Preeclampsia: Signs and Symptoms, One Mother’s Story
Preeclampsia can affect from 5-8% of pregnant woman. However, it not only affects the mother, it also can affect the baby she is carrying. Preeclampsia can present itself in the following ways: high blood pressure, headaches, protein in the urine, sudden weight gain, changes in vision, and swelling.
I hadn’t felt sick with this pregnancy, so I was shocked that my blood pressure was high. That is one of the scary things about preeclampsia; high blood pressure can very silently affect your body. You many not feel sick, but in reality, you are! I was started on my medication and went to my bi-monthly doctor’s visits. Things seemed to be going well until about my 28th week, when my doctor detected some protein in my urine. This is a sure sign that preeclampsia is present. Protein in the urine can cause kidney damage. I was to be monitored even more closely after this. My blood pressure was also rising, even with medication. My doctor instructed me to scale down my work, only allowing me to work part-time. After that, it was bed rest for the remainder of the day. I also was told to lie on one particular side of my body, to help lower my blood pressure. Added to this was the fact that I would need to start seeing my doctor weekly, something that is usually reserved for those in their last month of pregnancy. I still had twelve weeks to go!
By my 30th week, my blood pressure was still pretty high, I had some pretty bad swelling in my face and extremities, and some traces of protein in my urine. My doctor decided it was time for complete bed rest and twice a week visits to her office. Swelling in pregnancy can be normal, but swelling of the face and hands in pregnancy is a symptom of preeclampsia. I was actually, at this point, starting to not feel so well. I was fat, having put on almost thirty-five pounds, I was swollen, and I was one cranky woman! I disliked having to lie in bed all day, but I knew that I needed to, in order to have a healthy baby.
It was at my 35-week appointment when everything changed. My doctor took my blood pressure and stated, “Looks like you are having a baby today or tomorrow. 180/120, I am not messing around anymore.” I had gained 52 pounds total, seven of those in a one-week time span. I also had a 3+ marking on my urine dip for protein. The dips are measured by “Trace, 1+, 2+, 3+, etc.” It is said that anything higher than 2+ is cause for concern by health care providers, and mine was a 3+. So, after asking the doctor if I could stop on the way to the hospital for a sandwich (I was a hungry pregnant woman! Give me a break!), of which I was sternly told “no” to, it was off to the hospital for us.
My husband and I were completely unprepared to have a baby that day. We didn’t have anything with us when we were sent to the hospital, no overnight bag, no clothes for the baby, nothing! All we knew was that we were going to have a baby, and he was going to be coming five weeks early!
Preeclampsia does not have a cure. The only cure for it is to deliver the baby. At the hospital, I was given another urine test, hooked up to many monitors and given some medications to help me dilate. My reflexes were tested again and again! Having heightened reflexes is another symptom of preeclampsia. I seemed to have every sign and symptom that preeclampsia had to offer. I was quickly given some medication into my IV. This medication was called “magnesium sulfate” and it is not something I would wish on my worst enemy. The magnesium sulfate was given to prevent me from having a seizure due to my high blood pressure.
My body just did not want to have this baby, or perhaps it was my son being stubborn (much like he still is today!), but after 24 hours, I had not progressed in dilating. I had dilated to a big fat zero! To top it off, I had developed what was literally the worst headache of my life, which is a bad thing when you have high blood pressure. The team of doctor’s and nurses who had been treating me decided it was time to get that baby out of me! So, against everything I had planned on when I found out I was pregnant, I not only ended up having a c-section, but I also had a baby born at 35 weeks.
My son became one of the 15% of babies born premature due to preeclampsia. He could have had so many things wrong with him because of my condition. His growth could have been restricted because of the reduced blood flow in my body, that some believe is the cause of preeclampsia. We were lucky, our son weighed in at a whopping 5 pounds 12 ounces! That is a pretty good-sized 35-week baby. Our son could have developed a complicated sounding condition called acidosis. He did not. Our son could have been one of the estimated 1200 babies who die a year from preeclampsia. Thank goodness, he did not. He was born breathing a little fast, which granted him a three-night stay in the NICU. He was otherwise, perfect!
During the delivery of our son, I remember my doctor telling me just how much better I was going to feel when he was out. She told me she was willing to bet that my horrendous headache would be gone. I am not kidding you, they literally pulled him out and my headache started fading. I had battled that thing for hours and hours, and in seven minutes time, just by delivering my son; it was gone. I was allowed to hold my son briefly, though I have very little recollection of it. I was given so many medications, including the magnesium sulfate, to combat the seizure risk, that I was pretty out of it for a few days. Our son was born on a Wednesday night, and it wasn’t until Friday night that I could fully enjoy him and hold him again.
I never realized just how serious of a condition preeclampsia was, until after I delivered my son. I had so many doctors and nurses telling me how lucky I was to be there, how they hadn’t seen a case that bad in a very long time. My own doctor shared with me that she didn’t think I was going to make it to 35 weeks gestation. She really thought she was going to have to induce me at 32 weeks. I was incredibly lucky to have made it as far as I did with this condition, especially with as severe as it became. I had the care of some top medical professionals. People who knew what they were doing; people who really cared for me, and for my son. So many women are not that lucky!
Preeclampsia is a serious condition affecting pregnant woman during and after pregnancy. With proper medical care, it can be controlled. However, the only true cure for preeclampsia is delivery of the baby. If you or anyone you know is pregnant, and exhibiting these symptoms, I urge you to seek medical care. It could just save you and your baby’s life!
