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Warning Signs of Postpartum Preeclampsia

What can happen with postpartum preeclampsia? Postpartum preeclampsia can become worse very quickly but can be avoided if treated early. Complications include:

• Seizures • Stroke • Death

• Heart disease • Blood clots • Difficulty breathing

What should I do? • Watch out for these signs and symptoms — contact your health care provider immediately if you experience any of them. • If you can’t reach your provider, have someone take you to the nearest emergency room. Be sure to tell them that you just had a baby. • Take any medications that your health care provider ordered for you at home. • Check with your health care provider before you take any herbal supplements or over-the-counter drugs. • Ask for a referral to a maternal heart specialist. • Know your blood pressure numbers. • Check your blood pressure at the same time each day if your health care provider orders you to do so. • Avoid alcohol. • Keep all your follow-up appointments.

Contact your health care provider if you have any of these signs or symptoms: • Trouble breathing • Shortness of breath • Needing to sleep on several pillows at night or in an upright position • Headache that does not get better with medicine • Changes in your eyesight — blurriness, spots, etc. • Pain under your ribs • Pain in your stomach area • Throwing up or feeling sick to your stomach • Rapidly increasing swelling • Feeling that “Something is not right” or of “impending doom”

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A New Beginning