Pre-eclampsia - still in hospital over a week after birth

[jessplussomeonenew]

Anybody else been in this situation and have stories/supportive thoughts to share? My BP is still erratic so they won't discharge me. I know BP can be nasty and monitoring it is important, but I'm going stir crazy and really want to take my baby home.

[Funkytown]

I developed pre-eclampsia after giving birth so not exactly the same thing but I understand you must be fed up after being in hospital for a week ,your bloody pressure will Even out hopefully very soon (think mine took a week and a half - two week )so you can go home and squish your baby
Congratulations

[AuntieMaggie]

I was in this situation recently. I know you want to get home but make the most of it - you'll need your energy once you do get home so enjoy having meals brought to you and other things you won't get at home. Also if you're a first timer like me talk to the mws, get to know them and other mums and ask them for tips on things such as different ways of winding baby, giving meds to baby, cutting baby's nails etc. I didn't do these things and wish I had but I had just lost a relative so my mind wasn't in the best shape.

High bp is dangerous and really does need to be treated so you're in the right place.

[Lally112]

Me with DS1 - took 10 days. Normal BP for me is 90/60 ish or lower even but with PE it was 186/98 at times and the swelling was awful. went from fitting a size 14/16 to 24/26 between 35 weeks pregnant and 40+5 when I had him, the swelling was so bad I got a fragmin injection in the thigh and as soon as the tip of the needle was removed from my leg the liquid came squirting out my leg again. still had three plusses of protein till about 5 days after birth and the headaches took about 3 weeks to lift.

Its a PITA but you don't want to be home alone with baby and have a seizure so stay put for now, do as they say and enjoy your new baby

[AmandaTanen]

I was in for a fortnight, hoping for 3 good BP readings in a row. Hated the noise of the electric machine especially the noise it made when it failed to take a reading. My arm was covered in wee red dots from the pressure being so tight where the band was.

As a pp said pick the midwives brains about everything. I was in my own room so in the end they would come in with cups of tea and stay for a chat.

Look after yourself x

[Katnipp]

Another one in for 2 weeks. Wasn't so bad a DD was in SCBU so made visiting her easier. But did get frustrating - not just because being in hospital for that long isn't great but the longer it took to get under control the more drugs I had to take and I didn't react well to any of them (just about every side effect listed!). While your bp isn't under control you really are in the best place.

[Girlsville]

I had my 3rd dds 3 weeks ago, following which my BP went sky high. It wasn't pre eclampsia (although they were repeatedly testing me forthat), but just high BP triggered by the delivery. I was in for 48 hours for monitoring, while they put me on labetalol, then discharged and followed up daily with the community midwives. I was referred back to hospital on day 5 when my reading was high again but released the same day. 2 weeks on my BP started to settle and they have now reduced my dose of labetalol by half. My consultant said things normally start to settle 2 - 3 weeks post delivery, and in most cases all should be cal to normal by 6 weeks.

Are they taking your BP manually or electronically? Manually is more accurate and may give a lower reading - I used to panic with the electric machine which made my reading go higher. Good luck, it is very frustrating when you can't go home andstressful.

[jessplussomeonenew]

Thanks for all the comments - we did finally make it home last night though I'm still on 3 different bp medications and being monitored daily.

I really got to hate those automatic cuffs - they squeezed so hard I thought my veins were going to pop and my arm ached for ages. Of course I always tensed up as a result, which doesn't help the reading at all. Definitely preferred manual ones!

Now my goal is not to be readmitted, though it's reassuring they didn't keep you long!

[AuntieMaggie]

Glad you got home. Be strict about taking your meds, rest as much as you can, eat well and drink plenty of water and hopefully it will start improving. Not easy with a new baby. Also don't talk when they're taking the reading as it can affect it.

I was sent home on 2 different meds one of which (adalat/Nifedipine) made me feel awful - faint, shivery, constipated, tired - which I noticed more at home. Now 10 weeks on I'm still on both but much lower doses and gradually being weaned off. One thing they didn't tell me in hospital which I read in the leaflet when I got home was not to take the tablets within 2 hours of having dairy or vice versa and not to eat grapefruit so checking the instructions for your tablets may help. I also stuck to the timings I was given the meds in hospital for the first few weeks which meant setting an alarm sometimes which sucked but I didn't want to 'rock the boat' while things were improving.

Good luck and hope things improve

[Girlsville]

So pleased you are home. I invested in my own bp machine to take readings at home. This gave me a bit more confidence in dealing with it. 3 weeks in today and for first time my bp readings are very stable at 115/65. It will settle in time, but you should try and rest as much as possible now that you are home - easier said than done I know!

[Errrr2012]

Good to hear you're now home. I was kept in for about 2 weeks i think after ds was born (emcs at 31 weeks for PE and HELLP). My bp was all over the place but stabilized with the right dose of labetalol. It was 2 months before i was off meds completely though, home bp monitor and regular discussion with gp on the phone. So don't be surprised if it still takes a while to settle, I found it hard to believe i'd have normal bp again!