Hi Kathryn,
Welcome to the forums. I am so sorry for the loss of your little girl. I hope you are able to get an appointment soon to discuss your particular situation. We all seem to get varying information on how long we should wait to conceive again. My doctor didn't give me any specific guidance, some doctors recommend six months or about a year. It really depends on how you delivered and how your body is recovering. Many women have to stay on blood pressure meds for a while after delivery. Some women have to stay on them, others get off in a period of months or weeks. It is really individual.

I lost my baby girl at 24 weeks on 31st May 2012 due to developing severe pre-eclampsia.
When I was discharged from hospital the doctor said not to get pregnant until my blood pressure had stablised. I have been put into a very low dose of lisinopril tablets for blood pressure. I am seeing my doctor in 2 weeks and hoping to come off the medication.

We are still waiting for an appointment to get the post mortem results and to plan for future pregnancies.
I am so desperate to start trying again.

Hi there
Im from NZ and had severe early onset pe at 24 weeks, unfortunately had a still birth. Was very unwell like your self and afterwards felt so empty. I lost the baby in Feb 10 and was pregnant again in July 10 delivering a healthy baby boy March 11 at 37+6 with no PE or Help. My bp starting going up a bit at the end but that was all. My baby was very healthy and is now a year old. I was on aspirin from about 4 weeks gestation. Dont get your hopes down, you will have a healthy baby to. If I can do it Im sure you will too. I think if your body has returned to normal ie. bps good, cycles back to normal there shouldnt be any reason to not start trying.
The second pregnancy was very stressful and I was quite anxious the whole way through to the birth but it was worth it and as long as you have great maternity care like I did Im sure you will have a healthy baby too. :) Hope that helps. I was desperate to hear of storys of woman having healthy preg and babys post severe pe and I like to think that I can put your mind as ease :)

I know how you feel. I'm so sorry for your loss! I had severe pre-e and hellp. I was told to wait a year. I had my daughter @ 23 weeks, 2 days and am now 11 weeks pregnant. It wasn't necessarily on purpose. We weren't trying at all, I wanted to at least wait til April, but we weren't extremely preventing (aka withdrawal method). I was told to wait because I took so long for my bp to go back to normal, about 14 weeks postpartum. I stayed in the hospital after delivery a week and a half and went back 3 times. They never got my bp down after I delivered, I discharged myself. I think I was instructed to wait a year because of the fact that my bp was being so difficult. I have heard many women say 3 months. Emotionally, I think you should TTC when you are ready. Physically, it's probably best to take advice from an MFM you respect and trust.

I am sorry for your loss.

When I was delivering my son (s/b at 22 weeks), the OB told me that I could not get pregnant again. At my 6 week pp checkup, he briefly went over the pathology report and then spent the rest of the time talking about sterilization and giving me brochures to the fertility clinic so I could try surrogacy. I was crushed to lose my son, but even more devastated at the thought that I would never have a child of my own. It took several months before I finally listened to some of the other doctors who suggested that I get a second opinion. In a way I'm lucky because we knew I had an underlying medical issue (lupus) and I was able to get a referral to see the head of the lupus clinic at awesome local teaching hospital (ALTH). She has done numerous studies on lupus during pregnancy and gave us some good advice, though with the caveat that if we decided to try we should wait until my lupus bloodwork was normal for 6 months. We also saw a MFM at ALTH - he commented that one aspect of my blood work was still a little high and that I should wait til that was normal for 3 months. We ended up waiting nearly a year after the loss to start TTC but got lucky and got a positive our first month trying. I do think that waiting has been good for my husband and I from a mental-health standpoint. I feel much more relaxed and excited than I think I would have if we had started trying right away. That said, I know how much it aches to be told wait wait wait when you want to start trying right away. I hope that you have a good, helpful visit with the MFM and that you are able to start trying sooner rather than later.

I am so sorry about your loss and upsetting dr's visit. Here is my experience - after the twins both ob and MFM told me to have blood work to rule put thrombophilia, clotting disorders and common autoimmune disorders, and not to have another twin pregnancy. They were OK to start TTC after 1-2 cycles but most importantly when I felt mentally and emotionally ready. I had vaginal delivery w the twins (there were 1 lb each) and c section in 2004.
Just like many others, looking back I REALLY NEEDED those 6 months to recover, even though mine and my husband's advanced age was advancing further. Getting pg without even TTC, with a due date 51 weeks after the twins' due date, was a big surprise, but tells me I was ready. Also, I remember reading something about having a lower chance of subsequent pre-e with the same partner if the pregnancies are closer together .. maybe Caryn or our moderators will have some research evidence for us ....

So sorry to hear about your doctor's visit. It seemed to have gone exactly like mine in November last year. We delivered our daughter stillborn @ almost 24 weeks October 17th, 2011. I had severe pre-e and hellp syndrome. Anyway, I was determined to start trying @ the 6th month mark against my doctor and husband's wishes. I'm pregnant now. :) :) We weren't necessarily trying but weren't preventing since we weren't using protection. I was heartbroken (again, after losing my daughter) when I heard the obgyn say we should wait a year. Thank God we got pregnant this soon. I'm just hoping and praying all goes well. This will be my last. Best wishes to you. I hope your time comes soon!

[quote="heather j"]When you have your appointment, take along a list of questions you have for your doctor, and be prepared to have an in-depth discussion about what you see a future pregnancy (and conception) looking like and what your doctor sees. Don't be concerned about asking them to explain or justify their recommendations. We spent over two hours in consult with the MFM who oversaw my last two pregnancies; you are, ultimately, placing a great amount of trust and confidence in this person; giving of their time to be a partner is not too much to expect from them (and most doctors realize this). This is your life and the life of your family; a good doctor (and one you want leading your ship) will not balk at explaining and discussing reasons and rationale with his/her patients. Like Sam mentioned, our doctors usually have our very best interest at heart - they want healthy mamas and babies. Finding the right fit for you and your family and becoming a team together will be your best ammunition against this heart-wrenching disease.[/quote]

This is a great point. Ultimately, you want a doctor that is okay with dealing with crazy-stressed-out-hormonal pregnant women... "my first baby died and nothing you can say will convince me that this one won't too even if everything does look great right now" (<--- that was me with my second pregnancy.) My doctors were SAINTS (I think I asked like 8 different people about hiccups because I read some nonsense online about it being a warning sign for stillbirth and no one could convince me otherwise! I religiously charted his hiccups which really didn't mean anything. Junk like that.) Anyway, you definitely want someone who has a lot of patience and who won't totally dismiss you as a "worrywart" when you are concerned about something. Definitely bring in a LONG list of questions and expect them to take their time discussing them with you. My consults both lasted at least an hour as well.

I'm so sorry for your loss. As you can see, we have a such an amazing community of mamas here who understand *exactly* what your frustrations are. What field does the doctor prescribing your bp meds work in (internist, cardiologist, OB)? It's quite possible that your MFM may have an entirely different opinion and perspective - they see the worst of us and are well-adept at rolling with what arises; their experiences, training, and education in complex pregnancy conditions best equip them to oversee these types of pregnancies. When you have your appointment, take along a list of questions you have for your doctor, and be prepared to have an in-depth discussion about what you see a future pregnancy (and conception) looking like and what your doctor sees. Don't be concerned about asking them to explain or justify their recommendations. We spent over two hours in consult with the MFM who oversaw my last two pregnancies; you are, ultimately, placing a great amount of trust and confidence in this person; giving of their time to be a partner is not too much to expect from them (and most doctors realize this). This is your life and the life of your family; a good doctor (and one you want leading your ship) will not balk at explaining and discussing reasons and rationale with his/her patients. Like Sam mentioned, our doctors usually have our very best interest at heart - they want healthy mamas and babies. Finding the right fit for you and your family and becoming a team together will be your best ammunition against this heart-wrenching disease.

Yes, being told to wait seems harsh and unfair. I remember being so upset and all I could think about was trying again to start our family. My OB and MFM told me to wait 7 months to a year just to make sure I had optimal healing from my c-section and so that my body could bounce back to the way it was before I got pregnant. In looking back, I am glad they had me wait. I was able to work on a game plan and get myself in a good place emotionally and physically. Also, I was able to do [b]A LOT[/b] of testing to see if I had any kind of disease that might cause PE or worse to happen again. Luckily, I didn't have and definitive issues which gave me hope for a better outcome. We got pregnant the first month trying at 7 months postpartum. My doctors had me on lovenox (injections) and baby aspirin the entire pregnancy and I made it to 38 weeks 2 days with a repeat c-section. I don't think I would have tried again so soon had I not met with several doctors, had all the testing done only and had solid game plan only because I am a very nervous person by nature and I just don't think I would have had the strength. Also, if you feel like your doctors are wrong, look for another specialist and get their opinion. Different doctors might have something different to say. We met with SEVERAL doctors before I decided on the ones that would get me through my pregnancy.

I am so sorry that you have to go through all of this, especially after losing your little one, but I will keep you in my prayers and I wish you luck.

<3