Advice needed: meant to go to hosp for bp monitoring today but think I'm in early labour.

[HolidaysQueen]

Hello -

After a pretty run-of-the-mill pregnancy, I spent the night in hospital last Monday after getting very dizzy. I had protein (+) in my urine and had recently started to get some swelling although it was fairly slight. They did a bp series and it was bouncing up and down a lot so I was monitored every 15 mins for 3 hours. I eventually stabilised somewhat but at a fairly high level (150/90 to 140/85ish) and they kept me overnight. My bp had dropped to 135/75 by morning and they discharged me. I went back on Thurs for check up and it was back up (hugely!) to 170/100. The agreement was to monitor me on Fri and Sat then potentially induce today as they were worried I was developing pre-eclampsia.

On Friday, I had perfect bp series (stable 120/78), no protein and blood tests came back negative so they delayed my next check to today and cancelled induction as they think it isn't pre-eclampsia after all. So I was planning to head in sometime later today for further bp series.

However, I'm 40+3 today and since 11pm last night have been getting contractions approx 10 mins apart so I think I'm in early labour.

So I'm not sure what takes precedence - going in for bp monitoring or dealing with early labour. The baby has been absolutely fine on CTG traces throughout all of this, and I actually feel fine too. I really don't want to go to hospital if I am in early labour as I don't want them to keep me in but obviously I want to make sure I do the right thing, whatever that is.

Do you think I should just wait at home and see what pans out, or do you think I should head in for bp series regardless of how this labour progresses?

Thanks! HQ

I would go in for monitoring still, it's qutie important in case you do have pre-eclampsia.

I had this with my first baby and would have been induced had my waters not gone at 36 weeks.

Go in anyway.

They can check your BP out, and if you are in early labour and everything is ok then your unit should send you home.

If you are in early labour there is no need for you to stay at your unit.

Phone the labour ward or your midwife and ask them. They are the experts! Best of luck - hopefully baby is on its way.

Go in, BP can spike during labour so they'll need to monitor you more closely, and perhaps consider ways to stabilise BP if needed (often an epidural)

good luck HQ

Thanks, guys - everyone on here is so quick to respond!

I figured you would all probably say I should head in but I just thought I'd check

They didn't give me a set time to go in today, so I'm going to have a bath and see how these contractions go and then I'll probably head in around lunchtime. I guess the advantage is they can also check out how I'm dilating etc. so I'll know if these contractions are actually achieving anything