What is Preeclampsia?
Preeclampsia, also known as Toxemia, is a problem during pregnancy related to increased blood pressure and protein in the mother’s urine.
The usual signs of preeclampsia are high blood pressure, swelling that doesn’t go away and large amounts of protein in your urine. Preeclampsia can also come on very suddenly.
The serious side of preeclampsia is that it keeps the placenta from getting enough blood and that prevents your baby from getting enough air and food.
It can also affect the mother’s kidney, liver, and brain. It can be a life threatening situation if not treated.
What is Preeclampsia vs. High Blood Pressure?
There are women who can get high blood pressure during pregnancy, however the difference is that women with Preeclampsia have protein in their urine or have extreme swelling. In other words High blood pressure alone is not a sign of concern.
Also just like swelling alone doesn’t necessarily mean you have preeclampsia either. Some swelling is normal during pregnancy, you may even notice your rings or shoes getting a little tighter.
What Cures Preeclampsia?
If you have preeclampsia, the only cure is delivery of the baby. This is the best way to protect both mom and baby. Depending on the severity of the Preeclampsia and when it’s discovered, babies could be delivered much earlier than desired.
If your Preeclampsia is manageable your doctor will do whatever is necessary to control your blood pressure and he will certainly keep a close eye on you. Your office visits could be bumped up to weekly or even daily visits, depending on your immediate situation.
Most women with Preeclampsia deliver healthy babies, however depending on the situation your doctor may recommend a C-Section.
If your case is mild, you may be able to control it with bed rest and make it to full term and even go with a vaginal birth
The Symptoms of Preeclampsia
Unfortunately not all women experience obvious symptoms of Preeclampsia, however if you experience any of these symptoms, call your doctor right away:
Abnormal swelling of the feet and hands
Severe headaches
Smaller amounts of urine or no urine
Blood in your urine
Drowsiness or Dizziness
Excessive nausea or vomiting
Ringing or buzzing sound in ears
Fever
Double vision or blurred vision
Rapid heartbeat
Sudden blindness
Pain in the abdomen
Vomiting blood
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two weeks ago i lost my baby boy at 29 weeks.. i was discharged from the hospital shortly after my delivery, only to return the next night with severe abdominal pain that i suffered through the last four weeks but only greater! and that’s when i was diagnosed with Preeclampsia and all the questions i asked about my baby’s death were answered!!!
a month earlier when i went for my regular check up with my ob/gyn, my feet were severely swollen. However, by blood pressure was normal and my blood work showed absolutely no signs of toxins and my urine had no extra protiene!! the doctor told me to take tylanol for all these abdominal pains.. i kept quite and took tylanol every day while suffering from extreme abdominal pains. I could no longer take full breaths, yawn or even walk straight! i stayed positive thinking that my angel is growing inside me and therefore there is no more space left in my tummy! i was wrong, my angel was dying and i was intoxicated.
I wish Preeclampsia never happens to anyone.
my best advice is to report to your doctor if you have a family history of high blood pressure even though you never had any problems with your own.. this is the most important step you do. if you have relatives who had preeclampsia, then your pregnancy will be considered high risk and will be most likely be put on baby asprin.
my second advice is to invest in a blood pressure monitoring machine.. pre eclampsia occurs after 20 weeks of gestation.. so check your blood pressure regularly (it is even better to monitor your blood pressure before getting pregnant and compare it with your bp during pregnancy to see if it went higher than normal)
my next advice is to listen to your body, not to “welcome to the world of pregnancy” rephrased comments.. you don’t have to suffer from extreme pains just because you are pregnant! in fact, your should not suffer at all! it should be a joyful experience rather than painful.. if you feel pain in your upper stomach right behind your ribs (more pain in the right side), you must go to the hospital immediately (it’s a sign that you are poisoned and your liver has enlarged)
my last advice is directed to all women with a history of migraines and headaches.. at 20 weeks your migraines should completely disappear. if you get your headaches back, do not confuse them with migraines! this is a fatal mistake you are doing to your baby!! so if you experience headaches, blurry vision, annoying sounds in your ears or generally feeling wiered in your head.. run to your doctor to check your blood pressure and get you tested for fetal distress.. man i am so angry no one talks to expectant mothers about this. I think expectant mothers should be made more aware of pregnancy complications rather than benifits of breastfeeding over bottle feeding!!
nothing will ever bring my baby back, this is the hardest part of accepting what happened to me… but hopefully by sharing my experience and advices, this will keep you and your baby safe and will happily meet after a long wait
So sad to hear about your baby boy *hugs* Thank you so much for your great advice. After all you’ve been through you’re so kind to offer your help. Many blessings to you.
[...] real danger with Preeclampsia is that it prevents the placenta from getting the proper amount of blood needed which decreases the [...]
I had Preeclampsia & it could of been sorted if my midwife was more alert. I had swollen hands, feet, arms, & a double chin. Plus protein in my urine. Still my midwife said I was fine. But I felt terrible. I went to the hospital for a check up & the nurses admitted me straight away.
After 6 days in hospital an C section was preformed & my daughter arrived 5 weeks early. She is in perfect health but my kidneys appear to have suffered permanent damage.
If you don’t think something is right- go get a second opinion- you know your body best.
Hi Teresa, thank you so much for telling your story.
Getting a second opinion can be so important. You also need to trust your instincts if something doesn’t seem right.
I’m so sorry to hear you have suffered permanent damage to your kidneys **hugs**, but I’m glad your daughter is in good health