Hands down the scariest event in my pregnancy was the day I learned I had pre-eclampsia. A common, yet serious, complication that affects both mother and baby, pre-eclampsia is characterized by high blood pressure and the presence of protein in the urine. It varies in severity from mild with normal and healthy outcomes, to endangering the life of mother and/or baby; which is why all health practitioners know that pre-e is no joke and nothing to be messed with.

Perhaps one of the most nerve-wracking effects of pre-e is that nobody knows why it occurs, there is no way to prevent it and no way to cure it other than delivering the baby.

The day I learned I might have pre-e I was 38 weeks; my blood pressure was abnormally high. My midwife took it three times to be sure and each time it went up! After a urine dip showing protein, they sent me home and ordered strict bed rest. I cried all day long because I felt like I knew nothing about what was going on with my body or my baby. For the first time in my pregnancy, I was honestly scared for my baby’s life because there was no way to know how serious it was at that point. I wrongly blamed myself and was sure it was something I did wrong.

I spent nearly a week on bed rest until my 24-hour urine test results came back, and it was found that the amount of protein in my urine was astronomical. I had never heard my midwife so serious as that moment when she told me I needed to pack up and leave for the hospital right then and there to get my baby out of me as soon as possible. I was so scared!

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As is the case with most pre-eclamptic pregnancies, my baby was delivered safely and was a healthy baby boy! It took me a little longer to recover than it might have had I gone into labor on my own but I was healthy too.

The biggest effect pre-e had on me personally was determining how I labored. Having high blood pressure is what induces seizures, so during intense physical and emotional duress it is vital to work toward keeping blood pressure as low as possible. To do this I had to labor completely on my right side and wasn’t allowed to move at all. I also had an IV drip of magnesium sulfate to help manage my blood pressure, which made me very woozy, gave me double vision and a sense of everything being surreal, like I was in a dream. I had to maintain this medication 24 hours post-delivery and it took another 12 hours to feel somewhat normal.

The doctor who delivered baby Scribbles told me that although my chances to get it again might be slightly higher than normal, it shouldn’t deter me from having getting pregnant again. He assured me that most of his patients don’t have repeat cases.

I believe that the scariest part for me was the unknown. I knew nothing about pre-e when I was diagnosed, and nothing about induction when I was sent to the hospital. That’s why is has become important to me to share this information with you. Sure, my midwife had given me the handouts and talked about it in my prenatal visits, but my thoughts toward those things were, “Oh, it doesn’t apply to me, I don’t have to read the handout or pay attention.” Ha!

Firstly know the symptoms and be able to recognize them in yourself and never hesitate to ask your health practitioner if you have any concerns. In the case with pre-e, the sooner it is diagnosed, the better.

  • High Blood pressure
  • Protein in the urine
  • Excessive swelling
  • Persistent headaches
  • Change in vision
  • Nausea
  • Epigastric pain
  • Sudden weight gain of 2+ lbs each week

Another crazy thing about pre-e is that not all symptoms will be present — sometimes only a couple — and in my case, it was nothing noticeable on my end. I never would have known I had pre-e had it not been for my blood pressure check at my prenatal appointment and my urine dip. I had no swelling, headaches, epigastric pain or any of the other common symptoms.

Another good thing to be aware of is risk factors:

  • First pregnancy
  • Pre-e present in previous pregnancy
  • Over age 40, or under 18 years of age
  • Hypertension prior to pregnancy
  • Diabetes before or during pregnancy
  • Obesity
  • POS
  • Lupus or other AI disorders
  • IVF
  • Sickle Cell disease
  • Family history of pre-e, hypertension, heart disease or diabetes

In rare cases of severe pre-e, high blood pressure can pose a risk of brain injury, impair kidney and liver function, cause clotting problems from fluid retention in major organs, and seizures. This is why it’s very important to always have your blood pressure and urine checked at every prenatal appointment!

The best thing I did was trust my midwife wholeheartedly that she was going to take care of me and let me know the best course of action at all times, which she did. I’m so thankful for the role she played in my whole experience.

I am so blessed that mine was a very mild case and posed no real threat to myself or Baby Scribbles. I’m sure though, that had I been more proactive in educating myself even in things that didn’t pertain to me early on in my pregnancy, the whole experience would have been less scary.

Have you or anyone you’ve known had pre-eclampsia?