Gestational hypertension

catem07 · February 2017

Anyone have experience with this? At my last few appointments my BP has been creeping up (130/? last week, 133/77 this week) but there's no protein in my urine and I'm not swelling much at all (even for a "healthy" pregnant woman). My doctor said I might develop gestational hypertension as opposed to pre-eclampsia.

Mama5181 · February 2017

I developed it with DD1. I believe they called it PIH(pregnancy induced hypertension) I typically have very low bp. But around 34 weeks with her it shot up, 150ish/90ish. I never developed pre e but had to do multiple 24 hour urine collections to monitor me. Eventually that's why I was induced at 38.5 weeks as it just crept up more and more. I was put on bedrest for the last few weeks. Hopefully yours stays in the lower range and you have smooth sailing.

mcvgal · February 2017

Lurking from May17, I had pre-eclampsia with DS1 (born at 30 weeks), and then just Gestational Hypertension with DS2. Because of my history, they had me monitoring my blood pressure daily beginning at 20weeks. I am so glad I did, because at 34 weeks my b/p started creeping up 130/80ish but then at 35 weeks it hit 140/88 2 days in row followed by 145/88 on the weekend. I called and since I was feeling fine they had me wait (my decision) until the next day since I already had my 36 wk appointment scheduled. At my appointment my b/p was 152/90. They admitted me right away and b/p stabilized while I was resting. At that point I had just a trace of proteins, not enough for preeclampsia. They scheduled my RCS for the following day (given my previous history) and how quickly PIH advanced to Pre-E.

Did they suggest you monitor your B/P at home? My sister in law also had gestational hypertension but was always able to stabilize it with rest, water, and keeping feet elevated. In her case, she ended up being induced on her due date because her b/p was creeping up and there was no reason to wait anymore.

catem07 · February 2017

@mama5181 thank you
@mcvgal No home monitoring yet, but I'm going in to the doctor every week now. I would imagine that if I hit 140 they might start me on home monitoring and urine collection.

SnarkasaurusRex · February 2017

My story is similar to @Mama5181...I had PIH that never progressed to pre-e. I also had to do a couple of the 24 hour urine samples to monitor things and was eventually induced (at 39+3). Pre-pregnancy I typically have very low blood pressure (to the point where it's almost a problem), and it just kept creeping up. I also experienced ocular migraines (basically, lots of flashes in my vision for 5 - 30 minutes, followed by a nasty headache) with most of my high blood pressure episodes. My OB had me monitoring my BP at home, and if I wasn't able to stabilize it by resting I was supposed to go to L&D. So far, it's stayed pretty low this time, but it didn't become an issue until I was about 34-35 weeks last time.

To echo PP, do they want you to monitor your BP at home?

MrsCaliRN · February 2017

Lurking from June '17.

I had gestational HTN (aka PIH) diagnosed at 26 weeks with DS. My BP got up to 163/111. It was discovered at a midwife appointment, so off to the ER I went. They ended up admitting me and giving me nifedipine (a antihypertensive that also reduces liklihood of preterm labor) and a shot of betamethasone (a steroid to increase lung growth in the fetus just in case I went into preterm labor). While in the hospital, they had me start a 24-hr urine collection to rule out protein in my urine (a sign of pre-eclampsia). After discharge, I had to do once weekly NSTs and twice daily BP checks until DS was born at 38weeks4days (full term).

My BP went back to normal by itself after I gave birth so it was true gestational HTN and not chronic HTN which runs in my family. The major thing is keeping an eye on your BP and reporting any symptoms of pre-eclampsia such as vision chanes, really bad nausea, headaches or really bad swelling that doesn't go down with elevation. It becomes full-blowm eclampsia if you have a seizure, at which point you'll more than likely be induced.

Btw, your BP doesn't sound terrible at this point though it's great that you're paying attention to how it's trending. Best of luck that it stays in a healthy range!

Nolegirl1185 · February 2017

I have PIH. I also have anxiety that I take medication for daily. I have get pretty bad white coat syndrome so from the very start of my appointments (10 weeks) I was told to monitor my BP at home twice a day. My readings in office were elevate during but not too bad, like 130/70. At home they were always 118/62, 114/71 etc. As pregnancy has progressed my BP has gone up a little. But at 28 weeks they started going up and staying consistently around 140/85ish. I was started on Labetalol 100 mg twice a day. Now at 33 weeks my BP is a lot higher 150's/90's with some even higher like 166/106. My meds were upped from 100 mg to 200 mg twice a day. I now have twice a week BPP's. (originally NST's but I had my first one today and little man was uncooperative so they did a BPP instead. That's what they are going to just continue to do now.) Even with my 200 mg's, my BP is mostly still high and does go down when I rest and lay on my side. However the problem is that laying down on my side is not real life all day. I was told I most likely will not make it to 40 weeks because of the BP and that there's no way I'll be working until birth. No dates as of now. I've had my urine checked many times and so far I do morning have pre e. But I'm being watched closely as it can turn into that so quickly. That's my long ass story as of yet.

catem07 · February 2017

My friend just lent me her home BP monitor. I'm going to bring it to my appointment on Friday so she can see if the cuff is the right size and show me how to use it right.

BecNJake · February 2017

Very glad I saw this thread. I usually have very low BP, even during pregnancy with my first. My BP was really high for me (135/75 ish) during my last prenatal appt and they said we should keep an eye on it. I have had some vision concerns today and just feel like something's off. My at-home BP cuff had me around 130/75 again today. (I know that's not too high, but im not sure how accurate my old wrist cuff is, and that is way higher than my typical resting BP). Will definitely be reporting to my midwives. Thank you guys for sharing your experiences, especially @SnarkasaurusRex, your experience seems a lot like what I'm experiencing. Can never be too safe with these things!

catem07 · February 2017

@becnjake at your next appt bring your home monitor in and see if they can calibrate it.

Gestational hypertension

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