Pre-eclampsia usually goes away after birth. However, if you have severe pre-eclampsia, complications may still occur within the first few days and so you will continue to be monitored closely. You may need to continue taking medication to lower your blood pressure.
If your baby has been born early or is smaller than expected, he or she may need to be monitored. There is no reason why you should not breastfeed should you wish to do so.
You may need to stay in hospital for several days. When you go home, you will be advised on how often to get your blood pressure checked and for how long to take your medication. You should have a follow-up with your GP six to eight weeks after birth for a final blood pressure and urine check.
If you had severe pre-eclampsia or eclampsia, you should have a postnatal appointment with your obstetrician to discuss the condition and what happened. If you are still on medication to treat your blood pressure six weeks after the birth, or there is still protein in your urine on testing, you may be referred to a specialist.
15 in every 100 women who have had pre-eclampsia will get it again in a future pregnancy.
Of those women who had severe pre-eclampsia, or eclampsia:
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50 in every 100 women will get pre-eclampsia in a future pregnancy if their baby needed to be born before 28 weeks of pregnancy.
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25 in every 100 women will get pre-eclampsia in a future pregnancy if their baby needed to be born before 34 weeks of pregnancy.
You should be given information about the chance, in your individual situation, of getting pre-eclampsia in a future pregnancy and about any additional care that you may need. It is advisable to contact your midwife as early as possible once you know you are pregnant again