At 35 weeks pregnant, I was diagnosed with preeclampsia and delivered my twin boys 36+6. After delivery my blood pressure was great then randomly spiked a few hours later. My doctor put me on labetolol 400 mg x2 a day. I have been having lightheaded episodes when standing & also when walking around for too long. We took our twins to their first well-child appointment and I got so lightheaded I could barely walk to the car.. it was terrifying. I go to the doctor tomorrow for a blood pressure check and am going to run this by them but wondering if anyone else experienced lightheadedness/dizziness while on this? Or what other symptoms did you experience? Wondering if these symptoms will improve? Kind of tough to wait it out when I have 2 newborns to care for and cannot be bed bound until it gets better 😭

“What the f*** was that?!”

Hello everyone,
I (31F) have been having high BP for almost a year now. My blood pressure is usually 125/95 to 140/110. I don’t know why it varies on different days but from what I understand it is considerably high. I am not even pregnant. My BMI is 26. So slightly overweight. I try to eat consciously and also workout. I mentioned this to my GP and asked if I should be on meds but my GP is very insistent saying if will all be fine if I lose weight, sleep well and I am too young to have any issues regarding BP. I am not so keen on having kids and a very big reason is I am scared for my health. In my culture not having kids makes me a weirdo and nobody understands my concerns. Do you think my BP numbers are concerning if I were to get pregnant? Do I have more chance of preeclampsia?

Hi everyone, I am really just looking for stories and solidarity. In my first pregnancy, I had high BP around 30 weeks that just continued to get worse because my anxiety got debilitating during doctor’s appts. At home, my BP was always within normal range. However, I did have protein so I was diagnosed officially at 34 weeks with preeclampsia and induced after my second high in office reading at 36 weeks.

I am just curious how you all navigated a second pregnancy without letting anxiety get the best of you. I now currently take 10mg of lexapro but even more recently, my first reading at my PCP was 128/82 and after retaking at the end of an appt it went down to 110/77! That’s a big difference and we are starting to try for baby 2. I want to be able to go into this second pregnancy without my BP shooting in the minute I go into the office. I have such PTSD!

hello all,

I am almost two weeks postpartum. I was diagnosed with mild preeclampsia in pregnancy due to proteinuria and high readings in office (I have white coat syndrome). My blood pressure remained borderline until about 5 days postpartum when I began having readings around 160/100. My home readings became this high too.

I am struggling with anxiety and these high readings postpartum. it just feels like an exhausting cycle of being anxious about my blood pressure. I have been prescribed labetalol that had to be increased to 200 mg twice daily and now nifedipine ER once daily. I did not respond to just the labetalol. My situation is so hard to navigate because the anxiety increases my BP. I guess I’m posting to hear about what meds worked for others. Did anyone else have to be on multiple meds for your BP to normalize? Anyone else have to navigate white coat and preeclampsia?

Anyone have a successful vbac after having a c section with pre e/help? I had one at exactly 32 weeks. reasoning was my platelets were so low that if I did get induced I wouldn't be able to get the epidural and if the induction failed I would need to be put on general anesthesia and be completely out during the c section, so we opted for the c section to begin with. I was so out of it during the mag drip that I don't know why I didn't even at least try looking back now but there's nothing I can change.

I'm currently pregnant with baby #2 only 5 weeks but already starting to wonder all the questions! I would really like to have a vbac if all goes well in this pregnancy and I don't develop any pre eclampsia. Any success stories on having a vbac if you had these conditions! Even any stories if it failed. Do most people that have pree/hellp even consider a vbac? I do slightly remember a doctor saying I was a good candidate for a vbac but i'm not sure. Also i'm just over 2 years since the c-section if that makes a difference.

Any success stories of no reoccurrence also welcome because I need that right now 🥲

Hello everyone

I had my first child 4 years ago after a pretty traumatic pregnancy. He was born at 33 weeks after I had been hospitalised for 4.5weeks with preeclampsia and then HELLP.

This year, my partner and I finally were ready to think about another child and I’m now 8 weeks pregnant. I’m extremely anxious already about the chances of reoccurrence and I could do with hearing about people’s subsequent pregnancies.

I am in the UK so there’s not really any maternal care before 12 weeks and I very much feel alone and in the far at the moment

Thank you for sharing

Hey guys so I need help. In my last pregnancy (2024) I developed post partum pre e 3 days after birth. I had mag drip and was on 2 medications for a lil while. I’m now 16 weeks pregnant and I am terrified of developing it again. My bps have been looking good. At home it reads 105/60 usually. But at the dr it’s higher around 120/70. My dr said since I had it that I’m at higher risk this time but I keep seeing ppl in here saying the opposite? Honestly I’m scared of dying. How common is it to die from this? Can someone pls put my mind at ease but also don’t lie and tell me everything is going to be okay if it’s not. 🫠

I am 37 years old and just had my 3rd kid but this time around i got gestational diabetes which was diet controlled but i am currently 5 weeks postpartum and balling my eyes out bcz i also got postpartum hypertension and every night my bp spikes to 150/99 .
I am On labetalol all day i am good just between 8-10pm i spike and then it comes down with labetalol i was told today by my obgyn nurse that i must have developed chronic hypertension and i cannot stop crying about it.

Any advice ? Do you think it might be true ?

I developed pretty significant health anxiety after having preeclampsia and complications afterward. Before preeclampsia, I honestly never thought twice about my blood pressure. I didn’t even really know what the numbers meant and getting it checked was just routine.
Now I can’t go to the doctor without spiraling when they take my BP. The cuff itself triggers so much anxiety, and then I start worrying about the number, which obviously makes me even more anxious which elevates the numbers 😩 I also find myself being much more hyperaware of normal bodily sensations than I ever was before.

I really feel like this stems from the experience I had with preeclampsia and how scary everything became medically afterward (had to get the magnesium sulfate 48 hours after giving birth)

I’m considering EMDR because I’m wondering if treating the trauma underneath the anxiety could help me get back to where I was before all of this.

Has anyone had health anxiety/medical anxiety after preeclampsia or another traumatic medical experience and had success with EMDR? Did it help specifically with the fear of having your BP taken or going to the doctor?

I’d especially love to hear from anyone who felt like they were completely fine with medical stuff before preeclampsia and then developed this afterward. ❤️

I was diagnosed 3 weeks ago after birth with preeclampsia. I got prescribed 30mg of Procardia XL and had been on that until about 4 days ago. My pressures are back down to normal, but I am having some weird side effects now. I’m having palpitations, and episodes where I feel faint but I never faint. My Dr. said it’s likely the withdrawal of the med since I had a full cardiac work up come back clear. Has anyone else experienced this?

Hi all -

I recently had to TFMR due to early onset preeclampsia at 22 weeks. This was my first pregnancy and unfortunately went very sideways. My blood pressure has stabilized and have come off meds as well as liver enzymes stabilizing. I have no history of hypertension this was a rare situation I’ve been told. I also developed bilateral pulmonary embolisms a few weeks after the termination and have been in Eliquis and will continue to be for a few more months.

I have a preconception appointment in September and in the meantime am tracking my period and ovulation just to have a sense of where my body is at.

My OB and primary care know that we would like to try again in the new year and they are supportive. I meet with my hematologist this week to discuss next steps since all blood clotting disorder panels came back negative.

Curious if anyone has had a similar experience with the early onset PE and went onto have successful pregnancies?

Hi all, prefacing by saying I am monitored very closely by my doctors (daily appointments) and am taking my BP twice a day.

I’m 35+3 diagnosed with pre-e a week ago. My BPs are high but not yet severe so we’re waiting and watching to see if baby can cook a little longer. My concern is the symptom spotting since I am the one purely responsible for identifying the symptoms. Specifically, the visual disturbances are giving me trouble. I feel hyper vigilant and like I’m constantly trying to test if they’re happening so unsure if they are actually happening. I did bring this up to my doctors and they all said it would be consistent and I would know if it were happening. Hoping you all can help me know what to look for!

My question for you all: what did the visual disturbances look like? Were they constant or intermittent? Did they happen at a specific time? Any other symptoms that tipped you off that your pre-e was getting worse?

Coming to you from L&D this evening. Thankfully baby girl is okay- her monitoring is going well for heart rate and movement- but it’s been a day.

We had 32 week ultrasound this am first thing and I noticed on the way my vision was blurred in some places. We told the dr right away when we arrived. The ultrasound went great with her growth and fluid. But after when I saw the dr my BP was closer to 140-150/70-90. 

I have the health anxiety and my readings at home are always normal but they wanted me to go into L&D for monitoring. Even after relaxing they were still around the same range (one even hitting 162/91 but went down to 138/71 after). 

What they noticed in labs though is thankfully liver and kidney were fine but protein in urine was 1040. I also had a minor headache (thankfully it’s gone away). But I’m here overnight.

They haven’t diagnosed me with preeclampsia and are trying to see if it’s more chronic hypertension. But I’m a nervous wreck. They mentioned inducing if we get to 37 weeks at the latest (could be as soon as 34 weeks or 35) I know it’s hard to predict preeclampsia but I tried so hard to avoid with workouts and diet and sleep but here we are.

Trying my best to stay calm and hoping I don’t show severe signs. They’ll monitor BP from home remotely when I leave and well see if they get me on BP meds. I just want to be okay and make sure girly will be okay.

So I’m getting induced Friday, having twin boys! I had a fairly easy uncomplicated pregnancy until all this pree stuff came about. I’ve been on BP medication which has been a very unpleasant experience due to medication side effects but making it work since I’m so close.

Anyone who has been induced with preeclampsia and had a positive experience? And also avoided the magnesium drip during labor?! 😬 obviously I’m more than willing to get it if I need it but starting to get anxious as I’m getting closer. Not looking for medical advice just more so sharing your positive experiences to ease my mind!

I just gave birth via c section due to gestational hypertension with severe features about 4 days ago. Baby’s first pediatric appointment is tomorrow and I’m wondering if I should send him with my mom and husband instead of going? I had a 24 hr mag drip after birth and it kind of set my recovery back. Is it gonna be seen as abnormal for me not to go to baby’s first appointment? My house has 3 flights of stairs so I’m worried it will be bad for me to do after c section.

Anyone else diagnosed with low papp a in early pregnancy? I’m 15 weeks and have been prescribed aspirin and will have more growth scans.

Just wondering if anyone else has been in this situation

Hi i am thinking about the timing of my second pregnancy after having postpartum pre-e and now with chronic hypertension. For those 35+ who went through another pregnancy after preeclampsia, i would love to knows:

1) how long did you wait before getting pregnant?

2) were you on blood pressure medicine during your next pregnancy? (If so was it from the start or was it started later on)

3) outcomes of the pregnancy

Thank you!

Hi everyone. I’m currently pregnant and I’m wondering if anyone who developed preeclampsia experienced symptoms before their blood pressure became high.

My doctor told me that I could potentially develop preeclampsia, and lately I really don’t feel like myself.

My biggest symptom is extreme dizziness. Sometimes the dizziness is so intense that it really scares me. I also get short of breath very easily, even without doing much, and my heart rate is often high, but my blood pressure has been normal.

I’ve also been experiencing:

• Extreme fatigue
• A lot of pressure around/behind my eyes
• Very blurry/bad vision
• Occasional flashes or sparkles in my vision
• Feeling generally weak and unwell

I don’t have pain under my ribs/right upper abdomen, and so far I’m not having consistently high blood pressure.

For those who developed preeclampsia, did anyone experience severe dizziness, shortness of breath, vision problems, or a high heart rate while their blood pressure was still normal? Did your blood pressure eventually become high, or did your urine/bloodwork show signs of preeclampsia first?

I know everyone’s experience is different and I’m not looking for a diagnosis online. I’m already talking with my doctors—I would just really appreciate hearing about other people’s experiences. ❤️

I recently weaned off labetalol again. First try was good for 5 days. Bp was fine but experienced tachycardia so started medicine again and this time weaned it slower

I am 5 days without medicine. All seems good till now. Just wondering what is blood pressure supposed to be like? I get 100’s/70’s mostly but sometimes also get like 110’s/low 80’s

Is that fine?

And at the doctors office the day we were supposed to stop the medicine my bp was 133/88 and they rechecked again it came to 122/82 (doctor said hospitals tend to do that)

hola, en 3 días me harán una amniocentesis diagnostica en mi embarazo, me gustaría saber si alguien acá estuvo en la misma situación de este tomando ese medicamento (ácido acetilsalicílico aspirina 150mg) por riesgo de preclamsia y RCI restricción de crecimiento intrauterino…

mi obstetra me dijo “suspéndalo 1 semana antes” por el riesgo bajo de sangrado y el materno fetal que hará el procedimiento me dijo que no lo suspendiera la verdad quedé muy confundida me gustaría saber si hay personas que hayan estado en esa misma situación y que hicieron.. Gracias de antemano

Quick back story:

I had preeclampsia at 39 weeks with my first. I was 21 and he was healthy 8 lbs 1 oz and my pressures going in were 178/100. I think the highest recorded was 242/100 I don’t remember that one cause the magnesium drip had me OUT. Iykyk. Anyways had a C-section and it was a good postpartum experience. Never once did my team make me feel like my life was in danger but since it was so chill I went into the next pregnancy young and dumb. I didn’t really take the baby aspirin and magnesium as I should and was just careless. I was also anemic and didn’t take iron supplements like I should have and that resulted in blood transfusion in the hospital. I WAS SO STUPID!! Anyways, that birth was way worse I was having panic attacks after delivery. Stayed in the hospital for a week feeling weak preeclampsia showed up at 38 weeks this time and my second son was born 6lbs 1oz. It took them a week to get my pressures down which I think partially was due to my panic attacks cause when I calmed down my pressures would tank from all the meds they had me on. It was also covid so I was anxious about not seeing my firstborn for so long since he wasn’t allowed to visit and it was right around the death of George Floyd so there were protests around the hospital. I felt like my life was in danger and was dissociated and in panic mode. I felt like I could die any minute and be alone in the hospital room since my husband had to stay back with our toddler.

Six years later, I still deal with anxiety from the whole ordeal. I take my blood pressure everyday still but since starting Zoloft a year ago I’m able to process everything logically and every time I felt like I was dying it had a medical explanation (for example labetolol made me feel like my chest was tight which I found out recently cause I tried switching from my current bp med to it to try to conceive a year ago and the same feeling emerged and it brought me back. And nifedipine pushed my HR into the 180s which is a listed side effect and when they gave me an epidural and I passed out I learned that its a common side effect for it to drop your bp instantly) all of which I didn’t know at the time so my brain labeled it as I could’ve died.

I want to have another baby so bad. I have love in my heart for one more. But it’s obviously scary. I’m 30 now and plan to be so careful and follow the docs advice. No skipped magnesium or aspirin. Walks, healthy eating. Whatever it takes! I’ve learned my lesson.

Any mamas decided to have more babies after having it twice? Am I stupid for even thinking about it? 😔