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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

28 week blood tests - what are they?

69 replies

GeorginaA · 02/03/2004 09:51

It's rather ironic that I'm starting loads of pregnancy threads just at the time I'm actually feeling the healthiest I've felt in ages.

I've been phoned up today to be told that they want to do further blood tests on me after my 28 week blood tests yesterday. I have to go into the hospital this afternoon for them.

I know I had an extra one for potential liver problems due to itchy skin yesterday but have forgotten what the others are supposed to be. Any ideas what might be the issue? What were the other tests for?

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prufrock · 09/03/2004 12:22

Georgina
Sorry the ANC is so horrid. The bi-weekly scans are necessary I'm afraid - monitoring the blood flow through the placenta and the babies heart is the best available predictor of problems. And the blood tests are necessary as well. But I don't see the point of you having to go to the hospital ANC rather than the community one - can you not negotitate that? The line I always use (most succesful if you look like you are on the verge of tears) is that you feel the extra stress of these visits is causing you problems, and as the best treatment for OC is rest can't they do anything to mkae it easier for you?
What happened about the CTG monitoring?

Original poster

GeorginaA · 09/03/2004 13:00

I know the scans are necessary really, it just doesn't feel very necessary at the moment, if you know what I mean?! Going to try and negotiate on the ANC - I really want to keep up the relationship with the community midwife on the off chance the bile acids come down and I can "carry on" as normal (with just the regular blood tests) - apparently this isn't just wishful thinking, with me being borderline this is a possibility.

CTG monitoring I bizarrely don't mind. I can get appointments at 8am (which means dh can look after ds and still get to work on time), the midwifes in the Day Assessment Centre are positively lovely, and I get 15 minutes in which to read my book

God, I sound a right selfish whingy cow, don't I!

Basically, I've come to realise through all of this, that the most important thing for me during the birth would be to have a midwife that I know present. I don't want to be surrounded by strangers in an unfamiliar place again. If I have to be in a hospital then I can live with that, but I want my midwife there.

Wish I'd realised this to start with, I'd have saved up for a private midwife Bit late now.

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Original poster

GeorginaA · 09/03/2004 13:09

Forgot to mention, that I've had two midwives and one doctor at the hospital comment that I have an extremely mild case (so far), and have expressed regret that I'm now "on their books" as it were. The two common comments I've had are:

a) I should never have mentioned I was itchy unless it was really bothering me. (tbh I hardly notice, I only mentioned it as an aside to my midwife, and I'm not very itchy at all now)
b) I should never have agreed to the blood tests.

NOW they tell me!

So yes, rightly or wrongly I am feeling it's all rather unnecessary and a waste of time for all concerned at the moment.

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prufrock · 09/03/2004 16:04

I have to say I think they are being irresponsible in telling you that - there hasn't been enough research to know what is mild or not - my consultant had one woman who safely carried to 38 weeks with bile acids of 100+, but there have been cases of problems in women with bile acids as low as 15 (but not at this stage so don't worry) I do agree that it is early to be worrying about things so much, the danger period is later on.
Are you taking urso? If not, how do they expect your bile acids to come down?

Original poster

GeorginaA · 09/03/2004 16:09

Nope, they don't like to give urso this early with such a low bile acid count apparently. They want to see if it will just go away on its own. If I start taking urso now, then they can't take me off it at any point and will definitely have to have the induction (according to their procedures), so I'm happy enough to "wait and see".

Me personally, I've upped the yoga, upped my daily water allowance and whether it's my imagination or not, I do feel a lot less itchy. Will have to see what my bile acids are this week...

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Original poster

GeorginaA · 09/03/2004 16:13

To make myself feel better (?!) this afternoon I've made myself a list of "wants" to discuss with the midwives tomorrow - can I be cheeky and ask if you think they are reasonable?

not to be induced unless deemed absolutely necessary.
not to have to go to the hospital ANC, want to stick with the familiar community midwife local to me.
want to be able to go into labour naturally and at the very least have a Domino delivery (I really don't want strangers around as well as strange surroundings - yes, I know this hinges on whether they decide whether an induction is necessary or not).
not to have unnecessary monitoring/internal examinations (again, this hinges on the bile acids coming down to "normal"
to have a vitamin K supplement "just in case" in the last few weeks regardless of whether my bile acids have come down.
to arrange a tour of the labour/maternity wards.

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nutcracker · 09/03/2004 16:13

Sorry to hear you are having such a rough time GeorginaA. Hope things start to go right for you soon. I know how much of a pain hospital visits are as when i was pregnant with ds i had anti-c antibodies and was transferred to another hospital the other side of brum to me and had to go every week. Dp had no holidays left so didn't get paid every time we went.

Don't think much or the midwives attitude regarding what they said about you shouldn't have told them. Imagine if it had been worse and you had kept your mouth shut. They would have all been saying then 'you should of said'

Original poster

GeorginaA · 09/03/2004 16:14

eep - rogue winky.

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nutcracker · 09/03/2004 16:15

I think you are being more than reasonable. I wish i'd argued more. I eneded up having ds at a hospital i didn't want him at and being under a consultant that i didn't like.

Original poster

GeorginaA · 09/03/2004 16:24

Take your point regarding the "you should have said"

GAH... I'm so in two minds with all of this. I find hospitals so bloody stressful, it really is the last place I want to be. Keep reading all the homebirth threads and feel really jealous and miserable

Glad you think I'm not being unreasonable, nutcracker. I just hope I'm brave enough to actually raise them - I'm really not a "rock the boat" type of person, despite all my whinging on mumsnet!

I'm sorry prufrock if I seem to be taking all this too lightly. I know you're really suffering from OC - I don't mean to trivialise it

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nutcracker · 09/03/2004 16:29

I don't like to rock the boat either, but in the end i was just getting so upset about it all that i actually shouted at the consultant (horrible old cow), and told her what i thought. I was in floods of tears at the time so she probably didn't understand a word i said.

prufrock · 09/03/2004 17:14

I think they are fine. Rock away.
Surely even if you do decide to take an induction at 38 weeks there isn't any huge reason why this should necessarily mean huge amounts of intervention - having "done" birth once surely there is a far greater chance of prostin gel starting things off and the rest of your labour progressing as it would if it was completely natural? And why would being induced alter the midwife you have - I'd have thought it would make it easier for them to arrange a domino delivery if they know in advance when you are having it?

Original poster

GeorginaA · 09/03/2004 17:20

The biggest thing I don't want with induction is to be hooked up to loads of monitoring equipment (which I will, at least at this hospital) as I think it'll be an extra distraction. Plus, I will be stuck in a ward while it takes effect, won't have my familiar surroundings (mumsnet , general faffing around the house, etc) to distract me/busy myself with during early labour. From what I remember of the maternity ward last time around, it was boring as hell. I'm far more likely psychologically to cave early and beg for painkillers!

The unnecessary internal examination bit is just a personal fear/bugbear due to last time around experience and stands regardless of what type of birth I end up with, but I wrote it down so I remembered to ask for it.

As I understood it, Domino delivery was where your midwife came to your house, and then when you were ready to go into hospital came in with you and then delivered you there? Surely if induction then I'm going to be "stuck" with the hospital midwives? If that's not the case and I can still have my community midwife then that's less of a worry. Will still miss the early labour in your own home bit though

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prufrock · 09/03/2004 21:34

Not really sure about the Domino delivery (TBH I thought it was a deep pan Four Seasons and Garlic Bread)
It really is worth discussing ways to "de-medicalise" a possible induction with the nicest midwife you see - and maybe pupuce or mears could help with how realistic it would be?

Original poster

GeorginaA · 10/03/2004 12:12

giggle ... love the idea about stinking out the labour ward with the garlic bread and deep pan pizza Sounds a good Domino delivery to me...

Well I've decided to "rock the boat" one little bit at a time. Spoke to the head of day assessment today and she's happy for me to see my community midwife rather than the hospital ANC (although she does want me to pop my head around the door of the DAU straight after my scan just in case there are any issues). Hopefully this should make the visits shorter. I've also tentatively arranged someone to have ds for the next scan appointment so I won't need to entertain him as well as me - much less stressful! (dh can't take any more time off easily).

Will see my community midwife on Monday so I might save the induction chat/questions for then as she tends to give the impression at least of having more time

Feeling a bit better and a bit more in control today, even if I did have the most vile blood test which has left my arm feeling really bruised and sore...

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prufrock · 10/03/2004 15:36

You are in control. They can't do anything to you that you don't want - you could even refuse all treatment and scans (although I wouldn't advise it )
I'm feeling very pincushiony at the moment as well (although my lovely midwife does use the same needles on me as they use on newborns because she knows I'm squeamish). The best way to not bruise is to press really really hard on the needle site as soon as they take the needle out and for at least 2 minutes afterwards.

mears · 10/03/2004 15:57

GeorginaA - if oyur condition changes and induction is recommended, it does not all need to be doom and gloom. You do not need to be tied to a bed when being monitored. Cables stretch and you can be standing, in a chair, on a beanbag or sitting on a ball (highly recommended). I would not stress yourself needlessly over it at the moment. It may well be that bloods will remain static and the cause for concern is not there. If the bloods deteriorate then the wellbeing of your baby will be your prime concern.
I was disappointed to need induction with my 2nd, 3rd and 4th but to be honest, for me it didn't make a lot of differnce to my actual labours. I loved them all
Deal with issues as they arise. Certainly find out the fcats of induction but try not to regard it as a totally negative thing. As you probably know I do not favour needless induction but there are times that it is a necessity.

Original poster

GeorginaA · 10/03/2004 16:14

Thanks mears It's nice to hear some positive news about inductions - everything I've read so far has been a bit scary!

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Original poster

GeorginaA · 10/03/2004 16:17

prufrock - I did the press down thing (I'm getting practised at these!) which I think has minimized the bruising. At the time though, it was more painful than normal so I wonder if it was just "badly done" for the want of a better phrase. The bruising is quite localised and is almost a little blue/purple lump under the skin (only just now "relaxing" out a bit).

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Original poster

GeorginaA · 11/03/2004 16:50

Great news - last lot of blood tests came back completely normal!! Still have to go for my scan on the 22nd March (and take more bloods then) but otherwise living hospital free until then

does the happy dance

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twiglett · 11/03/2004 19:31

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Original poster

GeorginaA · 11/03/2004 20:27

I just hope it stays that way!!

Am going to continue religiously drinking my 8 daily glasses of water, yoga and self-hypnosis/relaxation tape just in case they helped... or perhaps I was just fighting off a bug at the time which caused the lowered liver efficiency?

Just revelling in the fact that I don't have to get up really early tomorrow for the hospital appointment

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Ailsa · 11/03/2004 20:29

Great news Georgina. If it's any consolation they are better at WRI now, than when I had dd1 and ds. DD1 was an induction, ds wasn't, but both times I was constantly connected to the monitor and couldn't get off the bed.

This time round I was only attached to the monitor for about an hour. When labour really kicked in the midwife encouraged me to walk around, I wasn't hooked up to anything. When she wanted to listen to dd2's heartbeat, she used an ear trumpet. An altogether more positive experience, even though it ended in an emergency cs. If you do have to go into hospital, ask if Heather is on duty, the best hospital based midwife I've had.

prufrock · 11/03/2004 22:44

That's excellent news Georgina.

Original poster

GeorginaA · 12/03/2004 08:19

Looking at the snow this morning I'm sooooo glad I don't have to drive to the hospital!!!

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