Pre eclampsia....31 weeks

Hi Ladies,

Just hoping that someone may be able to give me a little hope.....

I was diagnosed with pre eclampsia at my 29 week appointment with the OB because by BP was higher than normal....ended up being admitted to hospital and was discharged after a couple of days.

From 29 weeks i have been seeing the OB every week and also going into the mid ward weekly to be monitored. My BP has returned to within the normal range with bed rest but i have a trace of protein in my urine.....

My OB is adamant that she will be delivering my bub between 34 and 36 weeks even though she has not had to put me on any medication and i have been discharged from hospital.

Has anyone had a similar situation and been able to continue with the pregnancy?

Thank you


Amy :wall:

Hi Amy,

I didn't have PE as early as you so my situation is different, but thought i'd post a reply anyway. PE can be really serious, sometimes they can stabilise high BP with medication, but given you already have trace protein in your urine i am not sure if this is an option....... have you asked your OB about it?

I REALLY didn't want to be induced, but i was. And i am now glad i had her when i did at 38 weeks. As a result of PE my placenta was shutting down. My little girl was born at 2.6kgs and looked like a skunned rabbit. She wasn't getting enough nutrients across tha placenta. My BP went skyhigh and i was induced 5 days later after 5 days bed rest, monitoring and no improvement.

If i wasn't induced then the outcome may have been very different. I am not trying to scare you, but i would trust your OB,they are not going to bring a baby into this world early for no reason.

Rest up, and the very best of luck to you. xx

Hi Falguni,

Thank you for your post....i would love to make 38 weeks.

xoxo

hun I had it from 34 weeks with Ashton and they didn't induce me until 39 weeks :) I think as long as your face isn't swelling you are ok... well that's what I got told anyways :) I had all the other symptoms, protien in urine, high BP, massive migranes etc but as long as I didn't swell in the face they were ok with holding it off as long as possible.

Hi Amy,
Mine started around 28 weeks and I was hospitalised until I had DD @ 31 weeks. I was on 3 different types of meds to keep my bp stable but in the end my kidneys started to shut down and bubs movements were decreasing. I had severe swelling in my legs, face, hands- I actually looked like I'd had an allergic reaction I was that swollen, spots in my vision. I was induced and had a VB which I didn't think was possible with prem babies. DD was born with no complications with her breathing thanks to the 4 steroid shots that I had from 26 weeks.

I'm with Falguni, trust your OB. When I was in hospital I couldn't understand why they were just letting me go every time my bp spiked and I was retaining sooo much fluid but now I do.

Good Luck with the rest of your pg.

Hugs darling woman... :hug:

It's scary to be in this position and you are right to ask lots of questions. Keep doing that and if you need to get a second opinion and a third...

It's not really just getting your blood pressure under control and pre eclampsia is more than just your blood pressure. Having a trace of protein in your urine tells us that your kidneys are probably working harder than we like... You will be watched and monitored closely. Preeclampsia is a dangerous condition that really has no treatment except delivery.
Having said that your best chance of extending this pregnancy is rest. You need to rest as much as possible. You need to get off those feet. Any unusual pain in your upper abdo you need to go to the obs asap or after hours to the hospital.

My baby was born at 28 weeks and she was just over 800grams. I had multi system failure and I was unrecognisable to my children and very close friends - I lost 10kgs in 5 days after Imogen's birth. I had the high blood pressure, my kidneys failed and many other things. Your condition is not the same - I just want to tell you this is serious - and you need to rest A LOT. The longer you keep your baby in your belly the easier it will be for her when she is born.

The concern is that the high blood pressure affects the working of the placenta - the least amount of effort you put your body through the less strain on your placenta. Monitor your movements and if you notice any decrease in movement - again seek out a medical asessment.

Good luck my love - my thoughts and prayers are with you :hug;

I am 36 weeks right now and my blood pressure is high...has been for a while. It's also erratic. Last week I got a 172/80-something then a 135/80-something after lying down for 20 minutes.

I swell massively in the face, feet/ankles and hands and have trace protein in my urine.

They have just put it down to "gestational hyertension" rather than preeclampsia...so I assume that this baby will be going full term.

Angela while your systolic b/p is elevated your diastolic is not - so your blood pressure is not too concerning.
Most pregnant women swell some in the last weeks of pregnancy - that also is normal. A raised diastolic b/p is what concerns us most in pregnancy - when this is sustained it can affect the placenta and usually follows on to proteinuria which also tells us there is a strain on the kidneys. A trace of protein just makes us watch and see - it's when there is more than that that we worry...

Cool - good to know.

I had pre-e with DS1. I was hospitalised at 28w with BP of 220/205 and ++++ protein. He was delivered at 34w and also had IUGR. Six weeks of complete bedrest, low sugar/salt diet and CONSTANT monitoring, including massive doses of Labetelol (BP medication). He is now nearly 6 and sparky as a button.

PE is an extremely dangerous condition. Please continue to be monitored. It is very very important to ensure that if you suffer any of the following: pain under your ribcage, flashes across your eyes, excessive oedema (puffiness) or anything you would class as "unusual" then get yourself to hospital mighty fast.

I was booked an ICU bed when I was admitted with DS1. I didn't know at the time, but apparently my notes say that DS would have been delivered within 4 hours if my BP didn't come down. I don't think he would have made it, considering 6w later he weighed 1.9 kilos. Scary.

But 31w is still a pretty good gestation, so you've done well to get this far. Most 31 weekers are fine.

Wishing you all the best.

Hi Amy
A high BP does not mean that you have pre eclampsia. It only means that you have a high BP. It is an indication that you may develop pre eclampsia but many women have a high BP and do not develop pre eclampsia. Did your OB tell you what your BP reading was?
A trace of protein in your urine is also quite common.
If your BP is now normal and remains that way there is no reason for the OB to deliver your baby early.

Hi Guys,

Thank you all so much for replying, I feel so much better knowing that I can continue with this pregnancy if I and bub remain healthy :crossfingers::crossfingers::crossfingers:

My BP was 160/90 and my face was very swollen when i was admitted to hospital and my BP continued to drop whilst on bed rest and it is now 130/77 and still only a trace of protein.

Yesterday I had bloods taken again and will find out the results tomorrow. My OB has made no mention of having an ultrasound to check on bub or about having any steriod injections. I asked her what the reason is that I will not make it past 36 weeks and her response was because as the baby continues to grow this is putting more pressure on your body.

I am starting to think that she may be just preparing me for the worst but she is also not giving me any hope that i can continue.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to calm my nerves, I feel so much better NOW:D