Almost got to have my baby :(

[Ayame87]

Haha. Yeah, almost. Went in for my regular prenatal appt. when they took my BP and said it was high. 130/90. Doc told me to lay down for 4-5 hours a day up until saturday morning in which I was instructed to page him. He wanted me to go to L+D triage to be monitored to make sure I wasn't developing Pre-E. Well, after checking my cervix (38w/2days) he said I was 3 cm dilated, 100% effaced and 0 station. So he went ahead and told me to go now to the L+D. He told me that if my BP didn't drop in an hour than he'd put me on pitocin.

I was excited, but totally caught off guard and I cried in the bathroom (haha), I was just so overwhelmed thinking baby might be here today!...

But no go. BP dropped mostly, still instructed to lay down and come in on Sat. And.. monday.. and wednesday :/

But, good news is he said he probably would want to induce me next week (if I don't go into labor by then), no matter what just incase!!

yay! Didn't really want to be induced, but wow. I just can't wait to meet my little one! Plus I can be ready if I have a "set date."

Let's hope I go into labor before then

[AKA_PI]

Good luck!

[holothuroidea]

That's just asking for a c/s if you want to know what I honestly think. Induction is not fun and should be reserved for when it is medically indicated (in your case it is NOT), your increasing the risk to you and the baby.

You've waited for 38 weeks already, what's another one?

I've never heard of inducing before a due date based on a wonky BP reading. Frankly, it makes me pretty angry that a doctor would be that reckless

I mean if you're really showing some signs of Pre-E it would be absolutely necessary, but it seems like you had a high BP reading once (which is not unusual at all) and that's all...

I mean, did they order any of the necessary blood work for Pre-E or anything?

Sorry, I'm a little peeved.

[bettie cracker]

good luck, Mama!!!

:::::goodv ibes:::

[veronicalynne]

Originally Posted by holothuroidea

That's just asking for a c/s if you want to know what I honestly think. Induction is not fun and should be reserved for when it is medically indicated (in your case it is NOT), your increasing the risk to you and the baby.

You've waited for 38 weeks already, what's another one?

I've never heard of inducing before a due date based on a wonky BP reading. Frankly, it makes me pretty angry that a doctor would be that reckless

I mean if you're really showing some signs of Pre-E it would be absolutely necessary, but it seems like you had a high BP reading once (which is not unusual at all) and that's all...

I mean, did they order any of the necessary blood work for Pre-E or anything?

Sorry, I'm a little peeved.

: I know it is hard to wait but if there is no real medical need to induce it is better for baby to wait until he/she is ready. I read that the baby releases a chemical when he/she is ready which stimulates labor to begin. Also, pitocin is more painful than natural labor....I had pitocin with my first baby.

[morganeldi]

I had to be induced at 39 weeks with my ds due to very high BP and the beginnings of pre-e (I had to be transferred from my midwife, was planning a homebirth :/)

It really is NO fun and I hated all the interventions. Plus, even though my ds was a good size and healthy, he just did not seem happy or ready to come out yet and had a very hard time adjusting to the world. I swear he would have stayed in for at least 42 weeks lol..

If you only had the one BP reading don't do it! I know you want your baby in your arms, it's so hard to wait..but natural labor in its own time will be better for so many reasons. Just rest and take it easy and hopefully your baby will be ready soon and your BP will stay under control.

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by holothuroidea

I mean if you're really showing some signs of Pre-E it would be absolutely necessary, but it seems like you had a high BP reading once (which is not unusual at all) and that's all...

I mean, did they order any of the necessary blood work for Pre-E or anything?

They definitely needed to do bloodwork before making the call to induce, but it does seem like it was elevated blood pressure over an extended period that would have been the concern not a single reading.

[~Megan~]

Originally Posted by holothuroidea

That's just asking for a c/s if you want to know what I honestly think.

I agree.

I know you are ready to meet your baby but its best to wait until you go into labor on your own.

[Mamatolea]

I didn't even have pitocin, I just did everything I could naturally that I thought of, and I think that made my labor so much worse than it would have been if I had left it alone.

I suggest you talk to your baby and wait. Don't put yourself in a position to compromise a natural birth and risk a horrible, hard labor or a possible c-section. I KNOW how hard it is to wait, but in the long run, it is soo much more worth it!

[Ayame87]

Oooh, these are things I didn't know! but they gave me magnesium I think (pretty bad I don't even know), and that's what made my BP stay down.

That's when they decided to let me go.

Why do you say that calls for a c/s?

I don't want to make the baby come out earlier than he is ready, so I hope I go into labor!!

They did do labwork btw and a urine sample, which turned out fine.

Only symptom I have noticed is being dizzy a lot and seeing spots which I didn't even know was a symptom of Pre-e..

So I guess we'll see..?

I heard pitocin is more painfu as welll.. I don't want that either :<

I will talk with baby and ask him to come soon and do it naturally!!

Some of the readings I saw while being monitored were still high-ish, but that was on an automatic BP reader as opposed to the nurse doing it manually. Which... I wonder what difference that makes?

[rachaelmomma]

They said that was setting you up for a section because the research proves that being induced just about doubles your risk of a c/s.

The best thing you can do is wait. If your blood work came back fine, there is no reason to induce you. I know how much you want to meet your baby, but really, what is waiting a few more days or even a whole other week? Inductions are much more dangerous than OBs seem to make them out to be. The contractions caused by pitocin are much harder on your baby than ones you have naturally. Plus, they are much more painful for you. I know you will hear tons of people say that "oh, my induction went perfectly" but the research just does not support that. The ACOG actually has guidelines (which most OBs seem to forget) for when to induce someone, and a one time high blood pressure reading is not one of them. The risks are just too great not to let it happen on its own.

I had an induction with my first baby, which I can say without a doubt is what directly lead to my cesarean back in 2005.

Good luck with what ever you decide to do, but remember it is YOUR call in the end, you can tell your OB no at any time.

[holothuroidea]

Originally Posted by Ayame87

Oooh, these are things I didn't know! but they gave me magnesium I think (pretty bad I don't even know), and that's what made my BP stay down.

That's when they decided to let me go.

Why do you say that calls for a c/s?

I don't want to make the baby come out earlier than he is ready, so I hope I go into labor!!

They did do labwork btw and a urine sample, which turned out fine.

Only symptom I have noticed is being dizzy a lot and seeing spots which I didn't even know was a symptom of Pre-e..

So I guess we'll see..?

I heard pitocin is more painfu as welll.. I don't want that either :<

I will talk with baby and ask him to come soon and do it naturally!!

Some of the readings I saw while being monitored were still high-ish, but that was on an automatic BP reader as opposed to the nurse doing it manually. Which... I wonder what difference that makes?

They may have given you magnesium sulfate (or mag sulfate). It is used to treat severe pre-eclampsia. It stops convulsions... it is not meant to lower blood pressure.

There are many reasons to feel dizzy/ see spots. I have "floaters" in my eyes which is kind of like "seeing spots" but it's not the same as the visual disturbances they talk about with severe high blood pressure. Please remember that you are 9 months pregnant also and it is pretty normal to feel a little dizzy or lightheaded, especially after laying down on your back or standing for extended periods of time. I'm not saying that your symptoms should not be taken seriously, or that you should not be closely monitored... but it is not a reason for an early induction without the real proof of pre-eclampsia.

I think that you should be closely monitored, but you should also be allowed to proceed with your pregnancy normally (certainly without drugs like mag sulfate) unless you really develop the disease. KWIM? That "just in case" stuff sounds like nonsense to me.

Induction (esp. before your due date even!!) greatly increases your chances of a c-section. That's just a cold hard fact.

I really hate to sound so negative, but I am nervous and worried for you. I hope that you are well and that your high BP was something transient.. and I hope that your birth is as gentle as possible. :

Please do not take this as medical advice, you should trust your doctor if you trust them, I'm just kind of voicing my opinion over here. Maybe it will inspire some questions for you to ask your doc.

[robertandenith]

if you are induced and if the baby is not ready you will probably not dilate properly... they might wait a day for you to dilate, then will suggest a c-section due to your slow progress. Pitocin is an evil drug! : I had it and contractions were unbearable! I asked for pain medication right away. Also, pitocin is a drug that affects the baby's heart rate.

You are almost there momma don't get frustrated, I know it's hard but you are very close to have your baby the way nature intended

[ssolberg99]

I agree with many of the PPs that induction should be avoided at all costs if unessessary. I hope everything goes well for you and baby whatever you decide, though.

[megsy]

I'm just going to : all of the above.

I was induced with my first for the beginning stages of pre-e. Sounds eerily similar to your story, actually. I labored for 32 hours, was able to manage without an epidural until hour 28. Pushed for 1.5 hours and he wasn't budging. C-section.

I'd avoid induction if I were you. I realize not every story ends like mine (and there was definitely more to the story, like malposition) but most of them do.

Hold out if you can. It'll be worth it ...

[rach03]

I was induced because of one high blood pressure reading at my 39 week appointment (was 39wks 3 days). Looking back it was really idiotic...they lost my chart and I sat in the waiting room for over an hour watching people that arrived after me go in. Then I got up and asked what was going on and they realized they forgot me. Then they brought me back and took my blood pressure, which was 140 something over 90 something. The doctor re-did it like 5 minutes later and it was the same, and she said to head on over to the hospital because I needed to be induced. No previous HBP, no other Pre-e signs. I was not soft or dilated AT ALL...not one little bit. Had to go in that night for cervix softening with Cervadil then Pitocin was started the next day.

I've got a new OB in a new city this time around, and when I told her that story she shook her head and banged it against her clipboard.

Luckily I did not end up with a C section, but I was very very close. The OB talked to my DH about how close we were to that possibility at several different times during the day. I did, however, end up with a tear on my cervix and some tears on my vaginal walls which my current OB says probably would not have happened had I not been induced.

[coyotemist]

I'm going to be the voice of dissention...I'm good at that!

Donning flame proof panties!

You are dialated to 3, effaced, and the baby is in a good spot.

Sometimes 1 elevated blood pressure can mean nothing (other than stress, or you just walked a mile or whatever) but if modified bed rest is what is keeping your blood pressure in control, it very well could be early pre-e.

For some women, pre-e can just hang around for a while causing no long term problems, and in other woman it can come on with a vengence and turn quickly into seizures and liver involvement. There is no way to know what will happen for you.

In your situation, having an induction around 39.5 weeks probably wouldn't be a bad thing, if there are no problems before then. Just having high blood pressure reduces the amount of blood that goes to the placenta, so that increases your risk for a c-section right there (less blood to the placenta = less oxygen to the baby = greater chance for fetal distress).

There are lots of scary induction stories out there, but there are a lot of good induction stories, too. One of my best friends had ridiculously high blood pressure with her first. They induced at 38 weeks, she had a quick labor, baby was healthy, no c-section, no problems at all.

It is best to keep them in when you have no underlying issues, but once you start having medical problems *sometimes* it's best to get them out.

[Ayame87]

Ah thanks for all the information. After reading that I have to agree that sounds rather crazy...

Luckily I am going in saturday to be monitored and I doubt there will be problems. I really hope I just go into labor at 3cm dilated.. I mean, I'm right there!

Wish me luck, I don't want a c/s

I can wait, that's for sure. I mean I waited 39 weeks basically, I am perfectly fine waiting another 2-3.