I'm so proud! I stuck up for myself and refused my induction!!!

[porenn]

Now- the last two weeks my bp has been going up. i've been in for my pre-e blood work twice, and NST's and a biometric scan, all of which came back looking very good. My husband, whom I always knew was awesome, has totally suprised me by telling me that he doesn't feel that induction is the way to go, that as long as testing comes back ok, the babe obviously isn't ready to come... as he put it "she's really due anywhere up to 42 weeks, right?" (and I thought he wasn't listening)

so, I told the midwife today that as long as the testing was coming back ok, and I wasn't getting sick and the babe wasn't in distress, we weren't interestd in induction, although I would make all my appointments and submit to any testing they wanted to do, like bloodwork and eternal monitoring....

Obviously, if anything comes back abnormal, I'll totally be ok with an induction, or a section if that's what's needed, but I've never stood up to a doctor before- but I totally think this will work out ok....

We'll meet with my midwife monday, and we'll both be able to talk about it with her, but for now, I'm going with my gut....

*booty shake*

now, just so I'm prepared, what exactly, are the reprecussions of maintaining a high BP for the next week or so? (if it doesn't turn into pre-e, or stress the babe?)

-porenn

[Incubator]

Good job.

I love the Freudian slip "eternal monitoring"! lol, it feels that way.

So far as I know as long as your BP isn't causing problems for you it's normal for BP to rise late in pregnancy. It means your body is increasing your blood volume to prepare for some blood loss during labor. It's not a problem until... well until it is, and then they label it Pre-E, but even that, I don't think becomes a serious problem until it becomes full blown flat out eclampsia complete with seizure risk.

[tinyshoes]

clap clap clap!

[kittywitty]

[Ironica]

The main risks of PIH that isn't pre-e are placental issues. If it happens for long enough, it can mean that the placenta (and therefore, the baby) don't get sufficient blood flow. It can also slightly raise the risk of placental abruption.

I had thought it could also cause seizures, because that's what I was told when in labor with my son... but it turns out that's specific to pre-eclampsia. Grrr. So there was NO reason for them to keep me in bed during labor!

[porenn]

Originally Posted by Ironica

The main risks of PIH that isn't pre-e are placental issues. If it happens for long enough, it can mean that the placenta (and therefore, the baby) don't get sufficient blood flow. It can also slightly raise the risk of placental abruption.

So, when they did the ultrasound yesterday, were they looking at the placenta too? are they going to be able to tell if there starts to be a problem?

Also, what constitutes too long? is ten days really going to make that much of a difference?

And I looked into the Bishop's score thing, and if I'm nowhere near a decent score, how is inducing going to work?

-porenn

[BensMom]

I guess it depends on how high your BP is. Theres a huge difference between 140/90 (where they start to panic) and 180/110, yk?

But congrats on standing up to your provider. I am a labor doula and seeing a really good hosp MW for backup and I still have a hard time summoning the cajones to decline things. Who knew I would be so non confrontational in this one area!

[paphia]

Originally Posted by porenn

And I looked into the Bishop's score thing, and if I'm nowhere near a decent score, how is inducing going to work?

The problem is it probably won't. They can pump you full of drugs that soften your cervix prematurely, cause uterine contractions (and let's remember that these drugs are NOT FDA approved for the things OBs and midwives are using them for - they are actually contraindicated for use on pregnant women) - and if your body isn't ready, all you're going to do is wear your body out. At worst, they can cause your uterus to rupture, or fetal distress, and land you in the OR for an "emergency" c-section. Maybe they'd just section you for "failure to progress" (umm, because your body/baby wasn't ready?). It's a really slippery slope. Like a pp told you in another thread, there are lots of women who experience successful inductions. But you're smart to wonder what happens when it isn't successful.

Now that you've got some extra time, please find a copy of Henci Goer's book _A Thinking_Woman's_Guide_to_a_Better_Birth_. It lays out all the statistics from medical studies on the risk/benefit of all these procedures and explains how the cascade of interventions happens. It really helped me feel informed the first time around. Borrow it from the library or buy it, it's really worth it if it helps you achieve the birth you want.

[kjoy2]

Hooray to you for sticking to your guns and your gut!

[porenn]

Originally Posted by BensMom

I guess it depends on how high your BP is. Theres a huge difference between 140/90 (where they start to panic) and 180/110, yk?

well, the highest it got was 160/110, last week AFTER they couldn't find my baby's heart beat. it was back down to 137/70 within 20 minutes. wednesday it was 124/70, then back up to 140/90 yesterday at the midwives.... I'm wondering if now that i'm worried about it, it goes up at my appointments. so, as a pp suggested, I'm going to get a bp cuff tonight so i can monitor it at home and bring it in on monday....maybe if the numbers are low enough, they won't panic as much.

just a thought.

[Jennisee]

Good for you!

[mkmama]

: at booty shake. go you!
If you found your voice NOW, that is a really great sign that you will be strong for labor. I had a hard time finding my voice in the first labor...but this round i will not stand down! I have become much stronger as a person these past two years and as i see your post of strength i am encouraged and proud!

doing the booty shake.

[sweetpeppers]

good for you! interesting story: my friend's doctor wanted to induce her because of high blood pressure, she said she was going to go home and think about it and later she went to a drug store or somewhere and checked her blood pressure there and it was totally normal...it always burns me up when people tell me how there doctors pressured them into a c-section because their bp was rising...like duh! i wonder why...

[Ironica]

Originally Posted by porenn

So, when they did the ultrasound yesterday, were they looking at the placenta too? are they going to be able to tell if there starts to be a problem?

My OB likes to whip out the u/s machine at every visit, mostly to measure fluid as an indicator of placental health. If you have adequate fluid (at least 5 cm around baby), that's a sign that your placenta is doing just fine. Apparently, it's the best sign he knows of, because that's pretty much all he checks. (He also looks at the heartbeat really quick, and likes to measure the head, like *that* tells us anything much ;-).

Now... I have an OB who I trust to be honest and rational about the information he gets off of the machines. So I consent to the u/s. Not everyone is in that situation.

Originally Posted by porenn

Also, what constitutes too long? is ten days really going to make that much of a difference?

Probably not. For women who have onset of gestational hypertension or even pre-e after 37 weeks, there's usually no issues resulting from it (according to the article I read on Marchofdimes.com this afternoon).

Originally Posted by porenn

And I looked into the Bishop's score thing, and if I'm nowhere near a decent score, how is inducing going to work?

Good question. Now you know why I wish I'd known my Bishop's score before consenting to induction with my first! ;-)