Hypertension/Pre-e Check in for April

Austenista

A place to share about high bp and that pesky pre-e stuff that derails the best made birth plans.  



1. Current Stats?
2. History of High BP/Pre-E? 
3. Current steps you're taking? 
4. Questions? 
5. How does this impact your birth plan? 

LaceyBee522

Oh, look! Ask and ye shall receive.

1. Current Stats?
BP is high on my at-home monitoring. However, met with a hypertension specialist today and she said my BP looks okay. She's calling it "chronic hypertension" and doesn't think it is necessarily related to pre-eclampsia right now. 

2. History of High BP/Pre-E? 
FTM, no history of high BP

3. Current steps you're taking? 
Just at-home monitoring right now. 

4. Questions? 
Not right now.

5. How does this impact your birth plan? 
No impact right now. However, they did a culture while I was in for monitoring over the weekend that came back positive for possible early labor. It is only 50 to 60% accurate when positive, but if accurate it says you'll likely deliver in the next two weeks. Don't love that, but not too concerned given the accuracy. 

Austenista

1. Current Stats? Elevated (Gestational Hypertension), instructed to keep an eye on it. 

2. History of High BP/Pre-E? I had pre-e with DS, delivered at 37 weeks via induction. 

3. Current steps you're taking? Currently taking bp meds three times a day, two baby aspirin at night. Regularly checking my bp at home. 

4. Questions? Not right now. 

5. How does this impact your birth plan? Eh, this time it just inhibits my willingness to have a birth plan at all, tbh. I would love to know what it’s like to go into labor naturally and not be induced like before, but I can’t get all wound up about something I can’t control. I’m just psyching myself up to ride this wave where it will take me this time. 

aharv77

1. Current Stats? Gestational Hypertension.
2. History of High BP/Pre-E? Not outside of pregnancy. I had high BP the last few weeks of pregnancy with DD and was induced at 39w. 
3. Current steps you're taking? I’ve been taking baby aspirin since 13w. Also monitoring my BP at home. I start with weekly labs next week and weekly BPP’s the week of 4/23.
4. Questions? None right now.
5. How does this impact your birth plan? Well, I’m hoping just to get to 37w which is just 6 weeks away. Even though that’s just 3 weeks earlier than my due date, it seems like significantly less time to finish preparing for this little babe! Also, I’m preparing for an induction but a little disappointed that I won’t know what it feels like for my body to go into labor without the help of meds since this is our last if we do have go the induction route. But I had a successful, non-traumatizing induction the first time around so I’m hoping if I do have to be induced, it goes as smoothly as it did with DD.

Thanks for getting this started @Austenista

amys614

1. Current Stats? Have been on a beta blocker for years and have kept same dose since pregnant. BP is fine at home, but always elevated at doctor. Body is very responsive to situations, movements etc. Was sent to L&D after my appointment 2 weeks ago since my diastolic was over 100. BP measurements were great after resting. Labs were normal. Due to medical history, start weekly NST next month. 
2. History of High BP/Pre-E? FTM. History of SVT. Heart rate without medication could easily jump into the 150s for no reason which then elevated my BP. 
3. Current steps you're taking? Trying to "take it easy and eliminate stress" as they say. Mostly just trying to not get myself psyched out. Next appointment is tomorrow and now I'm nervous about it being high in the doctors office. Again. 
4. Questions? Not yet
5. How does this impact your birth plan? I am hesitant to even have a plan besides healthy baby and healthy me since my body is always so unpredictable. I am really fine with anything. Just hoping we can make it to a week where he is fully developed without issues.  

mytinc

1. Current Stats?  I've only had one high reading this pregnany during appointments, and that was near the end of first tri.

2. History of High BP/Pre-E? 

With DS1 I went in for a standard weekly appointment.  My BP was high and stayed that way for the next hour.  I was sent to triage and the on call doctor decided to induce (I was already 3 cm).  I gave birth to him the next day (exactly 38 weeks).  They never officially said pre-e and as far as I know there wasn't any protein in my urine.

With DS2, I was keeping an eye out for higher blood pressure after my experience with DS1.  I had my mom's home cuff to self-monitor.  I had a few random readings that would drop back down rather quickly (this started around week 32 I think).  At 36 weeks, 5 days I had two hours of high readings (150/95) and I went to triage.  They admitted me to the hospital and had me to a 24 urine catch, which showed moderate pre-e.  I stayed in patient to be monitored for the next few days as they wanted DS2 to stay in as long as possible (knowing he had to have surgery shortly after birth, they wanted him to grow as big as possible).  I was induced and he was born at 37 weeks, 3 days.

3. Current steps you're taking?  Just borrowed my mom's blood pressure cuff to self monitor again now that I'm 30 weeks.  That's about it.

4. Questions? 
Nope.

5. How does this impact your birth plan?  I'm figuring mid-May for being induced again.  I'm sad that I don't know what it's like to go into labor on my own, but the inductions weren't bad.

amys614

Well I went for my appointment today. My first reading on the stupid automatic thing like 2.5 seconds after sitting down was 140/91. So this prompted looking into my past readings, looking at the labs from 2 weeks ago when I was in triage, talking about symptoms to watch for (again). Long story short, at the end of my appointment, I was at 120/84 with a manual reading so I got to go home this time. She still wants me to start taking it everyday at home and call if I get any reading higher than 140/90.  She said to wait and see what MFM says tomorrow at my growth scan to see if they want me to be seen more frequently. She said it's probably just white coat syndrome but still the fact that last time I shot up to 141/101  makes them want to monitor me for gestational HTN and/or pre-e. All the pre-e labs I had last week that were normal will be repeated again at 35 weeks regardless of how my numbers look. 

Tmoreno3

1. Current Stats? Gestational Hypertension 
2. History of High BP/Pre-E? I had high blood pressure when I was younger but it went away after a few years, I would occasionally have a high BP here and there but never need to be medicated for it till I got pregnant with my first daughter. After she was born it went away and no more meds. Never progressed to Pre-E. 
3. Current steps you're taking? I started once a day baby aspirin before conception as part of my fertility med regiment and current doctor keep me on it, I started twice a day 100mg Labetalol at 7 weeks. 
4. Questions? None
5. How does this impact your birth plan? Talking to doctor tomorrow but more than likely I will have to be induced again at 39 weeks. I'm not looking forward to it since last time I ended up with an emergency section and lost 1.5 litters of blood. 

starla487

1) I’m at risk for Pre-E and high BP, but everything has been good so far.
2) My BP crept up in the last few weeks of DD’s pregnancy, so they pulled me out of work 3 weeks sooner than I had planned. I’m planning to leave work around the same time.
3) I’ve been on baby aspirin since week 12.
4) None.
5) I’m having a RCS, so there isn’t really an issue.

mytinc

Had an OB appointment yesterday.  I let my doctor know that I've been self monitoring and my usually good blood pressure (121/70) is now hanging out around 140/82 range.  So far she's comfortable with those numbers, but also happy that I'm keeping an eye out for changes.