i ended up having severe pre-e/HELLP

Carmela752

I had had a borderline BP (130s/80s) once in awhile. A couple times I was 140/90. I didn't have too much swelling. I had occasional headaches but went away with tylenol.

I was in and out of the hospital a lot with contractions and nothing more ever really developed during that time.

I woke up on the morning of my 35w2d appointment feeling pretty crappy. Extremely/unusually tired, nauseated, and seeing sparkles in my peripheral vision. No headache or actual blurred vision. My BP wasn't bad in the office but I had 2+ protein in my urine. I was sent over for bloodwork (had already done baseline bloodwork a couple times.) My liver enzymes had more than doubled, so I got delivered the same day.

I had to go back on mag afterward, and stayed on it for about 36 hours. My BP had gotten pretty high right before my c/s, 160/100, and I did have a headache by that time. Took a few days for my symptoms to subside.