second preganancy after sever pre-eclampsia in first

[imaginewittynamehere]

I had severe pre-eclampsia at 38 weeks with DD leading to a 10 day hospital stay & pro-longed BP meds.

Am now pregnant with #2 (7 weeks)

Following the birth of DD at my postnatal check with the consultant she said that I would need to be under consultant care in any future pregancies.

My question is what experience does anyone who has had pre-eclampsia before had with appointments in a subsequent pregancy? I was hoping for an early consultant appointment as I have questions about low dose aspirin/calcium supplements which the midwife can't answer. The midwife didn't seem to take this very seriously & has basically said that my 12 weeks scan will be my first hospital appointment.

Just wondering if this was a normal experience. Is it worth me ringing the hospital EPU to see if they would know more. Or am I worrying about nothing?

Any experiences/knowledge welcome!!

Thanks for that Sobernow, I've had a good look through the APEC website - it was their info that led me to believe that an early consultant appointment was likely - (I suppose it depends on the definition of early really) I think it was there too I read that some believed that low dose aspirin was beneficial whilst the placenta was developing too, but I can't find it again now - think I have the classic too much information syndrome!!

i had severe pre-eclampsia in the first pg. it didn't develop till about 38 wks and i was induced at 39. All had been normal till then and they missed a 38 wk appt because of this. My bp was 185/120, if i remember rightly, at that point and was induced the same night.

So far, i am 28 wks pg. I saw my consultant for the first time at 16 wks or thereabouts. I had a scan of the placenta at 24 or 26 wks to verify that the blood flow to it was fine.

It is good to remember that many times it only occurs in the first pg. So really the only thing to do is take it one week at a time. The last time round I was taking Pregnacare which has as much calcium as the gut would absorb anyway I suppose and it did me not good.

I had PET with my daughter and liver problems afterwards. The chances of recurrence range from about 20% upwards, some studies reckon on 80%. So you need to be aware of all the symptoms.

If you start showing any symptoms you can expect to be visiting the day assessment unit on a very regular basis. However the consultant side of thing isn't very different at all.

I had severe PE in first pg, starting at about 29 weeks. Am not pg again but I did have an appt with my consultant in December to discuss what would happen in a subsequent pg. He said not to worry about calcium supplements - think these have only been shown to be effective in mothers with a very calcium-poor diet - and that I should take low dose aspirin (75mg) starting on the last day of the first trimester (I guess this is 11+6?). They will also give me a uterine doppler at 24 weeks to check blood flow to the placenta. My consultant said that he would want to see me before the 12 week scan, but this could be because of the early onset or just different practices between hospitals.

You are definitely not worrying about nothing! If you are concerned about seeing a consultant and the midwife seems to be fobbing you off, I would go and see your gp. They can refer you if necessary or at least might be able to discuss things with you. IME community mws didn't seem to have that much knowledge about PE - I suppose as soon as they see high bp they pass people onto the hospital.

Good luck, hope you sail through it this time round!

I suffered from severe Pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome at 30+6 last December. I have since had a pre-conceptual appt with a specialist in preeclampsia and was told that Asprin would be started as soon as I was pregnant (not that I'm planning another just yet )...think if I was you then I'd ring and ask to speak to the consultant directly if the MW won't refer you asap.

Also Pre-eclampsia typically presents itself after 20 weeks BUT is actually an early pregnancy problem.

I would push very hard to see a consultant asap. Under the Precog (national) guidelines you require consultant care as having had PE before makes you "high risk". I would go to your GP and demand an early consult with an obstetrician. Low-dose aspirin needs to be started before the placenta has finished forming, which is usually around 12-14 weeks, so in most cases is started as soon as a pregnancy is confirmed.

APEC (charity mentioned above) are great but are having some funding issues at the mo so if the site isn't working properly try the helpline- they have a list of medical experts who specialise in PE and will take referrals from those who've previously suffered without having to pay (you just have to be referred by your GP). Their advice in how your pregnancy should be managed could be invaluable.

Another good website which includes more info on aspirin, calcium etc. is at: //pre-eclampsia.blogspot.com/

Most ladies who've had a previous history of PE go on to have PE-free pregnancies but there is a still a higher-than-average chance you could develop it again (usually milder though, and sometimes later in pregnancy).

I say all of this from personal experience- DS born at 30 weeks due to PE/HELLP syndrome, DD (#2 pregnancy) born at 36 weeks due to milder PE (and I thank the low dose aspirin started at 6 weeks for getting us to 36 weeks).

From mid second trimester they should regularly monitor your BP, give you urine dipsticks to test for protein at home, and hopefully offer regular growth scans and doppler scans to examine blood flow through the placenta and umbilical cord. But you may have to push for all of this.
Good luck xxx

sorry link didn't work- here it is again: pre-eclampsia.blogspot.com/

Plus there's a new UK-based pre-eclampsia forum which is very good, the lady Liz who runs it was instrumental in APEC and is a source of info both on PE and what your rights are under the NHS regarding how your pregnancy should be managed- see: pesupport.friendhood.net/index.htm

xx