r/preeclampsia

Hi i am thinking about the timing of my second pregnancy after having postpartum pre-e and now with chronic hypertension. For those 35+ who went through another pregnancy after preeclampsia, i would love to knows:

1. how long did you wait before getting pregnant?

2. were you on blood pressure medicine during your next pregnancy? (If so was it from the start or was it started later on)

3. outcomes of the pregnancy

Thank you!

I recently weaned off labetalol again. First try was good for 5 days. Bp was fine but experienced tachycardia so started medicine again and this time weaned it slower

I am 5 days without medicine. All seems good till now. Just wondering what is blood pressure supposed to be like? I get 100’s/70’s mostly but sometimes also get like 110’s/low 80’s

Is that fine?

And at the doctors office the day we were supposed to stop the medicine my bp was 133/88 and they rechecked again it came to 122/82 (doctor said hospitals tend to do that)

hola, en 3 días me harán una amniocentesis diagnostica en mi embarazo, me gustaría saber si alguien acá estuvo en la misma situación de este tomando ese medicamento (ácido acetilsalicílico aspirina 150mg) por riesgo de preclamsia y RCI restricción de crecimiento intrauterino…

mi obstetra me dijo “suspéndalo 1 semana antes” por el riesgo bajo de sangrado y el materno fetal que hará el procedimiento me dijo que no lo suspendiera la verdad quedé muy confundida me gustaría saber si hay personas que hayan estado en esa misma situación y que hicieron.. Gracias de antemano

Quick back story:

I had preeclampsia at 39 weeks with my first. I was 21 and he was healthy 8 lbs 1 oz and my pressures going in were 178/100. I think the highest recorded was 242/100 I don’t remember that one cause the magnesium drip had me OUT. Iykyk. Anyways had a C-section and it was a good postpartum experience. Never once did my team make me feel like my life was in danger but since it was so chill I went into the next pregnancy young and dumb. I didn’t really take the baby aspirin and magnesium as I should and was just careless. I was also anemic and didn’t take iron supplements like I should have and that resulted in blood transfusion in the hospital. I WAS SO STUPID!! Anyways, that birth was way worse I was having panic attacks after delivery. Stayed in the hospital for a week feeling weak preeclampsia showed up at 38 weeks this time and my second son was born 6lbs 1oz. It took them a week to get my pressures down which I think partially was due to my panic attacks cause when I calmed down my pressures would tank from all the meds they had me on. It was also covid so I was anxious about not seeing my firstborn for so long since he wasn’t allowed to visit and it was right around the death of George Floyd so there were protests around the hospital. I felt like my life was in danger and was dissociated and in panic mode. I felt like I could die any minute and be alone in the hospital room since my husband had to stay back with our toddler.

Six years later, I still deal with anxiety from the whole ordeal. I take my blood pressure everyday still but since starting Zoloft a year ago I’m able to process everything logically and every time I felt like I was dying it had a medical explanation (for example labetolol made me feel like my chest was tight which I found out recently cause I tried switching from my current bp med to it to try to conceive a year ago and the same feeling emerged and it brought me back. And nifedipine pushed my HR into the 180s which is a listed side effect and when they gave me an epidural and I passed out I learned that its a common side effect for it to drop your bp instantly) all of which I didn’t know at the time so my brain labeled it as I could’ve died.

I want to have another baby so bad. I have love in my heart for one more. But it’s obviously scary. I’m 30 now and plan to be so careful and follow the docs advice. No skipped magnesium or aspirin. Walks, healthy eating. Whatever it takes! I’ve learned my lesson.

Any mamas decided to have more babies after having it twice? Am I stupid for even thinking about it? 😔

I was diagnosed with preeclampsia and have been monitored closely with twice weekly appointments. Thankfully, my labs have stabilized, so my doctors are trying to buy me some time until my scheduled induction, assuming I don’t go into labor on my own before then. They started me on Procardia (nifedipine) to help keep my blood pressure controlled in the meantime.

The problem is that my side effects from Procardia have honestly been horrible. I’ve had days where I feel really out of it, almost like I’m drunk 😭 very anxious, shakey, hot/flushed, & overall feeling generally awful, and some other symptoms that are making it difficult to function normally.

For those of you who have taken Procardia during pregnancy, what side effects did you experience? Did they improve or level out after you had been on it for a while, or did they stay pretty consistent?

I’m trying to decide whether I should ask my doctor about switching to a different medication or if this is something that is common with Procardia and worth giving more time to. I obviously want to do whatever is safest for me and the babies, but I’m struggling with how awful I feel on it.

Hi guys! I’m currently 34 weeks with my first. A little background story. About 2-3 weeks ago i was taking my blood pressure at home and i had 2 separate readings of 140/90. I went to the hospital where they discharged me and just told me to monitor at home and if it worsened to come back. Following days after that I bring this up to my obgyn and let her know i had a few high readings at home, this is where my first issue arrises when she tells me that everything in office has been fine despite my blood pressure also being in the high 130s closer to the 140 range. I had to push to get bloodwork done as i did not feel comfortable with the response and didn’t think my at home ranges would get thrown out the window by a simple office reading done every 2 weeks 🙄. My obgyn recommended i do the 24hr protein test as well as some bloodwork, so bam i end up doing the test and i get the results today. Upon checking my protein in my urine it came out to: 720 mg/24 hr. Yes, you saw that right 720 mg. The normal reference is about up to 300 if i’m not mistaken. I go ahead and call my obs office to see if they can go over these results with me to which they tell me the dr has gone over it and your instructions are just to continue monitoring your bp making sure it doesn’t roll over to the 140s which i believe will do since it’s been ranging lately between 137-139. As a first time mom this is super scary, and I want to be prepared, and made sure i’m taken seriously when it comes to this. I have an appointment with my obgyn and i’m not sure what points to bring up, like ask if an induction will be set up, or even extra monitoring. What’s the best course of action to take ?

Hi there!! So my baby is born at complete 27 weeks. I had preeclampsia and I am really worried about my baby. I need some positive experiences about how these babies grow and do in life. It’s been two weeks now but I am still fighting with my thoughts and fears. Please help me

Hi all! Looking for someone with similar stories or just some positivity. At 5 days pp I was diagnosed with postpartum preeclampsia. Was admitted to the hospital for 3 days with 24hr mag & monitoring. Left the hospital with 30mg procardia XL. After a day of high BPs I was upped to 60mg, and another day of high BPs (😔) upped now to 90mg a day. My readings in the morning are ok but night time they seem to spike again.

I hate feeling like I’m stuck in this cycle. I can’t tell if the Procardia gives me headaches & symptoms or if it’s the high BP. This was my 3rd baby boy and I just want to enjoy it. How long did it take for you to feel better? Trying to find the light at the end of the tunnel. 😭😔

I had gestational hypertension. It didn't subside after delivery. I am currently on 60 mg of Procardia XL I have the worst facial flushing and the worst bouts of tachycardia I just got out of the ER with a heart rate of 136. Bp was great at the ER 112/72. I seem to be getting facial flushing and tachycardia 6 or 7 hours after taking procardia. Has this happened to anyone else? My face feels sun burnt, also my anxiety is horrendous right now

To add context, I am considered high risk due to gestational hypertension that I developed at 37+6 weeks. I am aware of the ARRIVE trial that showed that induction slightly lowered the rate of c-section compared to waiting for natural labour, but it only studied low-risk women. I am also aware of the NICE guidelines that state that mothers with gestational hypertension should deliver between 37-39 weeks, but a senior obstetrician said to me that he’s comfortable with me waiting until 40+2 (expectant management essentially). I am not feeling safe to wait that long, and I am petrified of increasing the chances of stillbirth by waiting that long given my condition.

I am currently taking 200mg of Lebetalol 2x a day. My blood pressure is stable at around 130/80. The highest blood pressure reading I had prior to getting admitted to the hospital and being put on Lebetalol was 176/91.

A cervical sweep showed that my cervix is still long and not dilated at all, but is soft.

Induction in my case would involve cervical ripening. I am aware that it’s a lengthy process, and could still end with an unplanned c-section (the chances are 18-34% according to what I read).

I am also aware of the possible complications of a c-section and the recovery process, but I do have a lot of support at home (my husband, mum and sister) and I am not worried about not having help with my baby.

It is a hard choice to make and I know it’s mine to make, but I do want advice on what would be the best decision given my circumstances. I went from planning a natural unmedicated water birth to developing gestational hypertension, so I must admit I haven’t researched induction and c-section as much as I could’ve throughout my pregnancy! I am very much a naive first-time mum, so any advice is much appreciated. :)

I’m pregnant with my second after a previous diagnosis of preeclampsia/HELLP at 36 weeks in my first pregnancy. I just had my first appointment at 9w3d yesterday and my doctor told me to go ahead and start 81mg of aspirin every night now. Obviously, I will follow my doctor’s instructions, but I’m surprised she recommended it so early since my understanding was people usually start it at 10-12 weeks.

I’m pregnant and currently 36+2. Doctor just called me, stating I had some protein in my urine from a test yesterday and my induction date is moved up to next week Tuesday instead.

She told me to keep an eye out for symptoms (headache not going away, etc.), but I’m just sitting here worrying about what if this suddenly gets worse while I’m at work/over the weekend and I’m unaware?

Sorry if a little disjointed. Just trying to make sense of everything and trying NOT to worry! BP at my appointment yesterday was 125/91.

Thanks for listening 💜

Hi all, so I had late onset pre-e with my first. I wasn't getting traditional medical care I was seeing a midwife so hadn't had an ultrasound since 20w, at which point baby and I were completely healthy, I was still low risk, he was a good size etc. around 30w or so I knew I had developed high blood pressure but I didn't find out about the pre-e until 37w. They said it was late onset. But again that was my first official medical checkup in a while. At that point they needed to start the delivery process asap I ended up going into an emergency C-section within hours of showing up to the ER.

My baby was very very small (2lbs 11oz) and he spent 5 weeks in the NICU. I really don't want to repeat this experience with my next delivery, as I mentioned I had a midwife, and was planning to have a natural midwifery birth.

Anyway I'm pregnant again, it was unexpected, my first is only a year (14m). I stay at home with our dogs and toddler so I can't exactly be on bed rest and my blood pressure is already showing signs of creeping up even though I'm taking low dose aspirin this time, since 15w. I went into the ER a week ago cause I had a terrible headache and high BP (156/99) and woke up the next morning still aching and getting high BP reading. As soon as I arrived at the ER my BP was completely normal and remained stable while I was there. They ran labs on my blood and urine and everything came back great. The baby looked healthy on the ultrasound and was showing a strong heartbeat. But since then I have multiple BP readings within the range of hypertension.

Can I request getting on blood pressure medication without being diagnosed with pre-e? Would this help the health of my placenta or would it only make a difference for my physical health, not necessarily the placenta or baby? It really feel like there should be something I can do

I’m 8 weeks postpartum after having postpartum preeclampsia and I’m currently taking enalapril. I don’t have terrible side effects from this medication like I did with nifedepine and labetalol, but I still don’t feel like myself and I can’t do much before I get winded and lightheaded. I felt better when I was pregnant. I fear I have pulmonary hypertension or something wrong with my lungs or heart. I’m so tired of this horrible nightmare and I just want to wake up and have everything be normal again.

NSFW because possibly triggering/sad.

My son is a blessing. I look at him at least once a day and think how lucky I am we’re both here. I’m way too scared to have another baby and it breaks my heart to think he’ll grow up an only child like me. But I had postpartum pre-e with severe features and I look at my son and that is what keeps me from going through with it. I just can’t take the chance of leaving him behind from something preventable, so I went on birth control.

I see his little face and I think “he is enough.” And he deserves to have a mommy. Pre-e is so scary and unpredictable. My blood pressure is usually so low but it still got me. Terrifying.

I'd been asked to take my blood pressure at home since I got 130/80s in office at 27 weeks. It'd been slowly getting higher and then unfortunately spiked to 150s/100s at home on Sunday (31+1). Went to the hospital that day and it kept going up at the hospital, all the way to 168 and 172 in the upper. I also had a protein ratio of 0.3. So they diagnosed me with pre-eclampsia with severe features. I had slightly elevated liver enzymes a few weeks ago, but those seem to have gotten better.

I got the blood pressure medicine and so far it's been doing quite well. It's Tuesday now, and this morning I was at 123/68. My labs look okay (but she note they could be artificially inflated due to the steroid shots we completed for baby's lungs).

The goal now is to get to 34 weeks, at which point they will insist the baby comes out, which feels crazy to have guaranteed NICU time!! But we're also getting major vibes from everyone around us that we won't make it to 34 weeks.

Does anyone have a similar story?? Would really love to hear encouragement.

Had some tests done and told I’m preeclampsia.. blood pressure is high at dr but 120s/70s at home (yes Ive checked my cuff with other ones, just have severe white coat syndrome). Blood tests have been normal and one urine test showed protein in urine but I was dehydrated on a hot day that day and kidneys have showed normal since then. I have swelling in my legs/feet hands but it’s happened gradually over my pregnancy and I tend to be prone to swelling even not pregnant. I have headaches in the morning but again if I cut out salty foods and drink enough water they are not bad and don’t last long. The artery restriction on umbilical cord is 90-95 but hasn’t changed since they started doing ultrasounds and baby is growing normally. I am happy keeping an eye on everything but I don’t want to be induced early if this isn’t even really a thing? Thoughts? I don’t have under rib pain, see dots or anything else…

Hi, wondering if you all could share your experience with having future pregnancies after being diagnosed with preeclampsia or postpartum preeclampsia. With my first, I had gestational hypertension and was induced at 37 weeks. With my second, I had postpartum preeclampsia and had to be hospitalized within seven days. That was rough and I’m now being followed by cardiology.

I’ve always pictured having a big family, specifically three kids. I can’t shake the feeling that my family is not complete, but I of course don’t want to put myself and my family and my kids, especially through something as serious as preeclampsia with the risks involved.

Just hoping to hear from other women on how their experience was. TIA!

My BP is currently 135/90 and I'm 24 weeks pregnant with my 2nd child.

The right side of the back my head and neck is sore, annoying but not unbearable.

I'm not sure if I should be concerned enough to go the hospital or if this is just one of those random days because I didn't sleep today and felt a bit sick due to not eating much through out the day .

I'm usually a little unwell in the afternoon. My morning sickness tend to start around 6pm until I asleep but I wake up feeling fine.

I guess I'm looking to see if anyone's had this reading and symptoms before and whether I should be panicking or not