High BP? What's your birth plan?

Craftymom13 · August 2013

I am asking because I have chronic high blood pressure (its controlled now), and during my first pregnancy I felt like I had no choice but to be induced and have a c-section and that pretty much my chance of having a vaginal birth was slim to none.

This pregnancy I have had time to adjust to living with high bp and my meds now keep it under control. I am starting to feel that maybe I have a better chance of having a vaginal birth, maybe even without any interventions. (which if I lived in a perfect world would be my goal) My doctor now also seems to be a lot more optomistic and even brought up having a VBAC. But through all this I still feel that I am doomed to have another c-section

What is your plan for delivery? C-section? Induced early? Natural? How is your doctor making you feel about how its going to go?

Throw3ks · August 2013

No experience with high BP but with my current situation I have reliezed my birth plan is out the window and what happens happens. Goodluck to you and your LO!!

ilovetolaugh · August 2013

I have random high bp. Enough so to keep me on mod bed rest until baby comes.

My birth-plan: epi and push kid out as safely as possible.
My birth-plan with high bp: get kid out as safely as possible.

MrsBiggs2Be · August 2013

I lurk a lot, but I just wanted to chime in. I have had gestational hypertension since I was about 28 weeks and have had to visit triage three times due to high BP but there has never been any signs of pre-e. I have gone through medicine increases 3 or 4 times because the dosage would help keep my BP stable for a while but then it would eventually creep back up again and the doctor would increase it. As of right now (37+1), I am on 300 mg of labetolol 3 times a day and that is just barely keeping my BP in the decent range.

Therefore, I am getting induced tomorrow evening. The recommendations for those with hypertension is delivery between 37 and 38 6/7 weeks instead of the once recommended 39 weeks. The doctors have been pretty clear that they I will have a vaginal delivery unless, of course, the baby or my body has other plans -just like any "normal" pregnancy- and then I will get a C-section.

I don't want to scare you but it looks like you are still pretty early along so your BP will naturally be lower right now. There is a chance that it will increase in the middle/end of your 2nd trimester, so just be prepared to have to go with the flow and not really have a set plan. There is a good chance you could be induced, but depending on your situation, you could also have a VBAC.

Good luck!

Craftymom13 · August 2013

Your not scaring me. I've been through this before with my first pregnancy. (THAT was scary) I have chronic high blood pressure that is always high even when i am not pregnant. (well high if i'm not on meds). With my first pregnancy it was never under control and stayed at a consistant high even when I was further along, and even on meds. I never had that "natural low" early on. Which is why I have more hope for this pregnancy. It's going 100x better than my first. By this time last pregnacy I had already had to quit my job and was put on bed rest.

But anyways, I'm not exactly "planning" on anything. If I learned anything from my first pregnancy it is that anything can happen. However, I DO want to have some hope. Which I didn't have with my first. I went into that induction with the mindset that women with high BP didn't get to deliver vaginally. I have since learned that I was way wrong. Which is what brought me here.

amy11401 · August 2013

I am watching this post. I am a FTM but I have had high blood pressure since before pregnancy. (It was high early on during pregnancy but got under control after about a month.) It is controlled with medicine. My doctor has not mentioned having to go early etc. I will ask her about this at my next appt.

dlphndoc · August 2013

I have gestational hypertension. I had it with my son as well. With his birth, I ended up having pre-e and an urgent c-section. With this one, the plan has always been that as long as my BP is under control and there are no other risk factors, I will labor and deliver vaginally. My doctor will not induce for a VBAC.