baby won't come out, bp issues

[Godiva]

hey, I'm looking for some advice from some UCers here. I've been planning a UC for my first baby and we wern't too sure of the due date, it would have been sometime between Oct 11th (the most likely date) to the 25th (I couldn't be due any later than this or I would have never gotten a positive pregnancy test when I did) So any way you look at it, I'm overdue, by how much I don't really know. I don't really have a problem with her being overdue except for the fact that a few days ago when I checked my bp it was severely high (stage 3 hypertension). I've also been extremely swollen mostly in my feet and calves (my calves are the same size as my thighs!!) and now my hands are starting to swell quite a bit as well. I've been seeing spots and have been having pretty severe headaches for the past few weeks. I know without having to check for protein that this all together means that I most likely have pre-e. (I'm at pretty high risk for it since I'm a first time mom, I'm 19 and have had kidney problems in the past) This has all developed in the last week. Before this bp was very normal, no swelling at all, basically just very healthy. Now my bp has dropped to less severe levels and has actually been ranging quite drastically between very low and pretty high (I haven't gotten a second reading as high as the first time it's spiked though). I know that this baby has to come out soon, we're both at too much risk, but how long is too long to wait for her to come on her own? I've tried everything, castor oil, cohosh, walking, sex, spicy foods, chiropractor, accupuncture....She's still in there. I know she's still doing well, quite active and strong fetal tones. Yesterday I had accupunture and started having contractions from about 11am til 1am, but I went to bed and I woke up and they were gone. Hubby and I can get some good contractions going by using accupressure on the points where the needles were, but we can't really get them to keep comming on their own with increasing frequency/strength. We're gonna keep trying to get her out on our own, but I'm getting concerned about my condition. Should I go to the hospital to be induced? That is the LAST thing that I want, but even more so, I don't want anything bad to happen to my baby or myself. I keep saying, wait just one more day, she'll come out, but what if I wait one day too long? I'm willing to wait as long as it takes for her to come out on her own as long as it's safe for the both of us, but at what point now is it unsafe? Any advice would be much appreciated. I keep hoping I'll just go into labor and I won't have to decide anymore.

[Dreaming]

Can you call a local homebirth MW or two and ask them what they think?
My MW was a UC supporter.
I'm sorry that I'm of no help otherwise. I'm quite sure I wouldn't feel comfortable without some sort of medical assistance with your symptoms BUT
I'm not you and YOU are the one who needs to decide what is the best thing for you and your baby.

Good luck. I hope you get answers soon (try the MW forum here maybe).

[Godiva]

I would have been getting prenatal care from a midwife, but she quit early in my pregnancy and there are none to be found here other than ones who work in a hospital. My state charges midwives with practicing medicine without a license and anything else they can find to charge them with even though it's technically not illegal for them to practice here. That's somewhat how I ended up UC.

[calicokatt]

You need to have your protein levels tested IMMEDIATELY. The symptoms you have described sound like classic pre-eclampsia. I feel that you are playing with fire by not having a 24 hour urine test done so youi know where you stand. If you have pre-e and don't deliver the baby soon, your blood pressure will continue to rise, and you will begin to seize. PLEASE, PLEASE don't play around with this! I have had pre-e 3 times, and it is not something that gets better or goes away. If you are havung visual disturbances, you are in bad shape. Pre-e can worsen VERY suddenly, and blood pressures can fluctuate rapidly. Please pm me if you have any more questions.

[calicokatt]

Also, the longer you wait, the more likely you will be to end up with an emergency c-section. If you go in while you are still stable enough to be induced, at least you will still be able to(hopefully) have a vaginal delivery, although not quite like you planned.

[yvonnemlv]

This website may be helpful for you in case the contractions starting and stopping is due to baby trying to get in an optimal birthing position.

http://www.spinningbabies.com/Labor.html

[mamabutterfly]

Have you tried pm'ing pamamidwife or mwherbs or another midwife around here? I'm w/the previous poster that all those symptoms together sound very concerning. I think I would be seen to immediately in your shoes. Bummer that your area doesn't have more MWs...

Hope you're okay mama.

[Godiva]

I have a bp monitor at home so I check it every 1/2 hour to hour and if it spikes as high as it did the first time I'd defiantly at that point go in, but as of right now, it's high but not dangerous. The thing is, I know it can be very dangerous, but I still don't entirely feel at this point that me or the baby is in danger.

[mwherbs]

so just saw this thread and I would want to do some labs and a urine test because it could very well be pre-eclampsia
the reason that BP is a problem isn't a single spike it is prolonged high BP exposure and what happens to vessels under that kind of pressure- not only what happens to mom but what happens to placental bed circulation--- the other stuff for mom is the danger of going into full blown eclampsia- having seizures - or HELLP .
something that we ask our clients is how are your bowels?-- how the liver clears things from the body is through the bowels- so if you have been constipated then this will limit the efficency of the liver to do its work--things to get the bowels moving like magnesium as a supplement- even the RDA dose on its own works well and won't inhibit labor- or someone due we may recommend castor oil- even if it doesn't start labor it will empty the bowel and other things tend to improve as well-
epsiom salt soaks will help with the swelling and your joints and muscles feel better for it -- are you drinking enough fluids? taking B vitamins? eating well ?
other ideas would be to get some accpuncture or a moxa treatment
milk thistle to support the liver another way
but I will say again to get the labs done ASAP

[cottonwood]

Ohhhh, I am so sorry you're having to deal with this. High blood pressure in itself I wouldn't necessarily worry about, but with your symptoms I would -- it sounds like you are really sick. If it were me I'd be getting some medical care ASAP.

[alegna]

I'd try the castor oil again- at a little higher dose. And the cohoshes. I'm one that tends to avoid that suggestion, but I think in your case it's needed. Also, drink a lot of water and if you can get it, try eating watermellon- it's a natural diuretic and would help you get rid of some of the fluid.

good luck and let us know how it goes.

-Angela

[cathicog]

Also nip stim..that often will cause pretty strong ctx if you are ready. I agree 100% with mwherbs, get the labs done, get hydrated, and how much protien are you eating? You should be getting a minimum of 50 g a day...

[Godiva]

I did go to walgreens today and found some protein test strips. It came out negative, so that's good. Plus my bp has been keeping fairly level. I did try very high doses of castor oil and cohosh the first time around (the higest doses I've seen anyone reccomend being safe to take) and then it really didn't do anything at ALL. I have a slow labor going on right now that has been consistant, just very slow in the going. So mabye she has decided to come out on her own already. I guess I know my answer though, the fact that I had to ask tells me that I really don't have to go in. I still feel safe being at home. If I felt like alarms were going off that I had to get to the hospital, I wouldn't have bothered asking. Thanks to everyone who responded.

[kynd mama]

Hey mama! I was wondering if your little one is breech?

I know my little breechling took a veeerrrry long time to get settled into labor. Labor putted along for a while.

I'm cheering for you, mama!! I can't wait to hear the birth story!

[shell024]

Thinkin of you mama! Hope everything is going smoothly. Come on baby! Mama wants you NOW!

Sending gentle labor/birthing vibes right your way!!

[Godiva]

Thanks for the good vibes! Nope, she's not breech, she's head down and fully engaged, but full posterior so that my be slowing things down a bit. (and making for some painful back labor!) Hopefully things will pick up more soon. I can get really strong contractions about 1-2 min apart while doing acupressure, but I really don't want to sit there for hours with hubby pressing on my feet! So we do it off and on, just encouraging everything to keep going.

[mwherbs]

good to hear you are doing well- and that the dip stick is good... other things we do for bp incase this continues after birth for a few days- hawthorn tincture or decoction for the non-tincture inclined
also things like passion flower, hops, chamomile
for birth- avoid the count to ten pushing-- and really consider a tub birth- the water not only helps swelling but also helps with bp

take care,

[cathicog]

Also getting on hands and knees will help turn the baby to anterior...

[USAmma]

Go to the spinning babies page and do the "butt up" exercise. It turned my baby late in my pregnancy. When I stood up she settled better and put more pressure on me and birth came soon after. Good luck!!

[Godiva]

thanks all for the tips. I have been taking hawthorne since the bp issues started, it think thats what helped to regulate it some. I have tried different postions to try to get her to turn, but she just won't. She's been head down and posterior since day 1. The tech at my 20 week u/s was getting frusterated because she couldn't get measurements of her head since she was already jammed down into my cervix and facing the wrong way of course . We already have a tub for labor, but I don't think I want to give birth in it. We'll see. Contractions are still comming now, 3 days in a row, but not really picking up much, just staying consistant. Oh well, at least it's something.