Preeclampsia

[kay]

This is kay here. Thank you for your advice. My sister is still in the hospital. There is placenta infarction. The BP is varying from time to time.. in the morning hours the BP seems to be normal that is about 90,towards evening it rises about 110. The foetal movement & the heart beat is constantly being watched. But the swelling in my sisters face has not subsided much. what could be the cause for the onset of preeclampsia?.. she is a very healthy person normaly. would an air conditioned room bring down the BP?.. what other ways could we handle to bring down the BP apart from taking medicines. She has been administered only mild dosages. The pregnancy is in the 33rd week.. would it be problemless if we take out the baby in 35weeks.. is the weight of the baby ok at 3.5lbs.. or should we take measures now to increase the baby's weight. what shd be the minimum weight of the baby. Kindly advice..

Tnks & rgds
Kay

Kay

[annegarrett]

Hi Kay,

I will send your questions onto our experts on call. I am not a doctor but know a few things about preeclampsia. First--preeclampsia is a disease of the placenta--so it would make sense that there is a problem with her placenta. It causes blood clots in the placenta which can restrict the flow to the baby and so slow down the baby's growth. The swelling will not subside until she delivers the baby. What the doctors are doing now is a delicate balancing act between letting the baby stay inside as long as possible so it can grow as much as possible, and letting the baby stay inside too long and have it either fail to thrive or die due to a placental abruption, or your sister's health be endangered.

I wish we knew the cause of preeclampsia--but it is like that--very sudden and frightening. Many healthy women are struck down by it. The air conditioning might make her more comfortable but I don't know that it will do anything for her BP. The best thing for her is probably the medicines they are giving her--particularly, as you say, they are only giving her mild doses.

The goal,as I said, is to get the baby as old as possible without risking your sister's health. Some doctors will push a mother too far in this--so I would advise you be your sister's advocate and make sure they don't. Also, she should be watched CLOSELY after the baby is delivered to make sure she is losing all the swelling. Postpartum (particularly in places like India) is when mothers die.

I will find out what the minimum weight of the baby would need--I suppose it would depend on the facilities you have. In the US a 3.5 # baby has about a 90% chance of survival. In India--it may be much less--however, you should focus on all the positives here: she is in the hospital, the baby is being constantly watched and appears healthy, everyone seems to be very aware that your sister is sick, she is receiving medication and the baby seems to be a healthy size so if the baby had to be delivered--he or she would have a fighting chance regardless of where you lived.

I know this is a very scary time for you. Please feel free to write regularly. If you need the name of another doctor for a second opinion, let me know, I know some doctors in India I can contact. Where in India are you?

Take care,


Anne

[kay]

Dear Ms.Anne

Thank you so much for the explanation. It really is very scary. Every single minute is filled with tension even though we don't show it before her. No one knows the real reason except my dad, my brother in law & me. We live in Tiruppur, Coimbatore District, in the State of Tamil Nadu, INDIA. In our area, my relatives & my sis's in laws all blong to the village, hence a light revealation of the seriousness of the situation will bring disastrous effects. That might not prove good for my sister.

She is admitted in the ****** Hospital commonly known as ****, under the care of one ********, gyno. My sister's name is Ms.Anusuya Rayvathi. I would like to know if there are specialists for treating preeclampsia. They are scanning her today.

In preeclampsia affected pregnancy, are there any maximum no. of days the baby cld be allowed inside the womb?...or does it depend on the situation?..

Yesterday, her BP was constant. There was no variation. She is adviced not to walk, talk, & read. Would talking & reading affect a person's BP?. I would like to know. She loves reading.

Thanks again.
with best rgds
Kay

quote:

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Originally posted by annegarrett

Hi Kay,

I will send your questions onto our experts on call. I am not a doctor but know a few things about preeclampsia. First--preeclampsia is a disease of the placenta--so it would make sense that there is a problem with her placenta. It causes blood clots in the placenta which can restrict the flow to the baby and so slow down the baby's growth. The swelling will not subside until she delivers the baby. What the doctors are doing now is a delicate balancing act between letting the baby stay inside as long as possible so it can grow as much as possible, and letting the baby stay inside too long and have it either fail to thrive or die due to a placental abruption, or your sister's health be endangered.

I wish we knew the cause of preeclampsia--but it is like that--very sudden and frightening. Many healthy women are struck down by it. The air conditioning might make her more comfortable but I don't know that it will do anything for her BP. The best thing for her is probably the medicines they are giving her--particularly, as you say, they are only giving her mild doses.

The goal,as I said, is to get the baby as old as possible without risking your sister's health. Some doctors will push a mother too far in this--so I would advise you be your sister's advocate and make sure they don't. Also, she should be watched CLOSELY after the baby is delivered to make sure she is losing all the swelling. Postpartum (particularly in places like India) is when mothers die.

I will find out what the minimum weight of the baby would need--I suppose it would depend on the facilities you have. In the US a 3.5 # baby has about a 90% chance of survival. In India--it may be much less--however, you should focus on all the positives here: she is in the hospital, the baby is being constantly watched and appears healthy, everyone seems to be very aware that your sister is sick, she is receiving medication and the baby seems to be a healthy size so if the baby had to be delivered--he or she would have a fighting chance regardless of where you lived.

I know this is a very scary time for you. Please feel free to write regularly. If you need the name of another doctor for a second opinion, let me know, I know some doctors in India I can contact. Where in India are you?

Take care,


Anne

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Kay