Toxemia and Postpartum complications

  I am 36 years old and had a normal pregnancy until I developed severe toxemia in the last 9 weeks of my pregnancy. Labor was induced but I could never fully dialate so the baby was delivered by c-section. I was kept on magnesium for 36 hours before delivery and 24 hours after delivery. About 3 hours after delivery my blood pressure dropped to 70/30 (It had been running around 160/110). I do not remember much of what happened after that except that I lost a lot of blood and wound up getting 2 units of blood (about 6 days later). I was hypovolemic for quite a while and had to go to my ob's office for IV fluid several times.
  My question is what caused the drop in blood pressure and the extensive bleeding? Is the hypovolemia related to this? What can be done to keep this from happening during a subsequent pregnancy?
Dear Sharon:
Excessive bleeding after delivery is a well-known, common occurrence. The uterus stops bleeding from the placental attachment site by a strong, continuous contraction of the muscle in the wall of the womb. Excessive bleeding results when this contraction is weak or intermittent.
Patietnts who receive pitocin to stimulate labor and patients who receive magnesium as treatment for pre-eclampsia experience this problem more often than other women, but most cases of excessive bleeding cannot be predicted or prevented.
Pre-eclampsia occurs most often in the first pregnancy. Hemorrhage is not something which occurs repeatedly in future pregnancies. It is important that your health provider, in your next pregnancy, know of your experience.
Keyword: postpartum hemorrhage