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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Pre-eclampsia - was it my fault?

3 replies

PicadillyCircus · 24/09/2004 10:15

DS is 10 months and from 34 weeks pg onwards I had high blood pressure, which resulted in several stays in hospital before he was born at 38+3. The hospital decided it was pre-eclampsia after I swelled up and were going to induce me, but DS came along anyway!

I remember around 26 weeks or so I had put on quite a lot of weight; not sure how much but put on 4.5 stone altogether. I mentioned it to the midwife who said not to eat too much (!) but didn't otherwise seem bothered. I know that weighing too much can have an adverse effect on blood pressure - was it the fact I put on too much weight the reason my blood pressure soared; or was my weight gain an indication of the future pre-eclampsia?

DS was fine (and still is!) but I still feel a bit concerned that the whole pre-eclampsia thing was my fault. When I had growth scans at 35 and 36 weeks I felt so guilty and although DS's weight at 6lb 1oz was all right, I still feel like I didn't nourish him enough inside me.

OP posts:
mears · 24/09/2004 10:19

PicadillyCircus - there was nothng you could do to prevent pre-eclampsia so it certainly was not your fault. Weightgain is not a trigger factor. Part of your weight gain would be a result of the extra fluid you retain because of pre-eclampsia.
This link here may be helpful for you
preeclampsia

crunchie · 24/09/2004 10:30

PC it is nothing you could have done, one of the symptons of pre-eclampsia is oedema, or swelline. This is caused by water retention. I had pre-eclampsia at 26 weeks and like you felt guilty, but I realise there was nothing I could have done. However it took me a sceond child and about 4 years to totally come to terms with it, so I understand how you felt. The midwife could have picked up on potential pre-eclampsia much earlier if she had been on the ball, although oedema without high blood pressure and protien in the urine is nothing to worry about.

Please don't worry, your son is fine. Do bear in mind about 1 in 10 1st pg result in pre-eclampsia!!

PicadillyCircus · 24/09/2004 10:45

Thank you both of you - Chrunchie your experience must have been worse than mine - at least I did get to term with DS.

And mears thank you for giving a midwife view on it - it is good to know it wasn't my fault.

And I also know that 1st pregnancies are much more likely to have pre-eclampsia happening, so hopefully when number 2 happens (not planned for a while yet ) things will be different

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