I am wondering if we should wait till I go to the doctor the end of next month before we start trying for #2. I had severe pre-eclampsia with my first and she was born at 33.5 wks. Very healthy just stayed a week in the nicu to get her eating regulated and just to monitor her. She caught up very quickly to where she needed to be. I know there is a chance of me devoloping it again with another child. I just don't know if it will be worse or not near as bad since they will monitor me more. I don't know if there is any tests they will want to do before we start trying. Has anyone been through this? I would love to hear some stories to make me not be so scared! I am afraid I will stay so stressed the entire pregnancy which isnt good either!
I had borderline pre-eclampsia with my first son, then had 2 other boys with no problems.
One recommendation that I believe helped tremendously was to try to eat 100 grams of protein daily while pregnant; and I took very high quality vitamin supplements, not the ones they give to you or prescribe at the Dr's office.
Good luck!!
I am an RN, and in school, and while practicing I learned that pre-eclampsia(severe) only happens with the first pregnancy. If you are in good health, I recommend going for it! Good luck........Your physician will be a good source for info, just call the office and leave this question for him to answer.
K.,
I had 2 healthy pregnancies and very lucky but I am working for a company called MIST Technologies. A maternal-fetal medicine specialist with Marshall University in Huntington, WV has taken 15 year old research and has been managing his high risk patients with this protocol for the past 6 years. He has had amazing results. If you had pre-eclampsia with your first pregnancy, you ARE at risk for your second pregnancy. This was an underlying condition your doctor was unaware and requires a special non-invasive test done in the doctor's office. Our company has brought this new technology to market but so far we are local. If you want more information go to www.misttechnologies.com. You can email or call us anytime with questions and we can point you in the right direction.
My cousin's wife had extremely high blood pressure with #1 and was hospitalized several times and they finally took the baby at some point before 40 weeks - She had #2 2 yrs later, was carefully monitored, and had no problems at all. If I'm a bit fuzzy on the details, it's because these kids are now ages 18 and 20!
Good luck!
Been there, done that!!
With my first child, a son, I developed pre-eclampsia at around 31 weeks. I was hospitalized and given steroids for the baby to develop. I delivered him at 33 weeks. He was very healthy and only spent a week in NICU.
When I got pregant again, of course they monitored me closely, but they can't keep it from happening. I developed pre-eclampsia again, this time at 28 weeks.
She had to be delivered by c-section at 29 weeks. She was 2 lb 12 oz. She was also healthy, she just needed to grow. She spent 31 days in the NICU.
No one can know if you will have pre-eclampsia again, it is more common to have it if you had it before, but many women have it with their first child and don't have it with the next.
If you do have it again, chances are you will deliver earlier than the last. My doctor told me that with each pregancy, the pre-eclampsia seems to come quicker, if you have it more than once.
My doctor did tell me that since I had it with both of my first two pregnancies, that I would almost certainly have it with a third. She suggested that I have my tubes tied after # 2, and I did. ( I have a step-daugher as well so we have 3 anyway.) With my second child I entered the hospital with a BP of 220/160. My problem was that even with medication, they were unable to stablize my BP and it was affecting her. I had a rough time with # 2 but she is completely healthy at 4 years old now. I would not do it differently if I could.
I know you wanted uplifting advice but you need to know there is an increased chance you will have it again. I suggest you NOT focus on that "possibility" and do what is best for your family. If that is having another child, then go for it. Be prepared for an early delivery, but focus on the baby, not the chance of pre-eclampsia. There is no test to say if you will have it again, just make sure your doctor knows your history and be sure you go to all of your visits. If you experience any of the effects from before ( I had headaches and saw spots when my BP got too high ) go to the doctor immediately. Make sure your doctor stays on top of things,checking BP and urine proteins.
Never the less, you may want to discuss your individual situation with your doctor just to see what he/she says. Everyone is different. I know I am glad I had # 2. Not having another child, even with the increased chance of problems, was never an option for me.
Good luck!!!!
Jessi
my first was delivered early for the same reason. My second was full term +2 days late. No problems with pre eclampsia with the second, but boy did I have morning sickeness!
You'll do fine as long as you relax and take care of your self. You've already been through the hard preganacy so the second will seem really easy. :)
i am a nursing assistant in a labor and delivery unit, where we have lots of high-risk pregnancies. also, i just graduated nursing school and will be working on the same unit. i would tell any of our patients that it's not neccessary to go to the doctor prior to getting pregnant, but just to be sure to seek early and good prenatal care. be sure to let your doctor know that you have a history of it, and that you are concerned. they will answer all your questions, and hopefully ease your fears. the good thing is, you know the signs, and they know to be prepared with you. good luck with #2!
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I had an experience similar to yours with my first pregnancy (with a couple more complications thrown in.) If you plan on having the same doctor deliver baby #2 I wouldn't worry about it because they already have your history and know what the possibilities are. However, if for watever reason, you plan to use a different doctor, I WOULD call around just to find what doctors in your area will deal with a high-risk pregnancy. (The history of pre-eclampsia automatically puts you in the high risk catagorey, and doubly so if you had a c-section.)
If yo're even thinking of trying for #2 now, start taking vitamins now....flinstone's vitamins are fine if you don't want to choke down the pre-natal ones. Also make sure you're getting plenty of iron in your diet to prevent anemia as well. Each pregnancy is different K., my first one was a nightmare that almost ended up taking mine and my baby's life, the 2nd one had NO problems whatsoever though, so don't let the past haunt you.
