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High-Risk Pregnancy
mrs1916
member
Post Partum Pre-E Info Needed
mrs1916
member
I had totally normal BP prior to labor (last dr appt was 123/76), and then it went up moderately during labor and continued to rise with a huge spike 3 days PP when they finally saw protein in my urine. I was told this was very rare (I didn't even know you could get it AFTER having a baby), and I'm trying to find info on-line about it, but everything just talks about how the cure for pre-e is delivery of the baby.
My big question is what kind of risks there would be if I had another baby, and how long it should take for my BP to return to normal. Any advice or places to look? TIA
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Re: Post Partum Pre-E Info Needed
I had twins on Nov 7th and 2 hours after delivery in recovery room my BP spiked and I got Pre- E. I was put on Magnesium Drip for 24 hours and had to leave hospital on 200mg of labetalol 3 times a day. My BP stayed like 140/100 for 2 full weeks even being on medication. After 2 weeks BP dropped and were able to get me on 100 mg 2 times a day. It is still slowly going down and hope to be on once a day next week. They hopefully off completley.
As for risks with another pregnancy I am not sure. But it scared me to death as my kidneys shut down and my whole body turned yellow. I was Blessed with twins with no compilcations and they made it to 37 weeks 4 days scheduled c section I am not chancing another pregnancy.
I have read on here though look back at post about BP that many didnt have any pre-e with second pregnancy.
I too had PP pre-e/start of Hellp. Same as you it developed 3 days after a long but successful delivery. My pregnancy was very healthy and uneventful. I was very healthy. Everything turned crazy 3 days PP when my BP spiked to 210/110. I was put on mag for 24 hours and 2 or so days later I was supposed to be d/c from the hospital and had another reoccurence of high bp 190/100. I was put back on mag for another 24 hours. I was in the hospital for 3 weeks for labile hypertension. It was a horrible experience. I was put on labetalol 800mg daily and hydralazine 135mg daily. I was so medicated I couldnt do a thing for my baby. My husband and my mother were my blessings to help me get through such a horrific time. I was on the medications for 5 months PP. I followed a cardiologist for my med management. He seemed to have the best control with everything. My BP's really normalized 3 months PP but where my body was so used to the high doses of meds they had to slowly wean me off and that took so long. Everytime they tried to reduce the labetalol drastically I would get the rebound hypertension. My body was just very sensitive to the adjustments and so therefore they did a taper to where I was down to 25 mg of labetalol ( which is not even a true dose) 100mg is the smallest.
As far as future pregnancies, they did say that we could go on to have another baby. I would be high risk. Dh and I are part of the pre-e foundation and have done tons and tons of research. I talk alot to moms of this board and that has helped me tremendously. Also, we have been interviewing with MFM's in our area at different hospitals to see who would best meet our needs.
Second time around this is what they said thus far, you have a 20% chance of it developing again, it can and usually does present in the same manner as it did the first time around ( as for the timing of it), baby asa would be given as it can have a 15% reduction rate in the severity of the pre-e but its not guaranteed, supplements as far as calcium and magnesium dont play a huge role in preventing pre-e (studies have show says an mfm that we saw), labetalol and bedrest would be on board if things started to progress, just because your BP is under control with meds doesnt mean that you wont get pre-e, frequent labs, urine checks, NST's for baby. This is pretty much everything that the MFM told us that we just recently saw.
Sorry for the long email. If you have any other ?'s feel free to PM me!! GL!
I had pre-e before delivery, so not in the same boat as you, but I have spent the past 18 mo reading LOTS of research... check out preeclampsia.org - tons of great info, research articles, and forums. You will find other people who have experienced pre-e post-partum. Also, from everyone I've talked to and all I've read, pre-e is different for everyone (I was on meds for 6 mo post-partum bc my BP didn't "just go back to normal" post-delivery like the Drs said would happen... after that my BP was normal and now I'm 24 wks into my second pregnancy and so far so good). One very good bit of news is that *just* in the past year they have released new research that is much more definitive as to the cause of pre-e... now we just have to wait for the tests and treatments to catch up.
I hope you're feeling better soon! I know how stressful and scary pre-e can be, especially trying to manage high BP with a newborn at home. If and when you do decide to try for a second, there will be a risk of it happening again, but hopefully you can be well managed and have it caught early if there is a problem. Also, you should know that pre-e is linked to increased risk of heart disease as you age, so be sure to discuss that with your GP in the future, as well.
Thank you for the replies!
It sounds like I have something in common with each one of your stories.
I am on Lebatalol right now, and check my BP daily. My BP does seem to be coming down in general, but is still high. I was hoping to be in better shape by now since I'm 3 months in. My doc isn't too concerned about it yet.
It's nice to hear from others since I don't have any friends who have experienced it, and I don't think any of them understood how scared I was going through it. I'm just thankful it is manageable and that me and my DD are fine.
It's hard going through something that you feel like you are totally alone with. I remember exactly how I felt. All of my friends had normal pregnancies and postpartum they went home and bounced right bacl to taking care of their babies. It's very hard to hear and see that when you have a totally different experience. But just think you are now home with a healthy baby and the doctors have you under good control.
Although its hard, try to take it one day at a time. And know that you can always talk with us women on this board to ease any worries or fears that you are going through. We have all been there and no what state of mind you can be in going through such a scary thing. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Hang in there!! If you ever need to talk, we are all hear to listen....GL:)
You're welcome! I know how you feel; no one I knew understood what I experienced either, and being pregnant again no one seems to understand the anxiety I have this time around. But there are lots of us who have been through it and these boards and the ones on the Preeclampsia Foundation site are really helpful and supportive : )