The last several days I have noticed swelling in my hands (I've had to take my rings off). All day today I have felt swollen all over, my eyes feel puffy and every thing. I some times feel like I can hardly catch my breath and the slightest movement causes my heartrate to accelerate. I am always tired. I took a 2 hour nap, got up and was ready to go to sleep again. I just took my blood pressure with my father's monitor and it came up as 140/76 with a pulse of 92 after I had been laying on my left side for almost 2 hours. I am 26 weeks pregnant. I read some preeclampsia articles and it really sounds like it. But I tend to over react about things and was wondering what you all thought I should do.
Well I called my doctor who told me to go up to the hospital. They took blood and urine, and monitored me and the baby. My blood pressure went down each time they checked it. And all my labs came back pretty good. They want me to have a follow up at my dr.'s on Monday. And they will continue to monitor me for preeclampsia. I am supposed to check my blood pressure a couple times a day, take it easy and if any problems arise I am supposed to immediately call my doctor. But right this second everything is good.
Hello, S.
I just had a baby girl 5mths. ago and I also stayed sleepy all the time very very tired. I was in the hosptial over my heart rate being so high. They couldn't find out what was wrong in till the end of my pregancy. Come to find out it was my iron being very low. Hope this helps.
If I were you I would take it easy until your next appointment, and make sure you stress your concern over this to your doctor. It does sound alot like the beginning of preeclampsia. I too had preeclampsia while pregnant and it was left untreated... I now suffer from Cardiomyopathy (Enlarged Heart) as a direct result from the untreated high blood pressure. It also caused me to hemmorage after delivery and not to scare you or anything, I almost did not make it. This is a serious condition and it needs to be followed by your doctor. Please rest up and take care, if u have any questions, feel free to email me!
A.
you should go see your doctor or midwife right away.
I know that I had a lot of the same symptoms, although your symptoms sound a little more extreme than mine. It can NEVER hurt to call your doctor, so that is definately the first thing I would do. Just because you call doesn't mean you are over-reacting...it's just a preventative measure. Besides, even if it turns out to be nothing, maybe the doctor can suggest something that might make you more comfortable (sleeping position or breathing technique or something).
Call the doctor. Better to be safe than sorry. Trust me, I know.
Call your doctor NOW and insist on being seen today. If they can't see you, go to the emergency room. It could be nothing to worry about, but don't take a chance. You doctor is paid good money to walk you through the pregnancy every step of the way.
I am an RN and LC so I do some education:) Definately you got good info at the doctors...Glad your pressures came down. Bedrest will be very important. Also, increasing your protein-not really iron--will make a big difference...basically when you pressure goes up, kidneys spill extra protein into urine, so you need to make up for that. So increase protein anyway you can, be strict about bed rest, follow all your doctors other precautions AND most importantly...relax about your baby. PIH-Preg Induced Hypertension (high b/p) usually is hard on moms, but babies tolerate it well. You will probably start getting NST-non stress tests to watch baby heartrate, but usually the big risk to baby is early delivery because MOM needs to deliver to fix her pressures..that is the only surefire treatment for mom. So the longer you keep your pressures down, the better for baby. At 26 weeks you in the clear for baby..but 32-34 is much better, of course 37 would be the goal. Good luck!
S.,
I think that it sounds like pre-eclampsia. I had it, and the best thing you can do and should do is call your doctor. There are steps to be taken and things you should do for you and your baby, and your doctor is the right person to tell you what to do. The earlier you talk to your doctor, the better...It is easier to control and manage pre-eclampsia at its first signs as with any other problems during pregnancy. Do not get scared, be calm, have plenty of liquids, no salt and keep your body on its left side..It is absolutely manageable...
Let us know how you are doing.
Alejandra
http://aolsvc.health.webmd.aol.com/hw/being_pregnant/hw28...
This is a site from webmd.com It just tells more about preeclampsia. I really think you should at least call your doctor and see if they think you should come in. If it is preeclampsia it could be dangerous to you and your unborn baby. Good luck.
i am an ob nursing tech and in nursing school... i can tell you preeclampsia is not something to mess around with. has your blood pressure been this high, or is this something new? i'm surprised that you are swelling so soon, so i wouldn't attribute it to "normal" pregnancy swelling. did you have preeclampsia with your first child? is this yours and your husband's first child together? for some reason preeclampsia is more common in a first pregnancy, or a first pregnancy with a different man. the other classic "signs" include epigastric pain (more in the region of your chest and upper abdomen), headaches not relieved by tylenol, and blurry vision or spots before your eyes. either way, with a blood pressure that high that is not normal for you, i'd get checked out. when is your next appointment? i would honestly try to rest up tonight, then call your doctor's office as soon as they open in the morning, tell them your symptoms, and that you had an elevated blood pressure. they will most likely tell you to come in. either way, good luck, and congrats on baby :)
To be that swollen that early on (I know it's not really early, but it's not like you're 38 weeks or anything), I would say that you probably do have some kind of issue with preeclampsia. Some things you might try to do are cut down on your sodium/salt intake, drink TONS and TONS of water (go for 64oz, if you can force yourself to drink that much), and pick up some iron pills if you're not taking them already. You want about 35mg of actual iron; it'll tell you how much is in them on the bottle. I would definitely call and talk to your doctor about all the symptoms you're having. They may tell you that it's nothing to worry about, but at least they will already have it on file in case it starts getting worse or you develop other symptoms.
Call your doctor first thing in the morning and discuss your concerns with him/her. When you stand up or move to fast, do you see "little silver flakes" floating in front of you for a minute? Do you get lightheaded easy? The only reason I ask is because I had it (and a litany of other things) with my 1st child and everything that you described plus the flakes and lightheadedness. From what you say, it sounds like you might actually preeclampsia and if so, there are steps that need to be taken to ensure the safey of you and the baby. Do what the others have suggested and watch your salt intake, your stress level, and get plenty of rest. Take a warm (not hot) bubble bath to help you to relax. Your doctor will be able to prescribe you some iron medication that are a bit stronger than what you can by OTC. If you want to go OTC, Flintstones with Iron are supposed to be a good choice.
