Anyone have another child after having HELLP?

[wbailey6510]

Hi! I'm Whitney Bailey, I like most of you suffered from HELLP syndrome that hit me out of the blue. Not many people around me know much about it at all. I was wondering if any of you had another child after having HELLP and if so how was your experience? My husband and I think about it daily and pray for a answer but we are just not sure what to do.

[sam10]

Many of us around here had succesful subsequent pregnancies. Some without developing PE or HELLP and some who had some complications. HELLP mostly affects first pregnancies, but this is not a hard and fast rule. I would schedule a consultation with a specialist (MFM - maternal fetal medicine specialist also called perinatologist or high-risk ob.) You will discuss your case of HELLP, your medical history and would most likely get tested for clotting disorders and other diseases that are believed to raise the risk of PE. Based on all that info, s/he will give you an estimate of recurrence. You would also be seen (usually more often than the regular pregnant ladies) by the MFM in a subsequent pregnancy.
A great site to search for one is here: www.smfm.org/MFM%20Member%20Locator%20Page.cfm
or you can go to the website of your hospital. These usually list all their docs by their specialty.
Welcome to the PF forums.

[wbailey6510]

Thank you so much for your help. My current OBGYN advised that I could have another child but the chance of me or the baby not making it was too high and she doesn't think its a good idea. However, I think there's a lot of factors in her decision and maybe lack of knowledge. I never saw a High Risk OBGYN except for the week before I went into HELLP and it wasn't for a serious issue. So I wasn't really checked while I was there for blood or protein leaking. I only had a sono. After reading what some of the people on here posted I have a little hope now. I plan to do a lot of research and try to find the best MFM in the DFW area I can. I never thought I'd only have one child but if its Gods will then he will guide us. Any advice anyone has is amazing to me and I greatly appreciate it. PS. I also saw a caridologist because my heart enlarged due to the trauma HELLP was putting on my body. Anyone else have that happen by chance?

Sincerely,
Whitney

[misspagan]

Hi Whitney,

I didn't have hellp but had serious pe with my first (mild w/ my 2nd). About 5 years after I had my daughter, I had some heart issues & they did a stress echo. They found I had a slightly enlarged right ventricle but couldn't figure out why. I always wondered if my pe had something to do with this since I had no risk factors or family history of heart issues. At the time, there was no research that supported pe as a risk factor for heart issues. Research has changed that opinion now but I don't know if any dr will say that's the cause of my enlarged right ventricle.

Good luck with your decision on expanding your family. If you do choose to try again, just know you'll have a lot of supporters sending prayers & good thoughts your way.

[sarahkm]

Hi Whitney,

I too had HELLP come on very suddenly in my 37th week (I had a normal prenatal appt. 48 hrs before our tragedy happened) and my placenta abrupted leading to our son being stillborn. I was told not to get pregnant again mostly due to my poor kidney function...I was on dialysis for 3.5 months and my kidney values did not improve as fast as wanted/expected after that.
So we had been trying to adopt for the past 4 to 5 years. Now I am expecting again after getting the ok to get pregnant from my OB and MFM. My kidney function has improved and my blood pressure is quite stable. So far things are going well. I'm at 17 weeks. I'm being seen every 2 weeks by my OB at this point and have seen the MFM once so far, but will see him again at my 20 week ultrasound.
I did have an echocardiogram when I was in the hospital which showed some mild abnormalities due to the HELLP syndrome, but then had another 1 year later and things looked better. I don't remember them saying anything about having an enlarged chamber.
I think it is a very good idea to consult with an MFM and go through your history, maybe even talk with another OB that is know for high-risk care. Get as educated as you can about HELLP and preeclampsia, this website is a great resource!
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Sarah

[shadow2356]

I had class 1 HELLP and delivered my daughter at 34 weeks. The abdominal pain started at 24 weeks so I know my HELLP really started then. I went to a perinatoligist who felt I could get pregnant again but I had a huge risk of a very premature baby. We decided to do gestational surrogacy and my son was born at 26 weeks. He is finally home and doing well. I guess preemies were my destiny.

[jlstreet]

Whitney I had sever level 1 HELLP at only 24 weeks with my second son. It as most everyone else I have read came out of no where. I delivered my son at 24 weeks weighing only 14.4oz, he did not make it thru the delivery. My OB/GYN did not want me to have another child and the MFM told me I had to wait at least 2 years for my body recover and that I still stood about a 40% chance of reoccurance. At first I was like well I would have to be crazy to think about getting pregnant again....then as time went on it did not seem that crazy. I spoke with my OB/GYN in March and told her that I was going to stop taking the pill in Sept (this would be the 2 year mark) and let God control the rest. If God saw for us to have a child we would and if he did not see we would not. The month of June I thought I missed my period and told my husband, we went immediately and got a HPT and it was positive, of course being in complete disbelief, we took another and again it was positive. I immediately text my OB and told her I needed to see her ASAP, of course this was a Monday and first they could see me was Friday...lol. Anyway I was scheduled a ultrasound first and sure enough there it was a tiny little speck with a very noticeable heartbeat....I can explain how that made me feel. I was so happy but at the same time so scared, it brought back all those feelings of loosing my sweet Michael almost two years before and how much that impacted my life. But happy or scared I know it is all in Gods plan. Just as the loss of Michael was in his plan this is too. I am almost 8 weeks so its still very early and have started having a very itchy, very annoying rash that I had last time, which was medical but not related to the HELLP. I know 9 months is a long time to deal with it but if that is the worse that happens to me this time I will be ok. I know all things that happen in our lives happen according to Gods plans for our lives and I can tell by reading your posts you feel the same. Good luck with what ever you and your husband decide and may God Bless you along your journey.

[milesymommy]

I had sudden onset of HELLP at 36 weeks. Luckily, my son was small but otherwise healthy. It took me much longer to recover, mentally and physically.
Before getting pregnant again, I had blood tests to ensure my liver and kidneys were functioning normally. They were. We had our second child 2 1/2 years later. I was so paranoid the entire pregnancy, and was seen for NSTs 3x week for weeks 30+ to keep a close eye on things. At 39 weeks, my BP started to be elevated, and we made the decision to induce early and not risk sudden onset again. Second son born healthy.

Good luck!!!

[mnickerson]

Hi Whitney,

I delivered my daughter at 37/1 due to sudden onset superimposed Class 1 HELLP (no pre-eclampsia for me!). I am currently 26 weeks pregnant with our second and will be starting close monitoring at 30 weeks with weekly labs to check my platelet count and liver function. For the most part, it sounds like HELLP is most common with first pregnancies/first pregnancies with the same father and recurrence is more likely the earlier it developed the first time. My BP had started to elevate slightly a week or two before I felt the upper quadrant pain and my feet swelled quickly a day or two before. Looking back, those were clear indicators of what was coming, but of course they are also fairly common in all pregnancies. Should I notice either of those this time around, I will absolutely head straight to the hospital. I think that knowing your increased likelihood of having HELLP again (especially considering most people don't know what it even is) will be the biggest factor in having a successful second pregnancy. Best of luck to you if you do decide to try again!

[HELLPSurvivorsUnite]

This is a short reply that I've elaborated on in the main HELLP forum.

I was diagnosed with HELLP at 37 1/2 weeks, and the experience was very traumatic.

Despite being told that my liver was recovered enough to have a second, and being cleared medically to do so, I still haven't had another baby and it's been 7 years. I want a second child very much. Obviously, for 6 years (we started trying a year ago), my fears of dying in childbirth or losing a baby were stronger. I'm ready now, but am 45, which means we'll have to be very lucky or have IVF.

I've read through everything I can find on the internet about the 'odds' of recurrence. I've read about women who go on to have normal pregnancies, some who have pre-e, but not full blown HELLP, and others who have a recurrence. In the end, there's no one size fits all solution. HELLP is scary stuff. Those of us who survived it are brave whether or not we decide to get pregnant again. Hugs to all!

Andi