Childbirth is a beautiful occasion. You get to welcome a precious life into the world, nurture it, and watch your baby grow. Your body changes when you become pregnant — and after your baby is born, it begins to change back. Conditions might form during this process that can be life-threatening to you if not recognized and treated quickly.
On rare occasions, thought to range from about 1–27% of new mothers, a condition called postpartum preeclampsia can develop. Doctors are unsure how the condition forms, but it has to do with high blood pressure.
What is postpartum preeclampsia?
Preeclampsia is a condition that occurs during pregnancy. Postpartum preeclampsia occurs after a baby is born, within six weeks of childbirth. The cause of the condition is not very well understood, but it is accompanied by high blood pressure and headaches.
Main symptoms
Some symptoms you might experience if you have postpartum preeclampsia are:
- Changes in vision
- Severe headaches
- Shortness of breath
- Upper abdominal pain
- Nausea and vomiting
- Swelling in your hands or face
- Seizures
Main causes
What causes postpartum preeclampsia is unknown. It sometimes occurs in mothers who experienced high blood pressure while pregnant, and other times it happens to mothers who didn't. However, it is known that high blood pressure is an indication of the condition. Doctors believe that diet, weight, and lack of exercise are some of the factors that can put you at risk.
Who can get postpartum preeclampsia
Since the condition's cause is not known, it is difficult for doctors to predict who can get it. If you're at risk for the factors mentioned previously, there is a chance that you could develop the condition.
Diagnosis for postpartum preeclampsia
The condition might develop while you and your baby are still in the hospital after birth. However, it can take up to six weeks to develop, so if you're experiencing the symptoms, you should see your doctor immediately.
To diagnose the condition, doctors take your blood pressure and take some blood samples. If your blood pressure is greater than 140/90 mmHg, your blood pressure is high. You’ll also give a urine sample, in which doctors look for excess protein in your urine, which is an indicator of preeclampsia.
Treatments for postpartum preeclampsia
Postpartum preeclampsia is related to high blood pressure, so doctors focus on treating it. They also worry about seizures because the condition can turn into postpartum eclampsia, which is characterized by seizures with high blood pressure after childbirth.
Medications
If the doctor diagnoses postpartum preeclampsia, they’ll want to lower your blood pressure with medication. They’ll also give you medicine, such as magnesium sulfate, to prevent seizures. You might receive medication to reduce the pain from your headaches.
There are many different types of medication to treat blood pressure. Depending on your body chemistry and what the doctor thinks will help, they might give you any of the following
- Beta-blockers
- Diuretics
- ACE inhibitors
- Alpha blockers
- Vasodilators
- Calcium channel blockers
- Alpha-2 receptor agonists
- Blood thinners, such as Apixaban
Home care
Diet and self-care can have a significant effect on your health after childbirth, as well as during your pregnancy. It's thought that lifestyle changes can help reduce the risk of postpartum preeclampsia also. Exercise is essential because activity gets your heart rate up and can help increase your metabolism while lowering your blood pressure.
Sleep is necessary for your body to recover from the stresses of having a baby. The pressure you’ve been under is not just from the physical exertion of labor, but the entire pregnancy period. Sleep deprivation and disruption are associated with preeclampsia.
Alternative therapy
Get outside in the sun, rest, and decompress when you can. The first year of a baby’s life is taxing on parents, so you need to try to relax as much as possible to alleviate stress, which can help reduce your blood pressure. Stress is associated with a higher risk of preeclampsia.
Studies have shown that prenatal vitamins are essential after your baby is born. The folic acid present in these vitamins can help lower the risk of hypertension and preeclampsia. Talk to your doctor about postnatal vitamins and folic acid and see if it might be something to consider.
Possible complications and risks
If your postpartum preeclampsia is left untreated, severe complications can occur. These include:
- Pulmonary edema
- Stroke
- Thromboembolism
- HELLP syndrome
- Postpartum eclampsia
Pulmonary edema is a condition where excess fluid builds up in the lungs and makes it hard to breathe. The lack of oxygen can lead to stroke.
Thromboembolism happens when you have a blood clot in your circulatory system, and it travels to another part of your body.
HELLP syndrome is another life-threatening condition that is not well understood. It presents with the same symptoms as postpartum preeclampsia. Still, it includes more issues that make it hard to diagnose the condition.
SLIDESHOW
Conception: The Amazing Journey from Egg to Embryo See SlideshowAmerican Heart Association: "Types of Blood Pressure Medications."
Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics: "Supplementation of folic acid in pregnancy and the risk of preeclampsia and gestational hypertension: a meta-analysis."
Brigham and Women's Hospital: "Postpartum Nutrition after Preeclampsia."
Canadian Medical Association Journal: "Headache and seizure on postpartum day 5: late postpartum eclampsia."
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "Venous Thromboembolism (Blood Clots).”
Epidemiology: "Job Stress and Preeclampsia."
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development: "About Preeclampsia and Eclampsia."
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development: "How do health care providers diagnose preeclampsia, eclampsia, and HELLP syndrome?"
Iranian Journal of Psychiatry: "Evaluation of Sleep Problems in Preeclamptic, Healthy Pregnant and Non-Pregnant Women."
Journal of Obstetric, Gynecology & Neonatal Nursing: Scholarship for the Care of Women, Childbearing Families & Newborns: "Postpartum Preeclampsia."
Merck Manuals: "Pulmonary Edema."
Preeclampsia Foundation: "Postpartum Preeclampsia."
Top How Is Postpartum Preeclampsia Treated Related Articles
Can High Blood Pressure Hurt My Eyes?
Unfortunately, yes. Suffering from untreated or poorly controlled high blood pressure for a long time can be detrimental to your eyes. Several eye diseases are directly or indirectly caused by high blood pressure (hypertension).
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
High blood pressure (hypertension) is a disease in which pressure within the arteries of the body is elevated. About 75 million people in the US have hypertension (1 in 3 adults), and only half of them are able to manage it. Many people do not know that they have high blood pressure because it often has no has no warning signs or symptoms.
Systolic and diastolic are the two readings in which blood pressure is measured. The American College of Cardiology released new guidelines for high blood pressure in 2017. The guidelines now state that blood normal blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg. If either one of those numbers is higher, you have high blood pressure.
The American Academy of Cardiology defines high blood pressure slightly differently. The AAC considers 130/80 mm Hg. or greater (either number) stage 1 hypertension. Stage 2 hypertension is considered 140/90 mm Hg. or greater.
If you have high blood pressure you are at risk of developing life threatening diseases like stroke and heart attack.
REFERENCE: CDC. High Blood Pressure. Updated: Nov 13, 2017.
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Labor and Delivery
Early and later symptoms and signs of labor and delivery are unique to each woman. Early signs of labor are "lightning" and passing the mucus plug. Later symptoms and signs that labor that labor is are the woman's water breaking, and when contractions begin. There are three stages of labor, stage 1 is the longest and occurs when the cervix begins to thin and dilate. During stage 2 of labor the baby passes through the birth canal and remains there until delivery, and stage 3, is when the baby is delivered.
magnesium sulfate
Magnesium sulfate is a salt of magnesium, a naturally occurring mineral, used to prevent and treat convulsions (seizures) from preeclampsia and eclampsia (toxemia) in pregnant women. Magnesium sulfate is also used to treat certain heart rhythm disorders, magnesium deficiency, and acute kidney inflammation (nephritis) in children. Side effects include flushing, increased sweating, low blood pressure (hypotension), depressed/poor reflexes, flaccid paralysis, low core body temperature (hypothermia), circulatory collapse, depressed cardiac function, central nervous system (CNS) depression, respiratory paralysis, excess fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), extreme drowsiness, and others.magnesium sulfate (injection)
Magnesium sulfate is a sterile solution given by injection prescribed for seizures with pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, eclampsia; Torsades de Pointes, an abnormal heart rhythm; and hypomagnesemia. Side effects of magnesium sulfate are flushing, sweating, hypotension (low blood pressure), flaccid paralysis, lowered body temperature, and cardiac and central nervous system depression.
Preeclampsia and Eclampsia
Preeclampsia is a condition in pregnant women marked by high blood pressure and a high level of protein in the urine. Eclampsia occurs when preeclampsia goes untreated. Eclampsia can cause coma and death of the mother and baby. Preeclampsia symptoms include rapid weight gain, abdominal pain, headaches, blood in the urine, dizziness, and excessive vomiting and nausea. The only real cure for preeclampsia and eclampsia is the birth of the baby.
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