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If you have preeclampsia, you may need to deliver your baby early. If you do, your doctor will advise you about the way to deliver that is best for you and your baby. There are two ways.

• You can have your baby by being given drugs that start your labor. This is called inducing labor.
• You can have your baby by having an operation. Your doctor makes a cut in your belly and in your womb, and then pulls your baby out. This is called a cesarean section.

In the United States, you are more likely to have your baby by having drugs to start your labor. This is to avoid the extra stress of having an operation.¹

If you have a cesarean section, it is better for you to have pain relief that lets you stay awake during the operation. That means having pain relief with either epidural analgesia or spinal analgesia. These block pain signals coming from your womb, but they don't put you to sleep. If you have a general anesthetic, which puts you to sleep, your blood pressure can go up even more.²

If you have your labor induced, your doctor may advise you to have pain relief with epidural analgesia. This is because labor can be more painful and stressful when it is induced. Also, having an epidural makes it easier to have a cesarean section, if you need to have one later on.

If you are being given drugs for high blood pressure or drugs to prevent seizures, you will keep having these throughout your labor and delivery. Your blood pressure and your baby's heartbeat will probably be watched all this time, too.

Most women who have had severe preeclampsia get back to normal health after they have their baby. But sometimes preeclampsia gets worse in the first day or two after delivery. So you will probably be looked after at first in a part of the hospital called an intensive care unit (ICU for short). There, your doctor can keep a close eye on you until tests show you are getting better.³

You will probably need to stay in the hospital for a few days. You may have to stay longer if you've had a cesarean section.

Your blood pressure will probably be the last thing to get back to normal. For most women, it falls in the first few days after delivery. But it can stay high for up to three months.⁴ If this happens to you, you may need to keep taking pills to lower your blood pressure after you go home. There are lots of different drugs. Some of them are safe to take while you are breast-feeding.

Your obstetrician, primary care provider or midwife should check your blood pressure regularly until it gets back to normal.

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.