Anyone had BP problems?

MegG2002 · April 2010

At the doc I was told I have pregnancy induced hypertesion...lucky me. Just wondering what anyone else that has had this problem did to help keep in under control. Did you have to go on bedrest at any point? Just not sure what to think...

SweetLamb19 · April 2010

My Dr told me to start taking my BP at home, write it down & bring it with me to my appointments. We have found that my BP really isn't that bad, it just shoots up when I am in her office. I believe it is called white coat syndrome??

MrsB*s · April 2010

I had PIH (pregnancy-induced hypertension) with DD. It started at about 28/30 weeks for me. So far I have been doing well this pregnancy.

They just monitored me for a little while. I'd have to come back more frequently, and then sometimes it would be on the high side, and other times it would be OK. Usually they were satisfied if it would go down to normal range after I lay on my left side, which helps improve circulation.

Eventually it caught up with me, though, and by 34 weeks it would pop right back up to 150ish/90ish as soon as I sat back up. I had to stop working, and go on modified bedrest where I lay on my left for 2 hours, 3 times a day (not counting at night, when I also had to be on my left). I started coming in weekly for blood work and 24-hour urine tests to make sure it wasn't becoming pre-eclampsia, which it did at 39 weeks, 4 days, and I was immediately induced. At that point it had gotten pretty severe, and fast, so I had to have magnesium sulfate immediately and for 24 hours post-delivery. Then it took about a good 3 weeks to go back to normal, but my blood pressure has been normal ever since.

I think I was really lucky I kept it under control for so long, and modified bedrest wasn't so bad... so it doesn't mean you will end up with pre-e, but it is a precursor and they will need to keep an eye. What did they tell you today when they told you that?

ShanaNChris · April 2010

I went right to pre-e and was hospitaized at 28 weeks. I think if they know it is creeping you should rest a lot on your left side, drink tons of water and take your bp at least once/day. If you don't already have one, go to Walgreens and get a cuff.

MegG2002 · April 2010

MrsB*s:

I had PIH (pregnancy-induced hypertension) with DD. It started at about 28/30 weeks for me. So far I have been doing well this pregnancy.

They just monitored me for a little while. I'd have to come back more frequently, and then sometimes it would be on the high side, and other times it would be OK. Usually they were satisfied if it would go down to normal range after I lay on my left side, which helps improve circulation.

Eventually it caught up with me, though, and by 34 weeks it would pop right back up to 150ish/90ish as soon as I sat back up. I had to stop working, and go on modified bedrest where I lay on my left for 2 hours, 3 times a day (not counting at night, when I also had to be on my left). I started coming in weekly for blood work and 24-hour urine tests to make sure it wasn't becoming pre-eclampsia, which it did at 39 weeks, 4 days, and I was immediately induced. At that point it had gotten pretty severe, and fast, so I had to have magnesium sulfate immediately and for 24 hours post-delivery. Then it took about a good 3 weeks to go back to normal, but my blood pressure has been normal ever since.

I think I was really lucky I kept it under control for so long, and modified bedrest wasn't so bad... so it doesn't mean you will end up with pre-e, but it is a precursor and they will need to keep an eye. What did they tell you today when they told you that?

He told me to rest as much as possible at work...laying on my left side when possible, "resting" as much as I can after work and on the weekends, and taking a low dose asprin everyday. I wanted some other perspectives from people that had gone through it. People at work don't seem very understanding until I tell them if it gets bad enough I could have to go on bedrest.

Thanks for letting me know your experience...it gives me a brighter look that I can keep it under control until the end!

MrsB*s · April 2010

MegG2002:
MrsB*s:

I had PIH (pregnancy-induced hypertension) with DD. It started at about 28/30 weeks for me. So far I have been doing well this pregnancy.
They just monitored me for a little while. I'd have to come back more frequently, and then sometimes it would be on the high side, and other times it would be OK. Usually they were satisfied if it would go down to normal range after I lay on my left side, which helps improve circulation.
Eventually it caught up with me, though, and by 34 weeks it would pop right back up to 150ish/90ish as soon as I sat back up. I had to stop working, and go on modified bedrest where I lay on my left for 2 hours, 3 times a day (not counting at night, when I also had to be on my left). I started coming in weekly for blood work and 24-hour urine tests to make sure it wasn't becoming pre-eclampsia, which it did at 39 weeks, 4 days, and I was immediately induced. At that point it had gotten pretty severe, and fast, so I had to have magnesium sulfate immediately and for 24 hours post-delivery. Then it took about a good 3 weeks to go back to normal, but my blood pressure has been normal ever since.
I think I was really lucky I kept it under control for so long, and modified bedrest wasn't so bad... so it doesn't mean you will end up with pre-e, but it is a precursor and they will need to keep an eye. What did they tell you today when they told you that?
He told me to rest as much as possible at work...laying on my left side when possible, "resting" as much as I can after work and on the weekends, and taking a low dose asprin everyday. I wanted some other perspectives from people that had gone through it. People at work don't seem very understanding until I tell them if it gets bad enough I could have to go on bedrest.
Thanks for letting me know your experience...it gives me a brighter look that I can keep it under control until the end!

I would definitely start resting on your left as much as you can. You may find that they start taking your blood pressure at the doctor after having you rest on your left for a little bit. For me at least, if they could get it normal on my left, they were happy. When it stopped getting better even on my left, that's when they worried. But I definitely had to stop working at some point... I think the stress wasn't helping, and it just wasn't reasonable to be on my left side or resting as much as I needed to be. I, too, kept explaining to work that I might have to go out on bedrest (which did happen), but it helped to keep them posted and set expectations.

Oh, and I did get a blood pressure cuff, too, and pp is right, you should get one. It helped me gauge how I was doing in between appointments, and also reminded me to get back to resting when I was pushing it.

Also, you will probably find that if you make it to the end, they won't let you go past your due date with PIH. By 37 weeks they were ready to induce me if my urine or blood work came back abnormal... and though I nearly made it to my due date before it all went bad, they had told me that they weren't going to keep pushing their luck beyond that date and I would have been induced regardless within a few days of when I was.

Kate&Dru · April 2010

My BP has always been slightly elevated, but since I got pregnant it has been high. At 7w my BP was 140/80, at 9w it was 145/80, at 12w it was 151/90, and at 15w it was 156/96. At 12w I had to do a 24 hour urine test to create a baseline for future reference. At my 15w appointment my doctor decided to put me on a low dose med to keep my BP under control. At this point I dont think she seems overally concerned, but maybe she doesn't want to scare me. I really hope I dont end up like some of the previous posts. I will say that I do feel better since I have been on the meds. GL and I hope you and your doctor get ahold of it quickly.

driveshorses · April 2010

I had PIH that turned into severe pre-e. We've been keeping an eye on my BP because I have a family history of hypertension. Low sodium diet, a lot of water. I keep a log of my BP to keep track of it and how its doing. Luckily it's been below normal but I'm creeping up on the time frame where I got pre-e last time so we want to be one-up on it if it happens again.

JJ1973 · April 2010

At my last OB visit, the doctor seemed concerned about my bp - it was only 121/90, which I thought was pretty good...but she seemed concerned. I had high blood pressure prior to pregnancy (borderline) and then it went really down when I got pregnant (always normal, until this last visit). I guess I'll have to watch it, as it sounds like it can creep up pretty quickly. Ugh.

starrkitten89 · April 2010

I had a really bad,stressful day today and when I went to the doctors,my bp was 150/80.Last visit it was 131/80(at 12w1d that time).They think I have white coat syndrome(I'm diabetic and my doctor sometimes flips if I have one high reading in a whole week and i'm always nervous about getting yelled at and crying-thinking of finding another doctor).They said if it continues to elevate they will have me get a cuff and check it at home when i'm more relaxed.GL to you!

HorseyMama08 · April 2010

The biggest thing to watch is your diastolic pressure, which is the bottom number for the reading. This is the pressure of your blood returning to your heart and is not affected by stress or activity.

When I was preg with DS my diastolic was 90 and even though my Systolic wasn't very high she was very concerned. I was put on limited activity, and was seen every week from 30 weeks until I was induced at 39 weeks when my Diastolic went to almost 100.

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