All beginning to get out of control

[squishy]

Have just spent 3 traumatic hours in pre natal assessment. Am 40 +3 with high BP (only for last week or so) so being monitored as I am desperate to have home water birth (have issues with hospitals, which don't help my BP and I have back issues which is why I've been using my pool every evening!).

Today it was a teeny bit higher than it had been before (and here I would stress that they are all in agreement that I am asymptomatic for pre-eclampsia)

Then to be told by the registrar that she wanted to do a membrane sweep today and induce me tomorrow - total shock (and have to say came away consenting to membrane sweep and exam tomorrow but nothing today as am too stressed). She seemed to think that I should have been told I might be induced as soon as my BP started to go up - no-one had even hinted that....

Very and just need a rant, I think. 9 months spent planning the intervention/pain relief free birth to find more and more options being removed from me at the last minute (although one midwife did give me the thinly veiled threat that I could of course do anything I wanted but that she would tell the SOM that I was acting against medical advice and "on my own head be it"/

Sorry, rant over/.

I planned every last detail for my first baby's birth. Didn't factor in an emergency section but without it DS1 would not be here. Focus on the end result, not how you get there. I hope you do get the birth you want but more importantly hope baby arrives safely.

I was induced for the same thing. My blood pressure shot up and and never went down. Things don't always go as you plan. You can still have a pain relief free birth, I did and it was great. I would be induced a hundred times. People say it's terrible, but as a first timer it was nice to be told "we're breaking your water", "looks like your in active labor now".

Congratulations! and focus on the fact that soon you will see your baby.

Have to say, I agree with the others. Pre-eclapmsia, even if you are asymptomatic, is not a thing to mess around with. Unfortunately you can never guarantee that the birth will go as you have planned it - which isn't to say your preferences shouldn't be taken into account.

However it happens, I hope the birth goes well and enjoy your first meeting with your baby! At the end of the day, that is the only thing that truly matters.

Have you joined the homebirth yahoo group ? Very knowledgable ladies on there as well as some midwives. I would ask them and also search the previous messages.

Pre-eclampsia is not something to be taken lightly, but there is a difference between having high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia. Have you had blood tests done? What were the results?

Have you joined the homebirth yahoo group ? Very knowledgable ladies on there as well as some midwives. I would ask them and also search the previous messages.

Pre-eclampsia is not something to be taken lightly, but there is a difference between having high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia. Have you had blood tests done? What were the results?

Agree with the other posts. The end product is far more important than how you get there! Good luck

you don;t have to agree to a sweep or induction.... you can go in daily for more monitoring and have your BP monitored....it is likely if you are asymptomatic thne all the stress of this is having an effect on your `BP..not that i am saying the hospital should not be concerned as pre eclampsia is serious if unchecked or not monitored

can you ask for a sweep and then go home and wait to see if labour starts naturally.....induction is going have all sorts of implications for your birth.

you need to feel safe and supported to labour well...you need to feel confident the hospital are listening to you....

it is your body , your baby....if they are simply getting twitchy because your BP is raised and you are slightly overdue then i thnk you could compromise and ask for a sweep.........

by the way- i agree the end result is important

BUT

how you fet there or don;t get there can have a major psychological impact on the mum and should not be discounted especially if the birth she has prepared for looks like being totally turned on its head.......

Thanks, I am also of the thinking that how I get there is incredibly important.....my bloods were absolutely normal, as is urine and absolutely no oedema (Sp!). My MW thought that the doctor and pre-natal were completely overreacting and quite bullying (managed to get her to listen in on the very last bit) and has been very supportive. I declined sweep and exam today and have agreed to have both tomorrow.

I am very firmly of the opinion that they are twitchy because of raised BP - I know the risks of pre-eclampsia and understand it is not to be taken lightly, but of the 6 indicators they use to measure it, I only have abnormalities on one of them.

Had forgotten about homebirth yahoo, thanks. And thanks for the support. I know many people must be thinking "get over it and get into hospital" but the effect that had on me today took the registrar completely by surprise and is clearly an indicator that it can't be good for me or baby.

squishy...sound as though you have perfectly sounds reasons for not being induced ...you are not just being stubborn.....hospitals tend to verge on the side of being overcautious...but if you can demonstrate you are fully informed and aware of the risks..then it stands you in good stead.....the ultimate decision is yours....don;t be bullied...you sound strong & perfectly rational...

if you submit yourself for daily monitoring, given that you have no other symptoms of pre eclampsia, it seems a little premature for them to be geting so edgy
When you have your exam ask m/w how your cervix is, if it is soft/ripe then a sweep may well kick things off - I had one and it was fine tbh
Is babys head engaged - is this your 1st?

Squishy, I also think the birth itself is very important. When I went into labour with my last baby it was discovered that my blood pressure was quite high - I suspect it may have been for a week or so, but as it hadn't been taken in that time I will never know! I was planning a home birth and I couldn't believe that when I finally went into labour it was all going to be spoilt by high blood pressure. luckily my midwives were very supportive and like yours didn't put me under any pressure to go into hospital. They monitored my bp more closely than they would have done otherwise, did more frequent urine tests to check for protein and even had some blood tests taxied to the maternity unit to be checked whilst I was in labour - if they showed any problems I would have transferred in, but they were fine.

Apparently a rise in bp can be a sign that labour is imminent, so fingers crossed that is the case for you! One other thing - it might be worth being very specific at your s&s tomorrow that you don't want them to "accidentally" break your waters while they're there. Have heard this happen when people are declining induction....

Good luck, hope it goes well tomorrow.

Thank you lulumama, didn't feel like I was being strong earlier. Luckily, DH is very supportive as is my MW (well, temp one anyway) but it is so wearing having to explain my reasons for not bowing to their every suggestion time and time again to every different person I see and when they don't want to listen to me!!! Thanks for your support...... xx

no problem!! i was induced at 39 + with my first....on the say so of an overcautious obs..........and my plans for an active, vaginal birth with dimmed lights and no epidural went out of the window.....!!

agree with daisymoo- it has been known for your waters to be 'accidentally' broken when you have a sweep...in which case it is very very unlikely you will be leaving the hospital before you give birth...although the NICE guidelines do allow something like 72 hours before you have to be induced after ARM or SRM i believe.....

NICE guidelines re induction

cross posted with piffle and daisymoo, thanks so much for the reassurance also! I have been more than willing to go in every day for BP monitoring..... apparently the consultant will be doing the exam tomorrow so will ask about state of cervix! Not sure how I get her not to accidentally rupture membranes though!!!

when she does the exam...ask her not to sweep you until she has explained to you how favourable the cervix is and stress you are uncomfortable with being induced and why.......and hopefully she will get the message you don;t want to be helped along just yet!

if your cervix is favourable...dilating, soft,short, anterior and the baby's head is engaged or fairly low..then labour shouldn't be too dar off anyway......much better if it comes by itself if you wish to have a water birth!

when she does the exam...ask her not to sweep you until she has explained to you how favourable the cervix is and stress you are uncomfortable with being induced and why.......and hopefully she will get the message you don;t want to be helped along just yet!

if your cervix is favourable...dilating, soft,short, anterior and the baby's head is engaged or fairly low..then labour shouldn't be too dar off anyway......much better if it comes by itself if you wish to have a water birth!

I would say "Please be careful not to rupture my membranes"!

daisy favours the direct approach!!!

squishy,

I hope you get what you want, but being induced isn't as bad as a lot of people say.

I had the opposite of lulu, I was hooked up to monitors and a drip, but I chose not to have an epidural. You can ask if there is a walking drip and walking monitors also. (I'm in the US and don't know how common they are over there) I had them and it was so great so I was mobile. Other than being hooked up to monitors I was in control. I pushed when I want to, and I chose positions I wanted. It will be what you make of it. Stay positive and just remember that just because this is a glich in the plan it doesn't mean you won't have a great birthing.

I was induced at 39 wks with both of mine due to slightly raised BP throughout pregnancies (was put on mild medication by consultant both times and, oddly, don't have BP probs when not pregnant). It's called "essential hypertension" and there is a small risk that it could become pre-eclampsia later in pregnancy. But I did not have any of the PE symptoms at any time once the medication kicked in to control the BP.

Had the Propess T-bag thingy each time and no further gels or drips. DS lbr 8 hours, DD 4. Both delivered vaginally and did not require pain relief. Had to have epi/forceps with DS (cord round neck) and tore with DD (8lb 12 and face to pubis!!) but would have had these probs anyway even if the labours had started naturally.

Therefore moral of this rather rambling story is that even if you are induced, the ensuing labour experience need not necessarily be bad and sometimes is quite good i.e. with my DD, if had gone full term or beyond she would have been even bigger and would have probably had a worse tear!

I would agree with the other posts that you have to be strong and firm about what you want i.e. in my case, I was happy to be induced but I made it clear when labour had started that I wanted no further intervention (drip, epidural etc) unless I asked for it, and the MWs were extremely supportive and agreed with the stance I took with the docs (but didn't say so until the docs had gone out of the room obviously!).

Remember, it's your body so go with your instincts and don't be bullied. Good luck!

Thanks, feel a lot better about it now... a lot stronger tomorrow.

for tomorrow, I mean

Update - waters just broken a bit! Talk about timing!