Visitors to hospital during pre-eclampsia

[stevedc]

My wife was admitted to hospital with pre-eclampsia as the Doctor are advising that she shold have no outside visitor due to blood pressure concerns.

I need to know if this is normal as her family are accusing me of keeping her silent and away from them!!!!!

Is this standard hospital procedure please?????

Urgent.....

[mada]

Hi Steve and welcome..I am sorry to hear that your wife has preeclampsia. How far along is she. Many times doctors do indeed ask that visitors remain few and far between as the quiter and more restful your wife is the better. We have a few members on board who basically had to be in there hospital rooms that were dark and free of stimulate for health reasons. I do hope that your wife is okay. How high is her bp? Has she had blood taken to check for kidney and liver funtion? Is she spilling protien in her urine?

[lucy21]

Hi Steve,
Welcome. So sorry that you and your wife are going through this. Please come and talk whenever you want or need advise.
I had seven weeks in hospital before the delivery of my third baby. During this time I was confined to a totally dark room, no TV, no Radio, no Reading AND NO VISITORS. My husband was allowed to come whenever he wanted and even my other two children were only allowed to come for five minutes at a time.
My Specialist told me this was becuase the PE had caused cerebral irritation and too much stimultation, noise, light etc. could cause further swelling.
My only advise is that the doctors/hospitals do this to help sufferers rest and get the best possible outcome. For me, it worked !! I was told I would deliver at 23.5 weeks and with total hospital bed rest and darkness, no visitors etc. I made it to 30 weeks.

As for other family and friends etc. try not to worry and explain to them the reasons for the restrictions. The priority is you, your wife and your baby and if they can't support you in that, then tell them you'll catch up with them after the baby is born !!

How far along is your wife? Is this your first pregnancy?

All the very best, keep us updated and feel free to ask any questions... the people here are an amazing wealth of knowledge, advise and support.

Love Lucy X

[heather j]

Steve,
I'm one of those who was allowed NO visitors (after delivery). Nurses were actually lurking around my door to keep people out and then would chase them out if they snuck in anyway! A few days postpartum, I was allowed immediate family (my parents, in-laws). To tell you the truth though, I felt so incredibly horrible, that I was relieved not to have to face visitors! Maybe you could let the family come on up and then have the staff chase them off - which they would have no problem doing, believe me. [:)] That happened with a few of my more persistent family members and , needless to say, the word spread quickly. How far along is your wife?

[jen44]

Hi Steve
I was on hospital bedrest for four weeks prior to delivery and also was not allowed visitors except for my husband. I had a few more visitors in the beginning but my BP would shoot up while they were in the room and take some time to recover so the rule was made that no one but DH could come it. And they liked the lights off and no TV, the least amount of stimulation possible.

[missgamecock]

No visitors here with a cool dark quiet room, but I didn't want visitors anyway because I was so sick.

[kara]

I had to kick people out of my room 2 hours before my delivery! So, no restrictions here, btu I think they thought the company kept my mind off of my 2.5 pounder I was about to deliver. My pressures were relitively steady once in bed. I was delivered due to fetal distress more than my health.
I don't think that peace and quiet would harm her at all. If family and friends have a problem, have them talk to her doctor or nurse. Good luck, we will be thinking about you!

[gordon k]

Steve,

I'm sure that it is slightly different from hospital to hospital, caretaker to caretaker, but basically when my wife got her post-partum preeclamspia, the visiting nurse told my wife that visitors, excitement, and movement could cause her pressures to go up, and when she was admitted, the nurses on the floor turned down the lights, kept everything calm, no TV, no radio, no anything. A resident even told me not to make my wife laugh.

I'm not a doctor, and in answer to your question, I don't know if it is standard hospital procedure, but it was a procedure followed with my wife also.

Wishing you and your wife the best,

[laura]

Steve, she must be very sick. Please post back with questions, or call the main line and they'll patch you through to my cell phone. I'll give you the number directly or call you if you email me directly: laura@preeclampsia.org

Best wishes-
Laura

[onfaith]

Steve - the other ladies are absolutely right. Preeclampsia is something that is handled in many different ways, by many different doctors, but one of the most familiar ways is with hospitalization and few stimuli, which includes visitors. While in the hospital with my first, the doctor opted to induce immediately, but after my pressures didn't stabilize so visitors were allowed very little time with me, until they insisted none at all. With my second, I was only allowed my husband and daughter, I was admitted prior to delivery.

I hope that it gets easier for you, while worrying about your wife, the last thing you need is to be concerned with everyone's feelings. Please keep us posted, we'll be thinking of you.