Pre-eclampsia- worry worry worry!

[dundeemarmalade]

This is probably just a touch of paranoia, I've been getting really worried about pre-eclampsia - my mum had it with increasing severity with me and then my brother, and i think there's a genetic link (not sure though - four pregnancy book = four different answers ). The reason i'm worrying is that after our scan we went to look round the local midwife-led birth unit. It was lovely- peaceful, safe, quiet- not like a hospital at all. But, but, but, they only let you go there if you're low-risk - fair enough, i understand why, but (and even i can see that this is a bit loopy) now i'm really worrying that i'm going to get pre-eclampsia too, and will have to go to the obstetric unit in hull, which I've been told you can't even go and look round (for 'security' reasons) beforehand. I was wondering if anybody had had experience of having pre-eclampsia - what kind of birth are you 'allowed' to have? is there anything I can do to prevent it (stop worrying, i guess!)?

My sis and my friend both had pre-eclampsia and had emergency C sections. If you are going to get it, you're going to get it, I think. Talk to your MW about your fears. I had my second baby at HEYWACH at Hull Royal and staff were fantastic. I was in for a week as my DD was born at 29 weeks and she was in special care for 6 weeks - can't praise the staff highly enough. Good luck and HTH xx

thanks for this chipbutty - don't know why i have such a thing about going into hull royal. it just seems really scary!

My friend had pre-eclampsia - she was planning to deliver in hospital anyway - but i know that if she had been planning elsewhere, they would have transferred her to the hospital as she needed close monitoring throughout her labour. she still had a no intervention birth though. gas and air and normal vaginal delivery.
Try not to worry about it though - fingers crossed you escape it.

Your feelings are only natural as it's your first baby (I presume). Hopefully some others who have had their babies at HEYWACH can come on and reassure you. How many weeks do you have to go? x

Some folk get it, some dont. I dont know if it is hereditory. I had mild Pre-eclampsia with my 2nd child.

I was told I was unable to go to the birthing unit. I had to go to the labour ward/delivery suite.

I had a 'normal' vaginal delivery, having been kept in at 39 weeks (after 3 weeks to-ing and fro-ing at the hospital for monitoring almost daily, and hte odd overnight stay - which i might add was FAR more stressful than just being at home). They kept me in to induce me, but I went into labour naturally. However, they wanted to speed it along and broke my waters.

They insisted that i had to be monitored constantly on the CTG monitor (baby's heartbeat and contractions), and therefore I couldnt walk around.

i have since found out from here that you dont have to be monitored constantly unless your BP is dangerously high (in which case you have an emergency c/section anyway).

They also recommend epidurals with high BP, as it helps to lower your BP (another reason you'd have to be in delivery suite rather than birthing unit).

Try not to worry - it might not happen to you.

There's a genetic link yes, have done a bit of support work for a smaller charity- and me and both sisters ahd it too, and MIL

Pre-eclampsia HAs to be a medicalised birth due to the risks, my DS1 lost a lot of weight in uetero and I was fitting. My sister almost died (theo other gave birth natuarally on the day her bp went up so was lucky)

The risks of an emergency c-section is higher too, and so you need to be close to a unit- and in cases where bp is severe, an epidural can be a tool they use to maange that

Now, a medicalised bith doesn't have to mean a nightmare. Youc an still ahve lots of freedom depending on the unit, eg music etc- just you would need to be ain a aplce where any emergency could be dealt with

It would also be likely in the event pf PET (pre-eclampyic toxaemia)a nyway that an induction (as me and sister head) would be arried out.

Please don't panic, there's no guarantee of you developing pre-eclampsia- and if thre was you'd still be OK. If you need mroe info, I would suggest the charity APEC and for support, pre-eclampsia and toxaemia socirtya re good (PETS- think you need to search PETS pre eclampsia iirc)

VVVQV some PAeds will allow induction with pre-eclampsia as longas you agree to a c-section at the first sign of problems (although my c sectin didnt happen despite ds1 in distress due to a lack of Surgeons- someone else with pre-eclampsia already having a c section at the same moment)

Am wondering who in my family has ever had PE now........my mum didnt, that's for sure.

I agree with Peachy - medicalised doesnt have to mean complete intervention. You just need to have help very close at hand, which is why homebirths and birthing units are unsuitable.

Very regular bp measurements, and checks with a hand held doppler for the baby every 15-20 mins should be more than adequate, if you wanted to walk around a bit, or have music or get in a bath.

Induction due to mild PE was the 'done' thing at our local hospital maternity unit. It is pointed out that once intervention starts, they have to continue down the road with it. So if things dont progress as they should - then yes C/section could be result.

That said, many of the mums who were induced were left days between pessaries etc, due to them being "so busy".

Mind you - they are shit. Panorama did a thing on maternity care - it was our PCT that they did the expose on!!!!!

Sister ahd an induction, yet she was so severe she sustained severe organ damage and her LO was in NICU for 4 weeks- they are prepared to give it a go, but as ever would depend on your Obstetrician.

My mum had PE and so did I. In her case she was very poorly (the maternity unit was utterly atrocious but you'll be pleased to know it wasn't in Hull, in fact it was knocked down about 15 years ago).

I was absolutely fine, even when my blood pressure was very high. I was induced (waters broken) and in retrospect I wish I had pushed to be allowed to labour longer before they got the syntocinon out to move labour along; I was progressing, and my bp was normal, so I'm not convinced the desire to get things moving was motivated solely by what was in my medical interests.

I don't think there's anything you can do about it. If it's going to happen, it will do. Mine only got picked up when it did because I booked myself an extra mw appointment at 39 weeks (wasn't meant to be seen again til 40) because I was worried about the bump size, actually. The bp was high and the mw said I would have go in on the Sunday (this was Thursday) to have it checked again. Couldn't believe it - midwife unit on a Sunday morning? I was the only person there, bar dh and the mw! Anyway, it was still high so they sent me up to the hospital for monitoring and I was induced a couple of days later, before I would have had my next mw appointment.

So my one top tip would be to make sure you go weekly to have your bp measured, even if your mw says it isn't necessary.

don't know if this'll help you at all but I'm taking part in a study at St Georges hospital in Tooting South London. They are researching if it's possible to predict who will get pre eclampsia. The theory is that if they count the number of capilliaries in the skin (mine is done on one of my fingers) they can predict your risk factor for pre-eclampsia. The reason people get pre-eclampsia is they have fewer capilliaries in their bodies. When the placenta forms there isn't sufficient blood supply as there are fewer capilliaries. As the pregancy develops it's not a problem until the baby gets bigger and the demand for blood is higher. The body tries to compensate by increasing the pressure to force more blood through to the placenta, hence the raised blood pressure. This affects your kidneys which is why people with pre-eclampsia often get protein in their urine too. If the research they are doing is right, they should be able to predict just by counting the number of capilliaries in your fingers if you are high risk or not. Of course low risk isn't no risk, but it's a big help.

How many weks pga re you?

The further along you are the better, I was picked up at 36 weeks although it was 'watched' until about 37 with a few admissions when my BP peaked; sis was 30 weeks though.

there's ntohing you can do (there are suggestions that a high protein diet and not limiting salt can help but this is also disputed- although i'd do the high protein thing jic if it were me I think, and don't increase salt but dont limit it either- its not the same as normal high bp)

rest is important, getting a regular BP taken (Lloyds chemists so monitors very cheaply) and sometimes a MW will let a nervous woman have a set of urine strips to check for protein- such a simple reassurance