2nd birth--likely to have HBP again???

[oregon2010]

Hi mamas.  This is my first post.  Although I frequent this site often.  I love it! I have a 10 month old daughter and still find myself thinking of her birth and I realize I am still mourning.  I live in Oregon and had three lovely midwives with the plan to birth at a beautiful birthing center. 

I had pretty intense morning sickness through week 14, was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes at 28 weeks (which I failed by one point and I really question the diagnosis and condition in general).  I controlled it through diet and exercise, although I did not have to change my diet much at all.  At 36 weeks, I had high blood pressure that never went away even after bed rest, acupuncture and every other recommendation you can imagine.  At 38 weeks, I found out my daughter had not grown and I was induced--birth plan changed to a hospital birth and I ended up with a c-section, my worst nightmare.  Even though I have a beautiful daughter, I still think of my experience and I now feel like I am not empowered for my next birth and I wish more than anything to have a VBAC, not at a hospital.  BTW, my daughter was 5pds12ounces.  I will not be taking the GD test next time!

SO....my question is:  has anyone experienced this and had a successful birth after? AND is there anything I can do to prepare my body for baby #2? Any suggestions or stories are much appreciated!!

Thank you!!!

[oregon2010]

Maybe I posted in the wrong section?  If so, please let me know!

[oregon2010]

Sorry.  I should add that I did NOT have pre-eclampsia.  I just had hypertension.  I did the 24 hour urine test and everything normal....

[mschrein22]

Hey Oregon,

I joined just to respond to you, because I am in the same situation.  I can only tell you anecdotes, though.  With my first child, my BP shot up right around 32 weeks.  I spent a few weeks getting it back down, but it shot up again at 36 weeks.  At 38, I was diagnosed w/ pre-e and induced. 

I would say the biggest differences in our situations are GD and c/s.  But the c/s is unrelated to the HBP, so that difference is moot.  I don't know about the GD.

Now I am pregnant with my second and I have had a lot of anxiety about pre-e again.  My docs have been more than reassuring.  One of them told me that statistically, there's a 10% chance of repeating HBP.  ("So are you an optimist or a pessimist?" he asked.)

He said that in his experience, women who developed the HBP later in the pregnancy tended not to repeat the complication again.  And that the earlier the HBP, the more likely [it seemed to him] that the woman would repeat.  Like I said, this was his anecdotal note to me.

Obviously there are no guarantees in life, but I hope this makes you feel better.  Hearing it certainly eased a lot of my anxiety about my second L&D.

[oregon2010]

I never thanked you for responding: so thank you! I appreciate it!

[aries girl]

Hello, I don't have any other information for you but I wanted to post to say that I had the same (almost) experience.  Bad morning sickness that lasted for 9 months, developed HBP at around 36 weeks (but no pre-e), 3 days after my son was due had an ultrasound and found that he had not grown for the past 7 weeks or so.  they actually think that he had lost weight, so I ended up having a (very traumatic) C section and my son was 5 lbs 3 oz. i did also end up having a post partum anxiety disorder that was also very traumatic. That was 4.5 years ago and I still havent' felt ready to try again :(  I also wonder how to avoid the HBP if I decide to have a second child?  Hopefully others will share some helpful information and hopeful experiences! Good luck with your healing, it is a process :)