Pre-eclampsia - hospital admission

[Izzie90]

Hello everyone. First pregnancy and diagnosed with pre eclampsia at 33+2 weeks with swelling, high BP, and protein in urine. Admitted to the antenatal ward till delivery now-aiming for 37 weeks. Any tips from preeclampsia veterans on how to stay sane in hospital for 4 weeks!! Esp when being in a ward so not much privacy except curtains and a shared toilet. Partner not allowed to stay overnight. Got myself some books and journalling but hands are achey due to swelling. Any advice would be appreciated. xoxo

Rest as much as you can as that will help. Listen to podcasts which might help with the noise. Reading, doing quizzes, crosswords etc. It'll seem to last forever (I was in for six weeks). Try not to listen to other women's talk of childbirth etc. Good luck

never had to stay in but it must be hard try find things to keep you busy books games puzzles hope everything goes well

Audio books, food deliveries if you can, eye mask, noise cancelling headphones, scented lotion, essential oils on tissues/

Ask if you can have a couple of hours leave from hospital and book yourself in a pregnancy massage! It's got to be good for your blood pressure and mental health wise.
Hope you can find somewhere near the hospital you can go. If not then a very gentle swim? Some hospitals even have a hydrotherapy pool.

Have you got any friends and family you can ask to book in some visits over the next couple of weeks?
Really wishing you all the good vibes for the next few weeks.

Ipad / laptop so you can watch movies and series

Are you allowed to go down to the hospitals cafe? Spend an hour or 2 down there each day, have some dinner and change of scenery

Our hospital has a costa coffee in it. They also do 'to good to go' so I'd be in there ordering each day to see what goodies I could get for cheap 😂

Stick to a routine, in a morning get out of bed, make it , have a nice long shower etc. Blow dry your hair. Put some make up on.

And make sure you rest, take advantage of it. Have a scheduled afternoon nap each day!

Veteran of a week long stay with my first, and a fortnight stay with my second.

Get off the ward for at least an hour or two a day. The midwives won't want you to leave the hospital grounds in case you turn eclamptic, but so long as you stick to busy areas (within the grounds) or have someone (i.e your partner, friend, family) with you it should be fine. But just don't go far. Have a walk, have a coffee, breathe the fresh air, enjoy whatever the British summer weather currently is.

Rest as much as you can. 4 hourly OBS are a pain, especially at midnight and 4am, but what can you do other than make up for the disturbance during the day. Have your own pillows bought in, and a blanket too if you like. Nothing like the smell and feel of home to help you to sleep.

Download as much TV/movies as you can. Unless your hospital has good enough free wi-fi ofc. I read loads, and I even got out my Where's Wally books for a change.

One day at a time, though after a while they start to blur together.

Resist the urge to beat senseless anyone in your bay complaining about how long they've been in hospital when you've already surpassed their stay by over a week. Looking at you woman opposite me in my second pregnancy.

Would they let you out during the days for a few hours ? I wasn't allowed but was only in a few days before they induced me to, I would definitely recommend ear plugs for sleeping I was in for 5 nights before being induced and by the time I had baby j was completely exhausted from no sleep made having a newborn so much harder to deal with especially seen as they kept me after birth as well so no help with baby till I got home

If the hospital is a decent size they will have a library, cafe/reaturant and outside garden spaces. Go for walks. Make friends at the volunteers area maybe. Some even have Costas and a Smithys.

I was in for four weeks, got my family to bring in dinner for me a few nights a week otherwise it was sandwiches every blooming night as the kitchen closed after lunch and even though they took orders the day before for the sandwiches I frequently just had to take what was left as they'd given mine away to someone else.

I also got a mattress topper brought in to combat the plastic mattress sweats.

You are probably allowed off the ward. I didn’t realise this until a midwife suggested I go for a walk a few days in. There will probably be gardens, cafes, etc for a change of scenery.

Also use ear plugs!

Headphones, chat with friends and family on WhatsApp etc, some nice hand and face creams, lots of reading material, device with Netflix etc. It’s really tough you have my sympathies, and I did it before hospitals had Wi-Fi or phones had data! 😂

Thankyou so much, yes found a few podcasts to listen to to drown the sounds. Hope your 6 weeks were okay, day 5 today and long to go yet. xx

WOW that must be hard!! My SIL sent a rose face mask to keep in hospital fridge and use, which has been very refreshing. Great advice thanks!!

Yes for now only allowed off for an hour or so, I have started going down to the cafe and small green spaces etc which is refreshing. Have been told I may be allowed to go on day release if everything stable in a few days, fingers crossed!!

Ear plugs would be a life saver yes! Asked husband to get some for me x

Mattress topper sounds amazing and I can already imagine it making such a massive difference!! I wasnt sure it it was allowed but will get one if you have used before without any issues. Waking up with back pain is not the best at 33/40 :(

Explored around a bit yesterday and found a few things to do :) to spend the long days. x

Not allowed off the hospital yet, just off the ward for a bit, but hopefully may be able to go out a bit later and do some baby shopping etc. x

It used to help my sanity to get up in the morning and showered, then get dressed out of nightwear into comfy loungey daytime clothes, and properly make my bed then lie on top of it or sit on the chair in the day time rather than in the bed with all the messed up covers.

Also you may find they let you home with daily or twice weekly monitoring at the day unit, if you respond to blood pressure medication. That’s what happened to me. I made it to 39 wks in the end although dd was small as her growth had been restricted but totally fine and has just done her GCSE’s and is taller than me now 😁

Weirdly I don’t have unhappy memories of that time in hospital, I was worried of course but knew I was in the right place. You soon get institutionalised and used to the rhythm of BP checks and other obs, the doctors rounds, shift changes and meal times!

I was fortunate enough to get a single room which helped a lot.

I had a tablet to watch TV. The olympics were on so devoured that and box sets.

Good luck.

Thankyou that is all brilliant advice. Esp people complaining over how long other women have been here lol. Husband brought in lots of things to help which has been great-my precious bbhugme pillow, sleep mist sprays, blanket, books etc. Getting knitting supplies and crochet etc but not sure how much I will be able to do with swollen and achey hands :(

This was me. I did lots of admin. I had a routine. I got dressed every day instead of lounging in pjs. I got in extra fruit and veg (stemmed broccoli and green beans) to have with dinner. Took lots of walks. And most importantly was not an asshole to the staff. I could not believe the amount of grumbling from bed mates. This paid off so upon delivery I had a private room for free for a few days. Good luck

Room sounds amazing. Shared bays arent the greatest but doing what I can within the circumstances x

Wow you sound like the ideal patient Im sure the staff loved looking after you. Having worked in obs and gynae myself I can definitely empathise with staff but first time being a patient and seeing the other side is a whole new perspective. Trying to finish off life/work admin too. YES not lounging around in pjs has helped A LOT-got husband to bring my nice maternity dresses to wear during the days and only change into pjs at bedtime-not sure how long i will have the patience or motivation to keep doing this but trying my best for now to dress up and do some skincare and makeup everyday. x