I hope todays blog is informative to you and helps you see some things you may not be paying attention to and now address them.
I still remember the day my GP told me I had developed preeclampsia (around 29 weeks). I had so many questions and if you have just found out about it, just like you I was on google like nobody’s business.
I’m not sure that did me any favours because I was already felling anxious about what it could be but I’m now panicking about how to get rid of it and how to control it – if I can control it. A wise thing I did do though was read more about it ONLY from medical sources and not from my helpful community of pregnancy forums I was on.
Have you ever had a cold or flu but because it’s taking a day or two longer than it normally would to clear so you start googling the symptoms and the search results are telling you to go straight to a and e, skip all the traffic along the way and be seen instantly by the best medical profession because it could be … (fill in the blank).
If you recall that moment of doom strolling, then you recall the ‘other’, logical feeling where you know deep down it’s only a cold and flu and with some rest will be gone.
With that, I hope you come across this blog and it reassures you that all will be okay.
Here’s what you need to know about pre-eclampsia. (I will link all sources at the bottom of this page).
Marchofdimes.org explains what preeclampsia is so well, they say “Preeclampsia is a type of high blood pressure that some people get during pregnancy. This condition can happen after the 20th week of pregnancy. In some cases, it can happen in the 6 weeks (about 1 and a half months) after giving birth.” This is also echoed on the NHS, HSE and many medical sources.
FYI, it DOES go away after you give birth, so take it easy. Here’s 4 things to know.
1. You can have preeclampsia and not know it
I put this one first on the list because it happened to me! It was a normal routine checkup of how baby boy was doing. Nothing out of the ordinary, just a urine sample my doctor had to take and after it being read, I get to go home (so I thought). Turns out there was protein in my urine sample which could mean something serious.
2. High levels of protein and blood pressure could be a sign of preeclampsia
Its so important to go for all your checkups with your doctor because even though you may look and feel great, it doesn’t always mean all fine. Its only after they read the level of protein and bp reading from your routine antenatal appointment, they can tell if it is preeclampsia.
A very important take away from this one is that BP can be developed only during pregnancy. Then 6 weeks after having your baby, back to normal.
3. Swelling could be a sign of preeclampsia.
I heard swelling is normal, never mind that, I’ve seen swelling in pregnancy and I always thought its part and parcel of it. There was a trend a few years go on TikTok where pregnant women would post the swelling they had from pregnancy– mainly around the face and nose. I was laughing when I saw the viral videos where the women were completely unrecognisable and just having fun with the pregnancy experience. In fact, the comments section of these videos always had people guessing what gender the baby would be based on the level of swelling.
The swelling I had was the same as any other, I mean I gained weight everywhere so why would my face be exempt. But by paying closer attention to my feet and hands, the doctors in the hospital were able to tell straight away that things had taken a wrong turn(edema).
4. Pain in the upper belly or shoulders could be a sign of preeclampsia
Another one I just thought was part and package of pregnancy. If I can be honest this pregnancy from the very start was just uncomfortable. The morning sickness was bad, keeping food down was a big obstacle, even the most common smells triggered nausea.
So, with me being the biggest I have ever been in size, swollen, itchy hands and feet, I just thought the pain in my upper belly was one of those things. But its only after going to the hospital and even after the whole experience, realising that it’s a sign of preeclampsia.
I’ve often thought of what I could have done differently and blame certain factors like stress on developing preeclampsia, but it’s something that you can’t control. I was eating healthy, exercising and doing everything my doctors told me to do but still ended up going through this experience.
You do everything cautiously, especially when it’s your first baby. And I hope taking caution also means being informed, taking care of yourself and enjoying your pregnancy even with preeclampsia.
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