Blood Pressure, 38 Weeks, Help!

[ChelseaTCT]

Hi everyone, I've had a great pregnancy and am getting ready for my homebirth. I am just about 38 weeks and haven't had any problems up until now. My blood pressure is usually on the low side and the other day it measured 132/85 and was about the same today. I'm going for bloodwork on Monday and my midwife doesn't seem too concerned. I've also gained 12lb in the last two weeks (I think from retaining water) and have had swelling in my ankles and feet. Reflexes and vision are fine. No protein in the urine. I'm just worrying since this is the first problem I've had so far and am petrified I'm going to end up in the hospital with pre-e. I'm trying to relax since I totally trust my midwife and she didn't seem overly concerned, just wanted to be careful. Please let me know some of you had similar problems that turned out to be nothing (or something so I'm prepared...)! Thank you!!

[bramblevine]

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[Okapi]

Definitely relax. I had the same thing, my MW told me to drink tons & tons of water & up my protein intake & eat lots of pineapple & watermelon. The fact that your protein levels are low is very good. Rest with your feet up as often as possible (also, lying on your left side can help). My MW told me that, in her experience, those steps most of the time bring things back down, or at least keep them from getting worse.

That being said, I did end up w/ (severe) pre-e, but she said I was the first case of it she'd seen in 10 years. Also, mine happened earlier (started around 33 weeks), so everything that was really bad about it happened b/c it aged my placenta and affected DD's growth. I can be more specific if you like, but really, it doesn't sound like you will be in that position. At 38 weeks, your baby probably already has some of the reserves that DD never got. :

ETA: When it got bad, my blood pressure was climbing crazy amounts within a couple days, so the fact that it not changing much (even though it's high), is another thing to be positive about!

[Lily's_Mom]

Originally Posted by ChelseaTCT

I am just about 38 weeks and haven't had any problems up until now. My blood pressure is usually on the low side and the other day it measured 132/85 and was about the same today. I'm going for bloodwork on Monday and my midwife doesn't seem too concerned. I've also gained 12lb in the last two weeks (I think from retaining water) and have had swelling in my ankles and feet. Reflexes and vision are fine. No protein in the urine.

My bp was around the same (130/85) for the last two months of my first pregnancy. I did have somewhat low blood pressure before getting pregnant, so it was high bp for me. Anyways, sounds like your midwife is on the right track. The bloodwork will show if your liver/kidneys are doing okay (I think that's what they look for). I had to do the 24 hour urine catch a few times to check for protein, so you might end up doing that too. It's not too fun (collecting all your pee in a cup and dumping it in this big orange canister!) but not a huge hassle. Swollen ankles are quite common in late pregnancy too.

As for water retention, a good thing to do is drink plenty of water...I know, sounds counterintuitive but the more water you drink, the more your body will work to flush excess water out. Swimming is also great, since the pressure of the water on your body pushes water out of your tissues and your system can then process and excrete it. I remember getting out of the pool every 15 minutes to go pee when I would go swimming pregnant!

I went 2 weeks overdue with my dd and ended up going to the hospital, because I had a consult with an OB who freaked me out and basically said my dd and I were going to die if I didn't deliver that day (a week before she was actually born). So I felt safer being in the hospital (since I was going to start seizing at any moment ), but in retrospect, we could have had our homebirth, probably could have had a UC. It all worked out fine, I wish I hadn't worried so much!

Just relax and enjoy these last few weeks before your little babe is on the outside!

[dogmom327]

With no protein in your urine, things are likely fine (and the blood work will confirm it). I had a similar experience while pregnant with DS. Try best you can to relax, take short walks but stay off your feet as much as you can. Eat a ton of protein (like at least 100 grams a day and it might be worth going to 125 or 150), drink lots and lots of water (you'll need it to digest the extra protein). Most of all, try not to worry about it. You're in the home stretch.

[Gnatty]

I had some high blood pressure issues near the end of my last pregnancy. My midwife recommended that I rest a few times daily on my side for 15 minutes, eat plenty of cucumbers, and take evening primrose oil capsules.

Thankfully, this pregnancy my blood pressure has been just fine. My blood sugar, on the other hand...

Anyway, you're really close so I bet this won't cause you any problems! Hope all goes smoothly!

[Writingmom]

do not mess with pre-eclampsia

both you and your baby can become seriously ill. do not blow it off, mama. this can be a very serious problem. why risk your health and your child's?

[amymaew]

Originally Posted by Writingmom

both you and your baby can become seriously ill. do not blow it off, mama. this can be a very serious problem. why risk your health and your child's?

high blood pressure is a symptom of pre-e, but it is not a definite diagnosis. Her mw is running tests to determine if she just has higher bp or pre-e, so it doesn't appear that she's blowing it off.

[ChelseaTCT]

Originally Posted by Writingmom

both you and your baby can become seriously ill. do not blow it off, mama. this can be a very serious problem. why risk your health and your child's?

Oh I'm certainly NOT blowing it off. Just looking for reassurance that it may not be pre-e, which so far it doesn't appear to be.

Thank you all for your encouraging words and cautious warnings. I am STILL waiting for my blood test results- I am not very happy with the lab at the moment, hopefully I'll have them by Monday. My blood pressure has been fluctuating but hasn't gone any higher and is pretty much down to 118/80. Still no protein in my urine at all and the midwife isn't very worried. I'll feel better when I finally get the results for the blood work but things are looking ok so far! Just keeping a careful watchful eye on it at the moment!