PET @ 24wks, delivered by EMCS @ 28wks

Hello there im new to this forum and id like to introduce myself.

Im Becky my fiance is James and we have a 2yr old son called Alexander.
When i was 23 + 6 i woke up feeling like i had the flu, ill never forget as James and my mum told me to stay in best and rest/watch tv etc, which i did and it was on the saturday morning when the whale was being rescued from the River Thames! Anyways i called NHS Direct later that night as still didnt feel right and she said take paracetamol and rest. Well on the monday morning i got up for work as i felt much better, mum told me to go to GP just to get checked. Went to GP she said i had high BP and to go to DAU to get 'checked over'...........

well within 1/2hr of me arriving my bp was 180/110 i was given steroids and told i wasnt leaving this hospital until i had baby..... OMG what a shock. I was with my dad at the time because we were off shopping after.......i never got there lol

when james arrived about 10mins after being told this, as soon as i saw him i just broke down, i felt like a complete failure as i was only boasting a few days before how pregnancy suited me so well - no morning sickness, no stretchmarks just a few spots on my face!

anyways that week went in a blur of being given meds, blood tests, scans and lots of crying.
I managed to hold on until 28wks when they had to section me and our beautiful Alexander came into the world weighing a hefty 1lb 14oz!

He was in SCBU for 12 weeks, and came home on oxygen for a further 4months, not an experience i want to repeat as while he was in scbu we got told his brain wasnt developing as it should be - they then decided it was more of a 26weeker than a 28wker, he had meningitis (SP) - he didnt, we got told lots of things but they worst was when he was 9 months old.......... he had to have physio as his consultant thought he had tight calf muscles, the physio immediately sarted asking q's on our first visit and told me she thinks he had Cerebral Palsy, she gave us excercises and gave him 'goals' to be achieved before the next visit in 4weeks. he met every single 'goal' of hers and in the end her conclusion was 'he is highly excitable' and he goes on tip toes! Months of worry to be told that...... when i told her that MONTHS before!!!!!!!!

Anyway i have rambled so ill start to finish!

He is now 2yrs and 3months and you wouldnt even know he was ex-prem, he knows a few colours, can count to eleven and is very bright for his age.

My question is has anyone had a baby so early due to PET then gone on to have another pregnancy and got further along? I worry about this so much as we are getting married in Sept 09 and would love to start trying after this but i am so worried about it allhappening again. And the way i felt the first 24hrs after Alex was born was hell!

I do know why i had PET, the docs have said because my mum had it with me thats how i have had it.

Many thanks for reading this, if you still are lol

Becky x x

Hi Becky

Welcome to the site.
I am sure you will hear back from many mums on this site who will tell you that they had subsequent pregnancies after PE. Some will have had PE again others wont. It really is impossible to predict with any degree of certainty who will or wont get it again.

What I would suggest is talking to your GP & explain your concerns. You may like to ask for an appointment with with a pre eclampsia expert to go through your previous pregnancy to see if there were other underlying risk factors that you don’t know about. (For example if you have sticky blood then aspirin or heparin may be helpful to you.)
Being started on aspirin as has been proven to help delay an onset of pre-eclampsia, on average in subsequent pregnancies by up to 2 weeks. This depends on Consultant preference as to when it should start, some say prior to pregnancy, others at 6 weeks some at 12 weeks.
Pre-eclampsia is also generally less severe in a subsequent pregnancy, but as Im sure from reading the posts on the forum, this is not always the case.

In addition to this asking how your pregnancy would be managed might help allay your worries, even if this was as simple as you having your own pot of 'dipsticks' to monitor your urine at home with weekly home appointments from your midwife. Have this 'plan' written in your notes.

The usual concerns for GP reluctance to do this are a) Cost and b) they feel that local consultants are experienced enough and therefore no need. Your argument to this is that you want to see someone who has done extensive research into the condition.

I would expect to see a consultant at each appointment and that he/she would do a Doppler scan at about 20 weeks.
This is a special scan that measures the blood flow across the uterine arteries from the placenta. Although not an exact science it is a very good predictor to whether pre-eclampsia is more likely.
From there on, I would be asking for regular growth scans and an appointment with your GP, Midwife, or consultant.
The PRECOG guidelines recommend this be at no longer than 2 weekly intervals until the point of gestation in your previous pregnancy.

The PRECOG guidelines are basically a framework for the medics to help manage high risk pregnancies such as yours. They were validated by National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) which is the health 'watchdog' but that health care providers should be following.
If you would like PM me with your email address I will send you information for you to refer to as you need to (or show your care givers.)

On a final note, dont be afraid to ask for 2nd opinions & question what is being said. There is every hope that with good management you can reach a longer gestation in this pregnancy than the last - possibly even PE free. However it is worth planning for the worst & hoping it never happens.
With you in control you might feel alot calmer & enjoy your pregnancy more.

I hope this helps but do let me know if I can support you furhter.
Best Wishes
Liz

Hi Becky.

I could really identify with your story as it was very similar to mine and in response to your question YES it is possible.

I wont bore you with my story now but will post it today for you to read.

Congratulations on your forthcoming wedding, how wonderful to have Alexander there with you too.

Love Penny xx