Anyone had a VBAC with pre-eclampsia?

[SmallScrewCap]

Loads of questions from me tonight, sorry.

Have been diagnosed with mild to moderate pre-eclampsia, but don't want to be induced and end up with a spiral of interventions that might lead to EMCS - would rather have an elective, or go into labour naturally.

Can I hear from anyone who was trying for a VBAC despite pre-eclampsia? How close to your due date were you? Did it affect your labour in any way?

Thanks...

bump

Hi there
I was diagnosed with PE towards the end of my pregnancy and they decided to induce me five days before my due date, as they didn't want to wait and risk the situation worsening. I was 2cms dilated when they induced me, but the induction didn't work, as is often the case, and after 15 pretty awful hours, I was still only 6cms, so I ended up with an EMCS. With hindsight, it would've been much better to have had an elective, as I was so out of it by the time they operated.
I think your situation will be dictated by the PE symptoms, as you know, it can worsen very rapidly. If I were you, knowing what I know now, I would go for an elective. But if you do manage to hold out for a natural birth, without induction, I hope you end up with good memories of the experience.
All the best!

i did have a vbac after pre eclampsia in first pregnancy. em section with ds1 after three day intervention hell. this time round i refused induction and went into spontaneous labour at +12 over - one day before planned section. my blood pressure was getting higher but was having daily monitoring and hospital also provided free acupuncture which was really relaxing too. i had decided (with advise from consultant) that if i went into labour by myself i would have a good old crack at it but if any pre eclampsia signs got too bad or it went past 13 days i would have an elective. think varmit's right that it depends on your symptoms. was also lucky to have very supportive ob and amazing midwives.
also as a note of warning my pre eclampsia came and bit me in the bum 1 week after birth of ds2 and i was re admitted to hospital and given loads of drugs to stabilise me. think this is unusual though but one doctor told me that pre eclampsia often comes in about 2 weeks later in subsequent pregnancies if it presents at all.

good luck to you

How far on are you SmallScrewCap?
I had an emcs with DC1, at 30wks, due to severe PE. Hoped for a VBAC with DC2, but developed mild PE at 35wks, which gradually worsened, though still not as severe in any way as with DC1. Sadly as I was a bit too far from "term" and it was unlikely that I was "ripe" they wouldn't wait for labour to start naturally- did consider a sweep but as my cervix was no where near ripe they decided it was pointless. Hormone-mediated induction isn't recommended in our hospital for those trying for a VBAC due to heightened risk of scar rupture. So basically I ended up have another cs This time though I did have 24hrs warning, (BP kept creeping up), so it wasn't a true mad emergency like my first one, and a considerably better experience (and better recovery afterwards).

Good luck

I had a VBAC with pre-eclampsia 6 weeks ago (cs first time round at 34 weeks because of severe PET). Bp started going up about 36 weeks, 1+ of protein on and off and creatinine raised by 38 weeks. Consultant booked me in for a section at 40+3, I went into labour at a very timely 39+6! I went along with all the medical stuff, so had CFM (but with mobile monitor) and cannula in, and had waters broken as I wasn't going into active labour fast enough. Think this was all due to VBAC rather than PET though. My bp didn't go up during labour (surprisingly!) but I was told if it had done they would give me medication or an epidural to bring it down. I was very lucky to have a quick and relatively easy labour after waters were broken and didn't need any further intervention.

How far along are you? Good luck!

I got pre-eclampsia at 34 weeks with dd and by 36 weeks pre-ecl was sever and bp 170/135, they induced me at this stage but nothing really happened and had emergency section with general anasthetic 10 hours after being induced for fetal distress. All i can recomend is if you do decide to have natuarally ask for constant monitoring. Good luck

Thanks everyone. Wow, what a bunch of amazing women you are. Very inspiring stuff.

I'm 39 weeks and my spike in blood pressure appears to be improving, it now seems that I had a virus that affected my liver so talk of pre-eclampsia is dying down - still just taking one day at a time though and getting lots and lots of rest. Also avoiding stress as much as possible - can be a challenge when everyone wants updates on where the baby is all the time!

Samllscrewcap- so glad it sounds as if you don't have PE after all. Really hope all goes well, BP stays settled and you get a shot at your VBAC! Good luck x

Liegeandlief- many congrats! That is fantastic that you managed a VBAC, especially with mild PE too Hope you are enjoying your DC2. I'm very interested to read that they did let you proceed with a VBAC after labour started naturally in spite of PE symptoms, my consultant at the moment feels it may be too risky for me to try a VBAC even if PE holds off until term and is mild, and even if I go into labour naturally. I guess she worries that as PE in my first pregnancy worsened very rapidly that this could in theory happen again during labour. At the moment she's proposing a CS at 37wks tops (am 24wks now, all good so far).

That sounds really good smallscrewcap, hope everything stays as it is and you get your VBAC.

Thanks Jumpingjellyfish! Your consultant sounds much more cautious than mine - she was always fairly open to the idea of VBAC, although she was convinced I wouldn't go into labour before my cs. I got the impression it would be very "managed" though, and they would want to speed things up or do an emcs at the first sign of anything going wrong.

Seems odd that your consultant would go for a cs at 37 weeks even if you have no symptoms at all - I guess as you say it could be because of your history if you worsened very rapidly. I was in hopsital with PET for 3 weeks before they delivered me so nothing very dramatic. Very glad everything is going well so far though! Do you want to try a VBAC?

Dc2 (dd) is very lovely but is on her second cold already (I suspect from her 3 year old germ factory brother) so sleep is a distant and very fond memory!

Meant I was in hospital for 3 weeks with PET in first pg - don't think I would have got away with VBAC if it had been the second one!

Liege I think the prob is that last time I was hospitalised at 35wks, and as BP wasn't really responding well to the BP meds they decided that enough was enough and gave me an emcs at 36wks. My consultant feels that having had PE twice before, and before 37wks, that it's highly likely to happen that way again, and so if I'm fortunate enough to make it to 37wks we'll have been very lucky and not to push the luck too far! I am hopeful if I am that lucky that I may be able to push a cs back to at least 38wks. I would just love this LO not to have to spend any time in SCBU! I'd also like to at least experience early labour, but know it's unlikely given my history...You never know though! So glad all is well with you and DD-in spite of the colds. Imagine that when this LO is born it'll be a similar story- DS (DC1) will be at school, and hopefully it'll be November....hmm

Ah well that makes sense then. I felt exactly the same as you about SCBU and labour, it must be much harder when you have been through it twice already. Hopefully though if you can make it to 36 or 37 weeks your LO won't need SCBU. It really made the world of difference not to do it this time - I cried when I left hospital with dd as I remembered all the time I spent walking past the "normal" parents leaving with their LOs on the way to see ds in SCBU and wishing I was "normal"! Best of luck, will look out for your posts to see how you are getting on...