It's different when you know what could be coming

[ebonymama]

congrats deary,,

i was waiting and praying that u n bb made it....

thank the heavens

my bb arrived jus a few days before on the 29.03.14....
got a pic of her on my thread. "chronic hypertension" on here.....

so its all good now...

[dosorrow]

I just wanted to say how reading through your posts really reassured me that there is hope everything can come out ok the second time around. I have been having a little hypertension and I didn't realize until I read through your posts that its not automatic preeclampsia. Although I know I'm still at risk because of my first pregnancy it really helped ease my mind to read your experience.

[eleni]

awwww, SO sweet! Thank you for posting such an adorable picture and sharing your good news with us It's wonderful to be able to balance our sadness and anxiety with blessedly good outcomes!

[midwestmom]

Congratulations!!! She's beautiful

[lizzellen]

I'm sorry for the delayed update. I wanted to let you all know we made it! Baby Holly was born on 4/4/14 at 14:14. Although my doc watched me closely for preeclampsia, I did not develop it this time around, my second pregnancy. I was hypertensive throughout the entire pregnancy and was induced a couple of days early. I just wanted to share a positive outcome. I was so scared ... and just feel so blessed.

I'm attaching a pic from the hospital. She was nearly 8 pounds at birth! Good luck and God bless to all of you.

[ebonymama]

hello liz and to the rest of you all,

how r you? i think i could relate to your situation cause i am in the same boat.....i am jus about a week behind ya......i suffer with hypertension and went into pregnancy with it......

my numbers jus a notch where yours are....but holding steady......

i am,though, on 2000mg methyldopa and 20mg nifedipine and 81mg lose does aspirin daily.......

i have a growth scan 2morrow at 32 weeks.....so yeah wow....its good that u were able to see a MFM....i live in the southern caribbean and i don't think there are any of the such....just regular OB's that have experience in the disease....and well the public hospitals who don't give a **** really.....so i rely on websites like these to get by.......

fingers cross for both of us at this time...i just want to get 2 35 weeks and i will feel good....mostly i would be induce or c-section at 36 or 37 weeks....

[caryn]

So glad you have an MFM consulting. 32 weeks feels so early, but the odds are really good at that point. I always tell people 34 weeks is gravy and it's all bonus from there in our pregnancies.

[lizzellen]

Quick update: I did see a maternal-fetal specialist, who is consulting with my regular OB. I'm 32 weeks, and so far PE is not full blown. I did a 24-hour urine last weekend, and it came back about 250, which is under the 300 threshold. BPs still high but holding steady. Mild swelling. Mildly anemic despite iron supplements.

I'm doing weekly OB visits with ultrasounds and fetal monitoring. My little girl is measuring small, seems like she's between 15 percent and 30 percent consistently.

My doc wants to get me to 36 or 37 weeks, which I'm hoping for, too. For now, still working and hoping for the best! So thankful to have made it this far.

[sam10]

Glad to hear that your doctor is following the new guidelines and that you feel comfortable in his care. Has your doctor a specialist whom he can consult with? If not, perhaps you might want to consider doing the 2-hour trek to see one, especially since you are hypertensive and on medication.
I also worked until PE hit me at 33 weeks. It helped to stay focused and I was less panicked.
Let us know how it goes. Fingers crossed.

[lizzellen]

Wanted to give an update. I saw the new guidelines that just came out on preeclampsia treatment and was relieved to see my doc has pretty much been following them to a T. I talked with him extensively during my last appointment, and he had seen them and is following them. So, I'm feeling a little better even though he's not super experienced in dealing with this disease.

It looks like bed rest is no longer recommended in most cases, which surprised me. I really thought I would get yanked out of work soon and, frankly, I'm the bread winner in our family, so I'm glad I'll be able to keep working.

The good news is I'm at 23 weeks now. Had the big ultrasound and baby is measuring small but apparently my due date is the same (April 9). I just passed by GD test but did find out I'm anemic. So, I'm taking iron supplements in addition to the prenatal. Don't know if it's psychosomatic, but I'm already feeling like I have more energy since starting the iron just yesterday. Blood pressure was a little better than it's been, 145/90. So, I work, and we wait. Please send along all the good vibes you got. Another two months and we'll be getting pretty close.

Oh, and it's a girl! Our daughter, Amelia, will have a little sister.