Diagnosed with mild-pre at 31 weeks

[la1marti]

Hello, all. I am on day two of bedrest and I've been going crazy finding out as much as I can on pre-e. This is my first pregnancy and don't really know what to expect. I'm starting to think googling pre-e and having her early and the thoughts of preterm delivery at 31 weeks is increasing my blood pressure.

I have an ultra sound appt in the morning and I've been reading up on what to expect. I'm being seen twice a week. Monday, my midwife called and said my blood work came back wih numbers that concerned her.....although she never told me what the numbers were even though I asked.....is that a bad sign?? My blood pressure was 145/98, but after laying down on my left side for a few minutes, it thankfully wend down to 116/78. So far no headaches or floaters.....I have a mild/annoying pain on my right side - this started Saturday, I think.....and I did let her know what I'm experiencing.....

Pre-e does run in my family - my sister had it with her middle child. I don't remember if she had Sydney early since I was in college when she had her. I'm on 400 mg of Labetalol. The most medication I've ever taken my whole life is a claritin!!!!

I suppose I don't have any specific questions, I'm just glad I found this website and will continue to read up on what I can. Say a few prayers for me and baby E!!!

[Iheartjulio]

Good luck with everything I know it can be so scary at first! Well actually it so so scary the whole time you are dealing with it! I just wanted to stress the importance of telling your midwife EVERYTHING. I would def let her know about the pain in the side. I am not trying to scare you further but stuff can move so fast with this condition that it is very important you tell your provider of any change at all. Did they give you steroid shots for the babies lungs yet? If not you may want to ask your midwife her opinion on them. Good luck and i hope you have a good last 8 weeks of your pregnancy!

[lemons]

Hi and welcome. I'm sorry that you are experiencing difficulties with your pregnancy. I want to direct you to a thread by the experts here at the Preeclampsia Foundaton that deals with the correct way to take a person's blood pressure: http://www.preeclampsia.org/forum/viewt ... f=19&t=321

Basically, your blood pressure should be taken while you are sitting up and only after you have been sitting for 5 minutes. In my experience (while I was hospitalized for PE at a prestigious medical institution on the antenatal floor, no less), many of the nurses would take my pressure while I was sitting and then repeat it while I was laying down on my left side. When my BP laying down was lower than my BP sitting, the nurses would always say that I was fine. Please make sure that your pressures while sitting are the ones that are determining your care.

As for your blood work, if it is "going bad" and you are experiencing pain on your right side, I would hope that your midwife would start talking to you about HELLP and what you should be watching for. Not all woman who end up with HELLP have all of the classic PE signs.

Good Luck!

[tree]

Welcome to the forums. I am sorry you had to go through all of this and find us here. Worrying about PE is very normal. We would be happy to try to help you through it.

It is good to hear that your midwife is watching you so closely. I would like to second Diana's suggestion that your talk to your midwife about your right-side abdominal pain at your appointment tomorrow. Abdominal pain can be a normal pregnancy symptom, but it is definitely something to talk with your doctors and/or midwife about. Upper right quadrant (URQ) pain can be caused by liver problems (the EL in HELLP). The standard PE blood work includes liver enzymes, platelets, hematocrit, kidney function, and a bunch of other things. It would be good to ask what came back concerning . If you have elevated liver enzymes or other signs of HELLP, your midwife would probably be more concerned about the URQ pain. As you have probably read, HELLP and PE can move very quickly, which is the reason you are being seen so frequently. Don't hesitate to call immediately if you feel worse (bad headache, visual changes, nausea, general terrible feeling). All that said, I hope you can hang in there and keep baking that baby for a while. Good luck!

Keep us posted on how you are feeling.

[la1marti]

Well ladies, I've been admitted to the hospital...., They're doing a 24 hour urine collection. My ultrasound this afternoon looked great though, considering..... She's 3 pounds and 15 oz, and according to them measuring at 41 %. Amniotic fluid looks good, and my bloodwork looks like last weeks.... Still won't tell me what it is (im guessing to reduce stress/worry) but I'm really glad that they are keeping a close eye on me. I'm scared and ready to go home! Keep me in ya'lls prayers ~

[NaomiSadie916]

Keeping you in our prayers--you are in a good place mama. I was on and off in hospital 4 times I had preeclampsia but I swear that hospital bedrest got me to 34w6days and I had symptoms at 25 weeks. Hang in there mama youre at a good place! Keep us updated!

[tree]

Thinking of you and hoping you stay stable. Being in the hospital is no fun, but it sounds like the right place for you to be right now.
Just so you know, you have a right to know what your labs are, even if it is just motivated by curiosity. Sometimes, doctors don't tell us stuff because they think we won't understand or that we will worry if we know. We (I) end up worrying more about what we don't know. Feel free to ask what the values are and for an explanation if you want to know. Glad the ultrasound looked good and that your labs were at least stable. I will keep my fingers crossed for a good 24 hour result!

[lemons]

Glad to hear that your ultrasound went well and that baby is doing fine. Also, glad that your doctor is following you closely. I'll keep my fingers crossed for a good test result! Keep us updated as you can.

[la1marti]

Thank you ladies for your kind words! Eleanor Reese was born on 3-3-12 at 9:37 am. She weighed 3 pounds, 5 ounces and 16 inches long! Although, she's in the NICU an hour away (our town doesnt have a specialist or anything) my sis has been monitoring her like a hawk..... She told me that as of last night, the oxygen was off and she's breathing on her own!!!! Hopefully I get released late tonight/early tomorrow so I can feel her!!!

Please continue to pray for us!!

[sam10]

Congratulations! Welcome baby Eleanor! It is so hard to be away from your baby, but glad to hear that your sister is watching her. How are you doing?