Steriod injections to help baby's lungs | ExpatWoman.com
 

Steriod injections to help baby's lungs

16
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 January 2011 - 19:11

hi ladies
just need some advice. i am in my 28th week.. my doc has told me to have the steriod injections to help baby's lungs even though at the moment things seem to be ok with the pregnancy. my BP is fine, have no protein in my urine, baby's growth is fine ... but I have swollen feet.
When i had my first child the steroids were only given to me when my BP became higher... it's good that i had them because i developed pre ecplamnsia soon after..
For my other pregnancies steriods were not given as there were no signs of pre eclampsia.
just wondering why my doc is telling me to take them now? don't want to take then unecessarily.
any advice/experience welcome :)

2937
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 25 January 2011 - 10:48
Well, pre-pregnancy I definitely wasn't obese but nowadays I may fall into the 'slightly overweight' category! Thanks, BFC and Glitter. I'd heard conflicting stories about the chances of recurrence and I didn't enjoy my pregnancy in the slightest, so thinking I might get PE again was not encouraging me to go for it again at all. <em>edited by DubaiCat on 25/01/2011</em>
671
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 25 January 2011 - 09:26
DubaiCat, estimates for recurence vary. One recent study suggests that "the risk of preeclampsia recurrence increases with earlier gestational age at the first delivery complicated by preeclampsia and with increasing maternal BMI" - so since you made it to 37 weeks and if you are not overweight or obese, then your chances are much lower :). Don't panic! With low risk of recurence and knowing the signs to watch out for, I'm sure you'll be fine :). (Study: Recurrence of preeclampsia: effects of gestational age at delivery of the first pregnancy, body mass index, paternity, and interval between births, by Mostello et al http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18280450 ) (Edited for spelling.) <em>edited by BFC on 25/01/2011</em>
16
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 January 2011 - 07:45
they say that if u get it the first time the likelihood of getting it again is very low unless you have a different partner ... in my second and third pregnancies i was put on low dose aspirin until 34weeks which seemed to help me... don't worry- the chances of getting it second time are slim!
2937
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 24 January 2011 - 21:19
Apologies for the threadjack but I'm concerned by your post :(. I had pre-eclampsia but I made it to 37 weeks (just). Am I going to get it next time? Panicking slightly...
192
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 January 2011 - 21:12
my 1st was born at 32 weeks due to severe pre eclampsia, 2nd and 3rd normal and full term.. now this one is 28 weeks and seems to be going ok so far so wondering why steriods are needed as no signs of high bp.. hmm, that's interesting (and fortunate) cos *usually* when you have pre-enclampsia in your first, you're almost guaranteed to have it in your subsequent... so basically, you've bucked the trend! My advice still stays - discuss all this in great detail with your Dr and ask him to put forward concrete reasons why he thinks it's a good idea, considering your background. If you're not happy with "just in case" and are confident that you don't need them for the moment, then talk to him about what options you have in terms of later intervention, if it's necessary.
16
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 January 2011 - 20:16
my 1st was born at 32 weeks due to severe pre eclampsia, 2nd and 3rd normal and full term.. now this one is 28 weeks and seems to be going ok so far so wondering why steriods are needed as no signs of high bp..
192
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 January 2011 - 19:22
what order were your pregnancies in? Doesn't make much sense as a question, but if you had a normal pg (no injections), then another and developed HBP and are now on your 3rd, then there is a good chance of getting HBP again, so he's playing safe. If, on the other hand, you had the injections during your 1st pg and then went on to have another 3 normal ones, then I'd suggest it may be too playing safe... BUT I am no doctor, and this is a serious matter. Discuss the exact ins and outs with your Dr. I completely understand why you want to avoid if they are unnecessary, but having been through it all before (normal and complicated), you will know the exact questions to ask and will know if /when he replies adequately.
 
 

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