Preeclampsia

A., I had preclamsia with my first pregnancy and I too was concerned about having another child. I was assured that it was rare. I have had five children and never had a preclamsia problem with any except my first one. I think you can be confident that all will be fine.

Hey A.....I had a problem with high blood pressure at the end of my first pregnancy (2 years ago)---I had my second child 3 months ago and I had absolutely NO problems....make sure you eat 80-100 grams of Protein per day and that should help keep you low risk. Check out bradleybirth.com for more info....we had a bradley birth the second time and it was amazing!!

M.

I had preeclampsia with my 3rd child. I went my whole pregnancy with perfect blood pressure and the last month it went crazy. They say the cure it giving birth...well not for me! 2 weeks post partum I went into the ob's office and my pressure was through the roof and had to be admitted to the hospital (after having my daughter my pressure while I was in the hospital my pressure was fine). They never figured out why, but I developed high blood pressure after that and just when I finally got the meds right- it was very hard to control- I had a HUGE surprise and found out my 4th child was coming! While I did have to take blood pressure meds during my pregnancy, I never had ANY problems what so ever.

So my point is that there is no reason to believe you will have preeclampsia next time, you will just be watched closer for it. Most likely your ob, will do like mine and have you have one visit with a perinatologist at least once. That way if it does become an issue, you already are associated with one and their screenings are more thorough.

While you will always be at risk, there is a huge chance that you may never have preeclampsia again with any of your pregnancies.

Good luck!

I also had pre-e with my first. So bad I was induced at 23 weeks and lost my daughter. However we did try again and no pre-e this time, as I write this with my 4 month old in my lap. I also have a clotting problem so I was on blood thinners, but I have read several articles about preventing pre-e with baby asprin, which I was on till 36 weeks. If you want more info feel free to contact me at ____@____.com.

I had extreme preeclampsia with my 1st pregnancy. The whole nine yards - swelling started at 25 weeks, high blood pressure, protein, and he was early - born at 35 weeks. Exactly a month before due date. Born June 22, due July22. The very good news is that preeclampsia is usually a 1st pregnancy thing. The women who have it in subsequent pregnancies are the exeption, not the rule. I now do ultrasound in an OB/Gyn office, so I'm around it every day. Of course you will be concerned, but chances are more likely that you will not get it the second time around. I did not. My 2nd was perfectly normal. I certainly would not let that worry keep you from a 2nd wonderful little addition. If you're concerned, as your OB/Gyn. They will likely be happy to discuss your chances with you.
Good Luck and God Bless you,
K.

Hi A.,

I am a L&D nurse and have some comments for you. While you are at increased risk of having pre-eclampsia again b/c of the history, your doctor will most likely monitor you very closly during the pregnancy and you may be just fine. Typically, pre-eclampsia does not present until well after 20 something weeks, otherwise it is considered chronic high blood pressure. Pre-eclampsia does generally happen in the later part of pregnancy and delivery IS the cure. HOWEVER, women are still at risk of developing pre-eclampsia for 6 weeks into the post-partum period. So although delivery is the cure, it does not get you out of the danger immediately.

Hope that helps a bit. Don't stress about it. Get good pre-natal care, go to all of your appointments, and know the symptoms to watch for: sudden increase in swelling in hands, face or feet, severe headaches that are generally not relieved by Tylenol, blurred vision or spots in front of eyes, or dull achy pain constantly under your right breast area.

Have a great day and happy baby makin'......

Jaime Nguyen, RN, BSN

I have had pre-elcampsia twice; however I have more than one risk factor including a family history of pre-eclampsia.

Pre-eclampsia is more common in first pregnancies, but having had it before does increase your risk of having it again slightly. If you do get it a second time it is usually hits later or milder than the first time.

I have found http://www.preeclampsia.org/ a good source of information and support.

Also if you are concerned about the future you could schedule a pre-conception consultation with a maternal fetal medicine specialist. http://www.smfm.org/ They should be able to give you a better run-down on the odds of PE striking again, taking into account your personal medical history.

Good luck!

ETA: My second bout of pre-eclampsia was much milder, since we were monitoring more agressively and caught the symptoms sooner. I was close to term so we went ahead and induced. It was hard being on modified bedrest towards the end of my pregnancy, but delivery was a piece of cake compared to my first. My blood pressure didn't become freakishly high, and I was able to avoid a magnesium IV.

A.
I just had my third daughter Feb 4th. She was born 5 wks early and my 5 yr old and 21 month old were 4 wks early. I had pre-eclampsia with all three. Knowing what we were up against and having an incredible doctor that kept a close eye on me, granted me three healthy babies. I was closely monitored and had read up on anything to watch for. We debated after the second baby on a third and I was going to wait a full two years before making a decision...however we were blessed when we discovered we were expecting again. I am glad for the surprise because who knows if we would have gone for it. :-) We had some bumps and I will admit a lot of fears, but mainly because I had been so lucky with the first two and I was afraid my luck would run out. It is a very real and can be a very dangerous situation, but fortunately you have the upper hand that you are watching for it.
I read up even more this pregnancy (being on bedrest from Dec till her birth in Feb) and the scariest of the stories were of women who had no clue or it came on so suddenly, not knowing what was coming on.
Each preg it was a little worse..but as I am sure you have read and your doctors will say you might not even experience it again.
I wish you the best of luck. If I were to go back and do it all over again I would hands down.

Hi! I did have preeclampsia with my first pregancy, to the extent that I was hospitalized the last three weeks, and my son was born 3 weeks early. But I had four children after that and never had preeclampsia again! I really think I was told it is much more common with first pregnancies. Good Luck!

Hi A.! I personally did not have to deal with preeclampsia. However, my sister and two of my friends did. They had it on their first pregnancy and the second pregnancy was fine. I think you should consult your doctor to set your mind at ease. Best of luck!

I had pre-eclampsia really bad with my first pregnancy...like I was in the hospital bad. With my second, there was no problems at all. They just monitored me and kept my blood sugar down. So if you do what the doc says, you will deliver a happy healthy baby from a healthy mom!

I ended up with pre-eclampsia with my first pregnancy (in 1994). I ended up with a c-section (due to breech presentation) at 38 weeks. After that experience I was worried about having difficulties with any other pregnancies, but I went on to have 3 more children and never again had a problem with pre-eclampsia. If you are concerned, talk to your doctor. I hope things work out for you!

I had preeclamsia with my first son in 2000 and had to have a c-section because I was so swollen up. I got pregnant again and everything went normally. I was scheduled for another c-section and I went into labor 2 days early, because my dr. had jury duty that day I got to have a natural birth(vbac) which is not liked by most doctors, but since everything was completely normal I got to do it and had another beautiful son with no problems.

Hi A. I have had it twice out of 4 pregnancies. Didnt with my first cause it was with a different father and with the 3rd I didnt and I havent a clue why. But with my first I had it postpartum but nobody told me that was what it was until I had it with my 4 and last. I had it so bad and I had such an incompitent doctor that she ignored ALL of my warning signs. I was becoming psychotic from the water on my brain. I hated life. Anyway it wasnt diagnosed until I went into the ER 4 weeks before my due date cause I thought my water might be leaking. There they did the regular urine test and it came back with high levels of protein. I was told by my awsome nurse that I was just a day or so away from seizures. I had to take anti seizure medication and 24 hours later gave birth to a completely healthy baby girl. I knew from that moment on I was done having anymore. I know it is very rough to go through so if you need any support please let me know I am here if you need me.

Hi A.,
I had preeclampsia with my first pregnancy as well. I did not have preeclampsia with my second or third pregnancies. Hope that helps!

Good luck!
A.

I had preeclampsia with my first son who is now 4 years old. The journey was a very hard. I had 'morning' sickness 24 hours a day for the entire 9 months which actually caused me to loose weight and caused me to have many trips to the doctor to be given iv fluids. I spent the last trimester on strict bedrest. After 32 hours of labor and a c-section i ended up having a perfectly healthy baby. With my 2nd son (now 19 months), i did expereince the nausea, however no high blood pressure, no swelling, no headaches, & no bed rest. After only 9 hours of labor (much better than 32), i had a 2nd perfectly healthy son via VBAC. Although i did experience the same level of nausea & weakness (which they discovered to be due to the fact that my boys and i have opposing blood types)I would not have changed a thing. I was fearfull that i would be on bedrest again and wondered how i would be able to still be actively involved in the life of my oldest... but all fear was put to rest. It is amazing how different things can be from pregnancy to pregnancy!!

I am currently in the hospital bed as i write this. I was looking to see my chances & found this site. My first born daughter was born at exactly 34wks (09.18.09) Nicu for two afterwords. Unlike most iwas healthy with no signs or swelling. Turns out ihad severe preeclampsia & rly low platelets. My doctor had told me the chances will go down if i have another but i still have a chance. Risk is higher if my 2nd is by a different guy. Which this one is. Theyve monitored me nd i am full term feb 14th. Two days!! But im getting induced today. As of last night they think i may have preeclampsia again. While ive had low platelets for awhile. I guess im trying to find out if i do or not before they give me proof. Nd i i do have it again what are chances of preeclampsia with a possible third child?

I had it with my first but had no problems with my 2nd. Of coarse that doesn't mean that you couldn't have a problem again I wouldn't think.

I haven't had it, but my best friend did. She was really severe in her first pregnancy because it caught her off guard and she and the baby nearly didn't survive, but they did make it and are both doing great! She got pregnant about a year and a half later and went full term with no complications. Good luck!

Hi A., I guess I'm the exception! I had pre-e with all 3 pregnancies. All three turned out well.

I'm in very good shape, work out daily, have a healthy diet, healthy weight my whole life. I don't smoke and I don't drink. No pre-existing medical conditions. And my weight gain was normal during all three pregnancies.

My first pregnancy went well until my 37th week when my blood pressure shot up, swelling overnight, and I was induced the next day. Second pregnancy, same thing except it happened five weeks early. Third pregnancy things turned sour at 32 weeks. All three babies were born without complications and were healthy enough they did not require oxygen. My last baby was in NICU for about three weeks until she reached 5 lbs (she was 3'11"). I was also in the hospital for a while as my blood pressure was very high.

I'm grateful things turned out well! Like stated above, you never know but it's unlikely. Good prenatal care is a must! Talk to your doctor and things will be fine. Good luck!

A.,
I ended up with preeclampsia with my first and second pregnancies, but not my third. I am currently expecting again. Each time I ended up with presclampsia, it sprung up one day and was not a growing problem. My current OB will start to closely monitor me starting at 30 weeks with bloodwork and more frequent appointments.

I ended up with the edema, water tension, weight gain and high blood pressure with the 1st and 2nd pregnancies. I managed to evade it the 3rd time but not sure why. I did have a lot of water weight gain with the 3rd. I also had the sugar and protein in my urine with 1st and 2nd.

I do believe that if you watch very closely what you eat, you can possibly evade it any subsequent time. My OB will have me on a strict diet at 30 weeks. She insists NO salt or sodium. NO sugars. I have to raise my legs for 1 hour every 3-4 hours.

I think if you have a great OB who is willing to monitor you closely and you can watch yourself also, you can have a 2nd HEALTHY pregnancy.

I also had preeclampsia with my first pregnancy. From the information I found out it is not common to get preeclampsia again. There are three cases though, in which one could get it again.

1) If you are a diabetic
2) If you are very young (under 25)
3) If yoy are older (over 40)

Hello A.,
I had preclampsia with my first child and when I had my second child every thing went very well. I was able to have natural birth. I was very excited, because with my second child I wanted to experience natural birth. I pray that if you do decide to get pregnant that all go well with you and the baby.

Yes. I was put on bed rest for 4 months the first pregnancy. With the second I had a month of bed rest, it wasn't as bad. For me it was worth it, the second baby is easier and I am enjoying the experience more.

I had preeclampsia with my first child and c-section. With my second child I had no problems at all. The pregnancy went great with the second one.

I am a certified childbirth educator and birth doula. The likelihood of recurrent pre-eclampsia is low in a subsequent pregnancy, although it does exist. Unfortunately, this is one of those things there's not much a mom can do to prevent. I would advise you to just make sure you eat well, keep active (you will with a toddler!) and make sure you take time for yourself, to relax, meditate, or ??? to help keep your BP down. If you are one of those moms that just gets Pre-E, then so be it. Hopefully, a second pregnancy will be much smoother! I a had client who have had horrible pre-e (had to be induced at 34 weeks) that had perfectly normal and healthy full term pregnancy the second time around. Good luck!

I think with preeclampsia there is no real predictor. I too had this with my first pregnancy and was on bed rest for 5 weeks. I know that the longer time you give your body between pregnancies the better you can respond to the stress of being pregnant again. I think the rule of thumb is 18 months, just to give yourself time to rebuild, replace, and regenerate all you lost during the pregnancy and delivery. Also, it may take up to 6 months or more for your blood pressure to stay equalized after having preeclampsia. My son is 19 months old and probably within the past 6 months have I had really no trouble with my blood pressure. Then again, everyone is different so always ask your OB/GYN or PCP.

When I was pregnant with my first child, Mya, I had the perfect pregnancy up until the 8th month. I started having alot of protein in my urine when I did my urine tests for the doctor. My blood pressure steadily rose at each visit. I was having signs of preeclampsia. My doctor went ahead & induced me at the end of my 8th month. My placenta had failed passing on the nutrients that my baby needed. After being induced, Mya's heart rate couldn't handle my contractions & I was rushed in to have an emergency c-section done. Mya was born only weighing 3lbs 12oz. I was not told by my doctor at the time that if I got pregnant again the preeclampsia could get worse.

I got pregnant with my second child, Chloe, & I started off having the perfect pregnancy - up until the 8th month. My blood pressure for my second pregnancy rose higher than my first pregnancy. I was put on bed rest. Two days after being put on bed rest, I woke up one morning vomiting clear liquid, massive headache, & found out my kidneys were failing. My husband(who just got off duty at the fire station that morning) rushed me to the hospital. The doctors immediately took me in for an emergency c-section. Chloe was born only weighing 4lbs 6oz. The doctors told my husband that if he hadn't brought me in when he did, I would have gone into seizures. The doctors thought that if they got my baby out that my blood pressure would go back to normal. It didn't. I was on magnesium for four days trying to get my blood pressure down. My platlets were so low that I had to make sure I didn't scratch anywhere on my body just so I didn't break the skin & cause myself to bleed uncontrollably. My body did eventually get back to normal a week after having Chloe.

I am not telling you this info to scare you but to make you aware of what could happen. Just make sure your doctor keeps an eye on you if you do get pregnant a second time.

T. Butoryak

I had a friend that had it with her first..but not her second! I would not worry to much about it unless there is a family history of it!

I has it with my first child at 18 years of age. I was put on bead rest toward the end and even enduced due to the preeclampsia. I recently has my second child (at 24) and had a text book, picture perfect pregnancy. I discussed everything with my doctor initially (after finding out we were preg.) and she said that under 20 and over 35 you are at a higher risk but if you have had it before you are also at a higher risk for having it again. I was told that every pregnancy is different and just because you have it with one does not mean you will have it with another. They will monitor you closly for signs of it but I did not experience anything with my 2nd. It really makes me consider having a 3rd in a few years :)

I had preeclampsia with my first, but not at all with my 2nd. My doctor said it is mainly a first pregnancy problem. I guess due to your body not being used to it...not sure, but anyway, I had a very good 2nd pregnancy, no issues at all.

Hi A.,

I did have preeclampsia issues w/ my first pregnancy, but not with my subsequent pregnancies. I did swell w/ water weight with all 3 pregnancies, but no blood pressure problems with my second and third children. I am a 33 yr. old stay at home mom, and like you, I retired from the workforce w/ the birth of my first child. My children are 8, 5 and 20 mos.

R. H.

I had preeclampsia with my first preg. in 2001. The second pre. in 2003 went fine, fat and fit as a fiddle! 2008, this is my third preg. three months a long and all seems to be going fine.
Hope this helps, T.

I had it with my first but not my second hope this helps!!

I had pre-eclampsia with my first pregnancy, I got pregnant while 29 and delivered at age 30. I didn't develop it until quite late in my first and was induced 5 weeks early, just days after the diagnosis. My ObGyn said the older you are with your first pregnancy the higher the chance of high blood pressure in that pregnancy (and I see you're 35). She had me cut out salt and put me on immediate bedrest (two things I later learned by Dr. Tom Brewer to be the WORST and not based on evidence - keep reading!) only to induce me 2 days later. I too was concerned about any subsequent pregnancy (and had two miscarriages for unknown reasons at age 32). I was referred to the website of Dr. Tom Brewer that has evidence-based research showing pre-eclampsia to be a preventable condition (blueribbonbaby.org) and I purchased his book and followed his recommendations as they made sense to me and had evidence in support. I had no blood pressure conditions with my 4th (and 2nd succesful) pregnancy and delivered at age 34. I did however develop gestational diabetes but Dr. Brewer's diet plan is high in protein and I was rigid about controlling my blood sugar through diet so it went well. My ObGyn said research shows it be to extremely rare to have pre-eclampsia again, not impossible, as you have a risk factor. But partner with an ObGyn you trust and who is open to any research you do so you can openly discuss your concerns/ideas and have input into your care plan. Best wishes and if I can answer anything else please let me know - I went a little overboard (according to my husband) but needed to feel in control of my healthcare as a partnership with my doctor - and I now have two wonderful boys so I feel justified. :-)

I experienced preeclampsia during my first pregnancy with my daughter, but my second pregnancy with my son I had no problems with it, however they kept a close eye. I think that it might be different for everyone but it did not reoccur in my situation. Good luck to you and congrats on the birth of your first baby boy!