preclampsia and help syndrome

[231061853023601926_575_5]

I am 14 weeks and 6 days pregnant with #2 and starting to get nervous. I was diagnosed with preclampsia and help syndrome with my first. She was taken by emergency c-section at 30 weeks and 1 day she only weighed 1lb 11o..she is going on 3 and has no problems! I guess my question is if anyone else has had help disease along with preclampsia and has had more then one child.....I am so afraid I made a selfish decision to have a second and am afraid this one won't be as lucky as our first!  

[koyama83]

I was really surprised at how healthy my son was and even though he was the 2nd born my midwife kept calling him my first since my daughter was 3lbs. The labor with my 3lb baby was more painful and aftermath and all the complications made her birth more difficult than my 7lb one. It was really different being able to hold my second born.... Just stay on top of your condition. You won't necessarily get preeclampsia or help again but if you do, you know you'll be OK and you'll catch it way earlier than last time. I have a friend who always gets mild preeclampsia and she goes on bed rest and all 3 of her kids were born at 40 weeks.

The things I've heard about preeclampsia:
The father may play a role.(if it's a different father than before your chances go down)
Women whose ethnic group is Asian, Hispanic or Native American are at higher risk
Low sodium diet can help in prevention
Women who are very young or very old are at higher risk

Sorry, I could go on all day about preeclampsia...that crap was traumatic!

[231061853023601926_575_5]

I don't blame you!!!! It can be extremely scary and I always worry when I hear of other women having issues!!!!!

[koyama83]

When I asked my OB about the pitting adema on my ankles, hands and face she said that it was just pregnancy swelling. When she saw me in the hospital after I had the baby she apologized to me profusely. So for several years I'd be so nosey to pregnant women with swelling and warn them to be screened for preeclampsia.  

[231061853023601926_575_5]

Oh I definitely know what to look for this time round! I was having horrible headaches weekly and sometimes daily that would not go away and the pain at the bottom of my ribcage on the right side was to die for....the midwives never asked about any of it and acted as though everything was normal when I and my husband expressed how bad things were and they kept telling me my blood pressure was fine although I found out later it had been going up for three months prier to my last sonogram (the one I was admitted during with a blood pressure of 198/107 and immediately put on magnesium sulfate) it was so scary and so unexpected. We definetly want another child and thought I had prepared myself for the chance of it happening again...o guess I need to do some more preparing!  

[koyama83]

I didn't mention that I'm 9 weeks with #3. The fear of preeclampsia and help are in the back of my mind and I'm sure I'll worry more when I'm further along but I know what to look for and do and expect.  

[koyama83]

I have....When I was 20 I had eclampsia with my first born that went undiagnosed until I had seizures. I was working as a medic in the er so I went straight from work (my coworkers diagnosed me) to labor and delivery at 32 weeks and delivered her vaginally and proceeded to lose 3/4 of my blood, so needless to say, I was unconscious for a day or 2. I was told that I had help, but I don't remember that part because I was on mag, which made me out of it, had seizures, and passed out from bleeding nearly to death...she had complications, which is its own story but is 10 now and completely healthy.
5 years later I became pregnant again. I cried often in fear that I'd die and leave my daughter or both my daughter and my son with no mother. I loudly announced to every pregnancy staff member that I saw that I'd had eclampsia, seizures, help, and that I'm a bleeder. They took extra caution with me and had me eat less than 1,000 mg of sodium a day in efforts to prevent preeclampsia. I was told to rush to er if I had upper abdominal pain as a symptom of help.
With my son I made it to 37 weeks until they induced me with only the beginning symptoms of mild preeclampsia. He was healthy and I survived.
Preeclampsia is still considered a phenomenon but since you know what to watch for and you know what to do and your healthcare provider has a heads up, you are much safer than last time. Just be sure that they dip your urine for protein at every single visit and keep a detailed log of your blood pressure.

[bigmama86]

I had pre-eclampsia with my first 8 years ago.  I'm now 24 weeks with my baby girl.My doctor said I will more than likely get it again because I already have pre-existing high blood pressure. So I started the whole collecting 24hr urine at 15weeks so they can get a baseline what is normal for me. Now it's just the waiting game.  I'm praying I don't get it cause I was in and out of the hospital from 28 weeks on with my son.  Luckily I never got it really bad like you I was able to go on to be induced at 39 weeks.  Dont feel selfish!  There is always a risk that anything beyond our control can happen when we get pregnant. I wish you the best and hope you don't develop it!