Can pre-eclampsia improve?

[Barefootcontessa84]

Hi

Just wondering whether indicators such as blood pressure and protein levels can improve rather than just get worse up to delivery?

Just been diagnosed at 28 weeks - they want to keep me in until delivery (who knows when that will be). On maximum dose of methyldopa now and this has helped BP but protein still high.

Is it possible that tests could improve at least enough for me to go home at some point over the next few weeks? It feels like a prison sentence

My baby developed IUGR from 17 weeks onwards, my BP went up at 30 wks and was admitted with PE at 34. My dd managed to stay put until 37.3 when I was induced because of a declining kidney function. I pushed to go home the whole time as I felt absolutely fine although as PE can be very unpredictable I wasn't allowed. Dd was a low birthweight baby, hypoglycaemic spent 1 wk in SCBU. I was very lucky that things weren't much worse and that thought is what kept me going at the time.
No one spoke to me about the possibility of my dd going to SCBU so it was a big shock when she was taken straight after birth as I wasn't expecting it. It is hard to be on the antenatal ward when all around have babies and your baby isn't there.
I think the advice to view SCBU is very good and will help to prepare you a little as you will be familiar with it.
Just go with the flow as much as you can and don't have too many expectations regarding discharge because it is unlikely to happen.
Good luck, I wish you all the best.

My aunt had preeclampsia and had no choice but to have a c-section at 32 weeks. I'd imagine they would have tried to improve it before delivering her baby 8 weeks early so assuming there's nothing that can be done once you've got the signs.
I was bordering on preeclampsia with my second so when I fell pregnant with my third they had me taking aspirin to keep my blood pressure low. So don't worry about getting it again with any following pregnancies ,they can prevent it (to a degree).

Thank you all for the advice / support. I'm now on 750mg methyldopa four times a day (so the max dose I can be) and feel utterly exhausted. It has helped that my dose has been slowly increased since the beginning of pregnancy (pre-existing BP issues). I've been told the average time after diagnosis to delivery is just over 2 weeks- this would only put me at 30 weeks so desperately hoping to hold on a bit longer - has anyone lasted longer than this?

I wish I knew how long I'll be here as at the moment it feels like I'll never go home again! And it's my birthday on Friday

Some great advice on here. I did have a private room how awful you be on a ward with mums who have their babies with them. Lovely to hear those of you who had sympathetic midwifes and nurses. I can't think of one midwife or nurse who was particularly nice or sympathetic when my daughter was born.

How are you doing OP?

I assumed you would have a private room given your length of stay. Please do get yourself into a private room. I balled my eyes out for 2 days after because of all the drugs. I'm in NJ, USA and I was flagged for PND. The hospital had someone speak to me about the birth and it really helped. I strongly recommend being open to that. The person assigned to me was male but he was great.

I lasted a little over three weeks from diagnosis to delivery with baby 1. Remember they will probably keep you in for a week after delivery too, to make sure your BP returns to normal.

In my second pregnancy I lasted for ages, not sure when my official diagnosis was though but they confirmed around 26 weeks and we went until 34 weeks. Second pre-e pregnancies are different though, apparently.

It will feel like forever but once it is over it will feel like a lifetime ago. You just need to try to keep distracted - surf the web if you can, read novels etc.

Ask if you can have a 'family room' - I got one and it had two beds so DH could stay with me every night, en suite, fridge microwave and kettle. Made life much more bearable for the month I was there.

Hi op, happy birthday for tomorrow! It's my birthday tomorrow too

I was diagnosed with preeclampsia in my last pregnancy last year at 28 weeks like you, my consultant kept me in and wanted to get me to 34 weeks but it became apparent quite quickly that was not going to happen, my dosage of Bp meds needed increasing and adding to everyday that went by was on a mix of labeterol and nifedipine. It became a balancing act between keeping dd where she was before she started to feel the effects and keeping me and my health safe. Got to 30 weeks and her movements decreased so they sent me down for an urgent scan with my consultant in fetal medicine and it showed reverse blood flow through the placenta and it was decided she would be delivered the next morning. They put me on a drip that night of magnesium sulphate which helps prevent seizures and obviously had already had all steroid injections for baby after being admitted.
I had already had a tour of nicu which was upsetting and made it all seem like a reality but I'm glad we did as it made us that little bit more prepared.
She was born weighing 2lb 9 and came out crying and breathing on her own. She only needed a few puffs of air and that was it, no issues and an uneventful 4 weeks in nicu before we were discharged. She was what they called a feeder and grower! She is 16 months now and although teeny compared to my friends baby who was born 3 months after her she is doing so amazing, you would never know she was born so early under such conditions!
I thank my consultant for being able to get the balance right of keeping her in just long enough to enable her to get a little stronger and My body held on as long as it could.
I have to say though the whole time I was in hospital I wanted to leave (other dd at home) I kept saying I was fine and felt good however once she was delivered i realised I must of been running on adrenaline because I realised how poorly I had actually felt compared to how good i then felt.

Anyway I know you want to hear from people who have made it longer but I wanted to reassure that even if you baby is born at 30 weeks there is a massive chance they will be completely fine and need no intervention.
Here is my daughter at one day old and a month ago.
Keep us updated how you get along, will be here to offer any support or a chat xxx

I was admitted on 7 Jan for a 1 Apr EDD. Potassium drip only and was finally induced 6 weeks early because my BP had reached 215/130. It was boring to say the least, but worth it to not die, frankly.

DD was tiny (3.1lb) and they thought she'd stopped growing at 30 weeks. 4 weeks in SCBU and left hospital at 5lbs. No lasting effects, was small until she started school then shot up. She's now perfectly healthy and perfectly 'normal'

I was scanned 3 times a day, had 24 hour urine collections once a week, blood tests every other day. Was made to eat a hard boiled egg every day - DD now is an egg refuser! No problems with my milk coming in once DD was born, had to express feed so they could see what she was taking and she was given special prem baby teats in hospital - I was also able to pass on excess milk to the milk bank which made me feel better with the tiny amount DD was taking.

It's boring OP, and worrying and frustrating - but all worth it in the end. Good luck.

I wasn't diagnosed until 37 weeks and both DS and I were so unwell that they got him out within a couple of hours so different situation to you but I did have to stay in hospital for a long time after until I stabilised.

I agree with the private room suggestion above, made things easier for me.

What I really wanted to say though is that you should ask for help for the emotional side of this experience if you need it. My birth experience was so different from what I had hoped for because of the p-e and I struggled to deal with this. So many people kept saying to me "you and the baby are ok, that's the main thing" and so I never dealt with my feelings about the birth. It took me 5 years before I plucked up the courage to talk to my G P and I got referred for counselling. This gave me the chance to work through all of those emotions and grieve for the birth thatI didn't get, if that makes sense.

Wishing you well O P.

Hope it is going ok op. I was in hospital with pre-eclampsia for a month before I had my twins by emcs at 34 weeks - I think they would have pushed slightly longer but worried about getting two scbu incubators in the same hospital and two came free. My twins were in for ten days but one could have come out after two really. The sleep deprivation got to me as they woke me every two hours to do BP checks. Also very frustrating not being allowed out of my room when I felt fine. However I appreciate was medically necessary. I only had to have the 24 hour urine collection once but they did bloods and urine daily. As others have said if they will let you see scbu is good to be prepared. I was also let out of my room when BP stable to do a breastfeeding class in hospital so there might be something like that to keep you busy. I hadn't realised how I'll I was feeling until I felt much better after delivery so it made the post birth bit a bit easier at least - plus it was lovely finally going home. Hope all goes well as possible for you.

OP - Hope all is going well.

Just remember that both you and your baby are in the best place. Yes it will be long and boring in the hospital but I would recommend doing what pp said and look around the various units that you will come to be familiar with. Me and ds were there for 5 weeks (born at 33 weeks, diagnosed at 32). My best advice is try to relax, you will feel like a pin cushion and the blood pressure cuff will become part of your arm, but relaxing helps control your Bp - relaxing is the only reason me and ds are alive today. I don't want to worry you but you need to be aware of the realities of this, your baby will be early

OP- I was diagnosed at 26 weeks and lasted until exactly 32 so you might have a bit of extra time X

Oh OP I really feel for you. I had early onset PE which started at 27 weeks but wasn't picked up on until 29 weeks, when I was admitted to hospital. I lasted 6 weeks!! It was the scariest and most intense experience of my life but DD was eventually delivered at 35+1. She was severely growth restricted so only weighed 2lb 10oz at birth but came home after 4 weeks in SCBU. She's now at age 5 average height and weight and developmentally has hit all milestones.

Hang on in there. You're in the best place.

I was very lucky all round and one thing that helped was being given my own room once the Sister found out I was in for the long-haul as I just wasn't able to sleep on the ward.

Thinking of you and willing you and your baby on

Both my sister and I had preeclampsia and emergency caesareans. Hers at 35w and my niece spent 10 days in special care before going home.

I had my daughter at 25+3. She's still in nicu, almost 12 weeks old now. If you want to read more about that it's the thread titled emergency caesarean at 25 weeks.

It's unlikely you will be able to go home until after baby is born. Also, nearer delivery time they may put you on hourly monitoring and fluid restrictions. I was allowed 80ml per hour.

You are likely to remain in medication for BP for a few months after baby is born until stabilise your BP. I'm still on a low dose now. Please feel free to pm me if you've got any questions x