♥ Preeclampsia in Pregnancy ♥
Today is preeclampsia day. This is something that is very important to know about during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
What is Preeclampsia?
Preeclampsia.org summarizes it like this: “Preeclampsia is persistent high blood pressure that develops during pregnancy or the postpartum period and is often associated with high levels of protein in the urine OR the new development of decreased blood platelets, trouble with the kidneys or liver, fluid in the lungs, or signs of brain trouble such as seizures and/or visual disturbances.”
This is a very basic description of it, but there is a lot more to know about it, and you can learn more from their website. Here are some key things that I think everyone should be aware of about preeclampsia in pregnancy:
Preeclampsia can be life-threatening during pregnancy, and for baby as well. Medical professionals no longer require the detection of protein in the urine to diagnose it, as research has shown that organ trouble can occur without the development of protein in the urine. Symptoms to watch out for include headaches, abdominal pain, shortness of breath or burning behind the sternum, nausea and vomiting, confusion, heightened state of anxiety, and/or visual disturbances such as oversensitivity to light, blurred vision, seeing flashing spots or auras, or swelling in the limbs, face, or genitals.
How Common is Preeclampsia?
I don’t mean to alarm you. Chances are, it won’t even happen to you. Preeclampsia and related hypertensive disorders of pregnancy impact 5-10% of all pregnancies. Let’s flip that to a more positive way of thinking. That’s a 90-95% chance you won’t have preeclampsia in pregnancy. So your odds are good, but with so many pregnancies per year, that’s still a lot of people affected by it!
But remember, most people with preeclampsia in pregnancy will deliver healthy babies and fully recover.
What Causes Preeclampsia in Pregnancy?
The abovementioned website has a great chart with a listing of basic summaries of theories of what causes preeclampsia, though no one knows for certain what actually causes it. This is fairly common in conditions of pregnancy, due to a lack of research and subsequent lack of full understanding of how having the DNA of two different people inside of one body really affects the body. Preeclampsia.org’s chart covers things like nutrition, genetics, injury, and random malfunctions of the human body. One theory that was not well-specified in that chart is the partner’s contribution. Partners who have contributed to one pre-eclamptic pregnancy are twice as likely to contribute to another pregnancy with a different person. It is also more likely to happen with limited sperm exposure from the same partner prior to conception. The reason for these statistics is currently unknown.
How is Preeclampsia Treated?
There are various treatments for the condition, ranging from medications to supplements to diets. Intravenous magnesium sulfate can be used to help lower blood pressure and decrease the likelihood of seizures. A high-protein diet is another commonly used treatment, which has shown great results.
What’s My Story?
Most people don’t even realize that it can occur in the postpartum period. It is less common, but definitely still happens. In fact, it happened to me!
I developed preeclampsia a few days after I went home from the hospital when I had a C-section with my oldest daughter. I had many of the classic symptoms mentioned above. I had actually experienced many of those symptoms during my pregnancy as well, and was suspected to be developing preeclampsia several weeks before birth. My blood pressure went back down below the threshhold of what my doctor considered “too dangerous”, however, and they didn’t look into it any further.
When I called my doctor’s office and informed them of my concerns, asking to move up my appointment scheduled two weeks out, my doctor declined to bring me in any sooner. He brushed off my concerns and treated me as though I knew nothing about my own body (just as he had tried to do when I came to the hospital, telling him that something was wrong with my baby, leading to my emergency c-section).
Luckily for me, he broke his arm while on the vacation he didn’t tell me about (presumably the reason he didn’t want me in the office any sooner), and the office brought in his son in to cover for him. His son had more up-to-date training and knowledge, and had worked all over the world. He told me to come into the office immediately when I called again, voicing my concerns which had then turned to fear. He examined me, reviewed my symptoms, and did some bloodwork. He determined that I had indeed developed preeclampsia, however it seemed to be resolving on its own at this point, which is a rare but happy occurrence. I told him that I had discovered the Brewer diet, and been trying to follow it, while also taking extra magnesium supplements. He told me that this was spot-on and commended me for doing my own research, while also apologizing for his father’s failure to listen to me. He told me to keep listening to my instincts and hinted that I may want to find another doctor once his father returned and he set back off on his international adventures.
I was lucky, not only because I had been empowered to listen to my instincts by my own previous life experiences, and I had the education and resources to do my own research, but because I got to meet a doctor that so thoroughly embodied the essence of what a doctor should be, and what a good doctor is.
Lastly…
I wish everyone could be as lucky as I was, but unfortunately, many are not. This is why I am here. This is why I do what I do. By sharing my knowledge and my stories, I can help to empower and educate others who may otherwise never find their power or learn the things they need to know. If you would like to gain more education and empowerment, please follow my page, and join the growing Baby Led Enlightenment Support Village on facebook. We are a community dedicated to supporting and empowering each other to make informed decisions so that we can have happy, healthy pregnancies, and raise happy, healthy, emotionally intelligent children. I hope to see you there!
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