Severe Pre-eclampsia in 1st pregnancy, will I be monitored more closely in 2nd preg?

[sharmon]

Hi, I felt unwell at 37 weeks in 1st pregnancy, but could not get into see GP until 37+4. At GP BP was through roof 201/101 & had +3/4protein & got severe upper right eppigastric pain, super responsive reflexes. GP gave me labetalol & sent me to hospital in ambulance. I was induced same evening &moved immediately to high dependency ward. Induction was ok to start, but BP could not be controlled, so consultant recommended I take all pain relief to try to keep BP under control, so felt completely out of it & really did not know what was going on, had to have bonus magnesium sulphate (horrible experience) & eventually had to have emergency section, to be honest at one point I thought I might die. Thankfully my daughter was born totally perfect, with no lasting effects. I had swelled up like a ballon & remained in hospital for another week while they tried to get my BP under control. Was on labetalol for 2/3 months.
Got BFP yesterday, but to say I'm worried about getting PE again would be an understatement. For those of you who had PE in 1st pregnancy did you get it again? Was care you received different in 2nd & subsequent pregnancies? Is there anything that can be done to prevent PE. Have just filled out online form to book 1st antenatal appointment, but is there anything I should or should not be doing now to try to stay PE free?

 

[Taurus8484]

I was induced due to pre eclampsia with DS, 33 weeks now and no signs of it thankfully.

Yes I am being watched closely also. My Doctor has me on calcium tablets as there is some studies which apparently shows it helps, but saying that I was on them with my DS too and developed it. Maybe it would have developed earlier if I wasnt on them, dont know.

There is nothing you can do to actually prevent it from developing.

Good luck and hopefully you dont get it again xx

 

[misspriss]

I had severe pre-e at 33 weeks with my first. Only thing different this time is OB not midwife care and on baby aspirin. I am taking magnesium supplements on my own, approved by doctor.

 

[Betheney]

Delivered at 33w due to severe PE

This time I'm in a high risk unit (led by obs at my hospital). Most of the check ups have been a similar set up to my first pregnancy. PE bloods have been ran a few times though 15w, 30w, 34w. The dipstick my urine more often and check BP more often (so appts are more frequent) i also got aN extra growth scan at 32weeks. That's really it. It's more an awareness of the history and no one being afraid to act on anything. I had vision problems at 32weeks amd everyone kicked into gear in case it was PE again (out wasn't)

But I've heard some women say their doctors said they won't get it again and don't change their care at all

 

[sharmon]

Thanks, so much for letting me know about your PE experience 2nd time round. I'm definately going to be more vigilant myself, was just so scary first time round!

 

[Betheney]

I found the stress between appts far too difficult to cope with. I spent all day wondering if that was the day my BP shot up but my appt wasn't for another 3 weeks what if i fall seriously ill in those 3 weeks. My obstetrician is my pregnancy care provider but i was spending so much time at my GPs office just for BP checks and then driving all the way home.

In the end the best thing i did was buy a portable BP monitor. You still need to be careful because they don't replace a doctor checking it. But it does help me figure out if there's 1 high pressure reading if it's the start of many or if it's merely and isolated incident And i can go back to relaxing.

 

[sharmon]

I found the stress between appts far too difficult to cope with. I spent all day wondering if that was the day my BP shot up but my appt wasn't for another 3 weeks what if i fall seriously ill in those 3 weeks. My obstetrician is my pregnancy care provider but i was spending so much time at my GPs office just for BP checks and then driving all the way home.

In the end the best thing i did was buy a portable BP monitor. You still need to be careful because they don't replace a doctor checking it. But it does help me figure out if there's 1 high pressure reading if it's the start of many or if it's merely and isolated incident And i can go back to relaxing.

That sounds like a plan, I was thinking of getting a BP monitor, mainly because when it shot up in 1st pregnancy it was few days before I got in to see the doc & I have no idea if I could have caught it earlier! I Have my first antenatal appointment a week Monday ( I have to travel abroad for a week for work, otherwise they would have seen me sooner) so hopefully will know more about how they plan to handle me this time around after that.

 

[joeybrooks]

Hi, I felt unwell at 37 weeks in 1st pregnancy, but could not get into see GP until 37+4. At GP BP was through roof 201/101 & had +3/4protein & got severe upper right eppigastric pain, super responsive reflexes. GP gave me labetalol & sent me to hospital in ambulance. I was induced same evening &moved immediately to high dependency ward. Induction was ok to start, but BP could not be controlled, so consultant recommended I take all pain relief to try to keep BP under control, so felt completely out of it & really did not know what was going on, had to have bonus magnesium sulphate (horrible experience) & eventually had to have emergency section, to be honest at one point I thought I might die. Thankfully my daughter was born totally perfect, with no lasting effects. I had swelled up like a ballon & remained in hospital for another week while they tried to get my BP under control. Was on labetalol for 2/3 months.
Got BFP yesterday, but to say I'm worried about getting PE again would be an understatement. For those of you who had PE in 1st pregnancy did you get it again? Was care you received different in 2nd & subsequent pregnancies? Is there anything that can be done to prevent PE. Have just filled out online form to book 1st antenatal appointment, but is there anything I should or should not be doing now to try to stay PE free?

Your story sounds so similar to mine. I was induced at 36 weeks after about a week of back and forth to the hospital with high BP and protein in urine. My pre eclampsia also went to severe very quickly and after a long and very painful labour, I was told that I had to have an epidural to control BP and I too had magnesium sulphate.

My BP took a few months to go back to normal and I had to stay in hospital for a week after.

I am absolutely terrified that it will happen again as I did beleive at times that I would die. I think my husband is also really terrified as he was there for the whole thing and he said it was very traumatic and scary.

I am not pregnant (our son is 3) however have started discussing it and I'm so scared that it will happen again as I couldnt face another labour like that.

 

[Fliss]

I had yo-yoing blood pressure from 31 weeks with Nathan, but no other signs of PE, until I went into spontaneous labour at 35+ 3 (waters broke, 12 hours later contractions started and he was delivered at 35 + 4)

Then I got post-partum pre-eclampsia when he was around 4 days old.

So they have me on extra monitoring this time around - cervical length check scans, cord doppler scans and GTT for now - more may follow depending on the outcome of the scans.

 

[gemstone]

I had pre eclampsia, eclampsia and hellp syndrome with my first. Was having seizures. I went on to get pre e with the other 2 as well. I'm hoping in 4th time lucky and it stays away. Would really like a natural labour just once! Been emergency induced with them all. Still didn't stop me fitting tho. Was on beata blocker for 3 months and was in hospital 3 weeks. My mw sees me every week from 28 weeks. Also gives me my own bp machine & dip sticks so I can check when ever I like. Hope it stays away for us all!