Severe Pre-eclampsia/ Eclampsia

Severe Pre-eclampsia/ Eclampsia

This information is for those who have had severe pre-eclampsia or eclampsia in pregnancy or shortly after delivery. For more information on Pre-eclampsia please see the RCOG patient information leaflet (link in 'signposts')

What is pre-eclampsia/eclampsia?
Pre-eclampsia is a complication of pregnancy that typically causes you to have high blood pressure and protein in your urine. It can make you unwell and can affect your baby’s growth and wellbeing.

How does this affect me and my baby?
The only way to cure pre-eclampsia is for your baby to be born and this may have occurred preterm (early). We will prescribe medication to lower your blood pressure that will be safe to use while breastfeeding.
It is likely that you will need to stay in hospital for a few days longer than normal to be monitored closely and ensure your blood pressure is under control and your blood tests are normalising. When you leave hospital, your blood
pressure will need to be checked regularly, and you may need to continue taking medication to control your blood pressure for several weeks.

What happens after birth?
Your blood pressure should be checked daily until at least day 5 after birth by a midwife. We may recommend that your blood pressure continues to be monitored alternate days for up to two weeks. We recommend a blood pressure check with your GP 2 and 6 weeks after the birth of your baby. This is to check your blood pressure is well controlled and to adjust your medication as required. As you had severe pre-eclampsia, we would recommend the GP checks your blood tests and urine dip at your 6 weeks check and then re-check urine dip and kidney function blood test after 3 months.

What happens next?
You will be offered a follow up appointment with your consultant in 6-12 weeks to discuss what happened and provide further information about managing your future health or a future pregnancy.

What additional support can I access?
Experiencing a complicated pregnancy or birth can be distressing for you and your family, particularly if your baby needed to go to the neonatal unit or you had a prolonged stay in hospital. If you feel like you are developing anxiety, have low mood or feel like you need additional support, please talk to your obstetrician, midwife or GP.
The service Birth Reflections is available should you wish the opportunity to go through your records after the consultant appointment.

Signposts:
Links to resources/ further information
RCOG Pre-eclampsia patient information leaflet: pi_pre-eclampsia-2022.pdf
Action on pre-eclampsia: www.action-on-pre-eclampsia.org.uk Helpline: 01386 761 848
NHS choices for information on healthy eating and exercise following childbirth: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/keeping-fit-and-healthy/