preeclampsia and other pregnancy problems

[blythe]

I'd also suggest buying or borrowing some books about premature babies. You may not need the NICU (I didn't with my second), but again, I'm all for being prepared! I really liked the idea of kangaroo care (tons of skin-to-skin contact that seems to be good for mom and baby) but not all NICUs will do it unless you ask -

Kangaroo Care: The Best You Can Do to Help Your Preterm Infant
by Susan M. Ludington-Hoe, S Ludington-Hoe, Anthony J. Hadeed

I also liked

The Premature Baby Book : Everything You Need to Know About Your Premature Baby from Birth to Age One
by James Sears, Martha Sears, Robert Sears, William Sears

and the one the March of Dimes recommended (though it's not on their website now)

Preemies: The Essential Guide for Parents of Premature Babies
by Dana Wechsler Linden, Emma Trenti Paroli, Mia Wechsler Doron M.D.

and heck, as long as I'm throwing resources at you, check out the preemie forum here, especially

http://www.preeclampsia.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=560 hints for a new preemie parent.

[fiona]

Christy,

if you haven't discussed steroid shots for the baby's lungs yet, I would definitely bring that up tomorrow with your high risk OB. After 34 weeks they are no longer any use, and it's possible you will deliver before then.

[pplbutterfly_baby]

well, Ive had them for awhile and i have been telling my doctor every week. i have had the "spots" for about a month or 2 now and they dont seem too worried. I have a level 2 ultrasound tomorrow at 7AM along with a biophysical profile ultrasound at 9 and my high risk appointment at 2PM. i have a long day tomorrow and hopefully everything goes well and they wont have to admit me again. My boyfriend will be with me all day tomorrow so he will be able to ask the doctors about anything that is concerning him(like he think i drink too much milk! LOL) i will also let them know everything again but the times i told them in the past they didnt seem too concerned about it.

[ozierja]

If I were in your position, I would call or visit L&D about the visual changes. It is one of the symptoms listed here: http://www.preeclampsia.org/symptoms.asp#blur, especially if they are something new.

[pplbutterfly_baby]

i havent called them or went in. I have my doctor appointment on tuesday(actually 3 different appt.) i have also told my doctor about the spots and all that before and they didnt seem too concerned about it. the spots kinda look like little sparkly white things floating around and sometimes i get big black spots. I also have a cyst in my brain but the guy who did my CAT scan about 2 years ago said that it was nothing to worry about and that it shouldnt have any effect on me whatsoever.

[ozierja]

I hope you can update us from this week-end. Did you call L&D and ask about the visual "spots"?

[pplbutterfly_baby]

well, i have been swelling for awhile now. its not constant but my feet get pretty bad and i cant even tell in my face but my mom says she can. I dont have access to a BP monitor outside of my doctors but i do go to my high risk doctor once a week(every tuesday) and i have a level 2 and 2 Biophysical profils every week. I have told my doctors about the headaches(well the triage doctor...my doctor is in the hospital) and spots and stuff and the doctor i had first wanted me to get my eyes check which is unneccesary because they are fine but my new high risk doctor didnt comment on it. also, is it normal to feel really really weak in your joints? like i will lay down and my legs and arms feel either like they are really tired or i need to move. Its hard to explain.

[blythe]

Hi Christy, sorry you've joined our club. I'll answer the other part of your question - is it possible to go without pain medication and avoid a c-section? Sad answer: since you've developed the disease at the beginning of your third trimester, maybe not. You will probably need to be induced at some point, whether from the baby's heart causing the doctors even more worry, or from your own condition getting more life-threatening. However, a vaginal delivery is usually preferred in pre-eclampsia, because your body is already damaged by PE, and adding major abdominal surgery is a lot of extra stress on your system. You may still end up with a c-section, and your high-risk doctor will minimize your complications, but know that your doctors won't push a c-section unless it is really necessary! Your goal at this point is a healthy baby and healthy mommy. That doesn't mean you can't have some of the aspects of a birth experience that you want! Think about what is important to you in birthing your baby and talk about it with your doctor. I always emphasized with my OB that she can do anything she needs to to keep me and baby healthy, but if there are options, I wanted to see and hold my baby right away, not have an epidural pushed on me, have all complications and treatment plan explained to me, etc. Please feel free to ask more about other women's birth experiences with PE so you can learn what to expect. I know my second birth went much better because I knew exactly what could go right and what can go wrong - knowledge was a huge comfort to me!

[fiona]

Christy, welcome.

You've been given good information already. I just wanted to chime in and say that any visual disturbances, continued headache or pain in the upper right hand side of your body needs to be assessed immediately. I'm also concerned about the swelling in your face. When were you last checked out and when is your next appointment?

[caryn]

Hello Christy,

If you are having visual disturbances and a headache, please call your doctor or stop by L&D and let them check you out. The important symptoms are ones you won't be able to notice easily -- elevated bp and protein -- and it's important to let them decide if the headache and spots are a worry or not. It might help to print out that Signs and Symptoms page Julie posted, and take it in with you.

Nothing you did caused this, and nothing you do is likely to affect the course of the disease much at all, so that's why they didn't give you any special instructions. These days the thinking is that PE develops at the very beginning of the pregnancy, when the placenta is implanting. As the baby grows, it outgrows the ability of the placenta to provide it with oxygen and nutrients, and then the placenta releases some chemicals which cause the disease.

I, like many of us, am a big advocate of home bp monitoring for women like you, who have a diagnosis. Is it possible for you to get a bp cuff from a drugstore (like one of the little wrist monitors) or from someone you know? (I borrowed my mom's.)

Please keep us posted.