Gestational Hypertension and IUGR- advise

mphillips2

I'm working hard at staying positive but I keep having negative news come as soon as I get used to the previous batch. I'm currently 28 weeks and 3 day.

It all starts with the fact that I have uterine didelphis (two uteri, two cervixes, etc.) it puts me at risk for preterm labor, and a restricted growth for baby. I knew this from the beginning. I struggled some to get my OB on the same page as me about monitoring me but that was behind us.

Then at 20 weeks I had to go to the ER because my blood pressure spiked and was 157/105. They monitored me but then sent me home. I am now on blood pressure medication with gestational hypertension.

At this point they sent me to a doctor of Fetal and Maternal Medicine. He told us that he was very concerned that at some point I will develop PreEclmpsia because of my blood pressure. He wants me to have a test where I wear a belt to check fetal movements and heart rate once a week from 28 weeks on. He is also concerned that because of the space restriction and blood pressure that the baby will be small. He wants an ultrasound done every four weeks to check her growth. He then proceeded to tell me because of the risks he didn't want me to go past 38 weeks so if I can make it that far they will take her, but he didn't see me making it that far. He seemed to think I will be looking at 32-38 weeks. He wanted me and my Ob to heavily monitor for preterm labor and for PreEclampsia. This whole trip was a shock and when I saw my Ob a couple of weeks ago she went over everything again. It has taken a while but I've gotten use to the fact that we are just going to keep her in there growing as long as she can

Yesterday, I had to go back to FMM to finish my level 2 ultrasound (they couldn't get all the pictures the first time). I thought it was weird but the nurse said she was going to go look to see if she got everything after the ultrasound and it took her like 20 minutes.. She came back with the doctor who said we have IUGR which can just mean that the baby is genetically small but he is concerned that isn't the case because when they did the Doppler on the embilical cord the diastole ( when baby's heart is at rest) blood flow was very low. They now want me to go weekly for an ultrasound to check the blood flow because if it gets too low they will do a steroid blast and take her by c section. I'm kind of in a state of shock. I am 28 weeks 3 days, and wondering if anyone else is going through or has gone through this too. He also told me to monitor movements very closely and to call if there is any change and in the moment I didn't think to ask when it's a problem (30min with no movement etc) I have no idea what to expect and would love to hear from people with similar experiences.

Annieb813

Im sorry you are having to deal with all of this! I don't have experience with IUGR but I do have tons of experience with gestational hypertension. I was sent to the hospital now three times for blood pressure spikes but every time I was sent home. The first time I got a lovely dose of magnesium and also received the steroids which both of these things were not so fun. I was also told I would not be going to full term and would only go to 37 weeks as it is safest for myself and baby. Although I never was diagnosed with IUGR my baby did drop from 42nd percentile to 15th which is borderline. My recommendation for you is to rest rest rest. Try to spend as much time as you can at home laying down on your left side, also try to eat lots of protein and drink lots of water, I know sounds super exciting. The Nst tests and Bpp ultrasounds are all normal and are just done to make sure baby is doing ok, I went through a period of time when I had those each weekly. If I were you I would expect to do some 24 hour urine catches to monitor for pre-eclampsia. I monitor my blood pressure at home daily which was recommended by my maternal fetal medicine specialist and I get once a week bpp ultrasounds to check fluids and make sure baby is doing ok. Although it seems like a lot, taking it one day at a time is what helps me the most. Each day I get to keep baby inside is a huge blessing. Sorry for the long post but I definitely feel for you!

mphillips2

Thank you for sharing your story. I hope things continue to go well for you!