High blood pressure at 33 weeks

[BlinkAndMiss]

I was told yesterday I have high blood pressure when it's been quite low throughout my pregnancy. I feel very tired and have had floaty bits in front of my eyes but I've had them for ages, I've got a bit of a niggly headache but not enough to need painkillers.

I have to be checked again tomorrow - should I be worried or is high blood pressure just a symptom of being pregnant. I'm starting to really worry it's about to kill me, irrational I know .

I had this with my first. It was PIH (pregnancy induced hypertension) they monitered me for a few weeks and but me on blood pressure medication to bring it down but when that didnt work they admitted me to hospital and induced me at 38 weeks. It could be a sign of pre eclampsia so the will want to keep a close eye on you!
My DD was born absolutely perfect and healthy and i was weaned off the medication and blood pressure went back to normal!
I'm now 21 weeks with my 2nd and fingers crossed wont get this again but i know i will be well looked after if it does!
Try not to worry that will raise your BP further!
Hope your ok

Do make sure that they keep a close eye on you and that you let them know about the headaches and floaty bits - pre-eclampsia can blow up quickly and is nasty if not caught in time, so regular checks are the best protection. (I had pre-eclampsia and HELLP so I was induced at 38 weeks, all fine though I had a bit of a long hospital stay as my BP took ages to stabilise. Presumably they tested for protein in your wee sample and that was OK?

I had this at 33 weeks too, midwife sent me to hospital and baby was monitored but it returned to normal the next day. I was really hot/tired at the appointment. Are you getting enough rest?

Thank you for the replies :) jesspluss I only heard about HELLP the other day and it's terrifying, has there been any lasting symptoms for you? I'm sorry you had such a hard time.

I went back to the midwife yesterday and my blood pressure had risen again, she also tested my urine and found protein and ketones - so I was sent to the hospital to be monitored and signed off work for a few weeks. At the hospital my BP went down from 150/100 to 13?/70 then 82. They found no protein or ketones so sent me home with a blood pressure monitor and a dip testing kit. I have to send in my results every other day.

I immediately tense up at the thought of going to the midwife, I posted a little while ago but things haven't been going very well with my antenatal care due to mistakes and absences and an incompetent student. I also had a bad time in labour last time and want a c-section, my midwife is not keen on referring me and although we have discussed it she has not mentioned it in my notes - I had a good read of them yesterday. So, understandably, I'm really tense.

Since coming home I've done my pressure twice - 145/92 this morning and 137/91 just now. I'm not getting my hopes up at avoiding hospital tomorrow when I check it again in the morning. TBH I just wish they induce me now so that it can be over with, I was told yesterday that the baby would be fine at 34 weeks and I'm there now. I'm trying to rest but today was unsuccessful, I use family for childcare and because I was off work they took my 2 year old for a few hours then came to make me lunch etc - lovely thought but absolute chaos and an overtired toddler meant I didn't get any rest after lunch time until I got him to bed. Tomorrow he is with the childminder so that will be easier :).

I suppose it's just a case if waiting it out - I'm worried about becoming ill and having to stay in hospital. Do they prescribe the pills and keep you in or would it be just a few hours monitoring does anyone know? I can't believe how anxious I've become over the last week, I've barely thought about my pregnancy for weeks it been that easy!

Blinkandmiss i was prescribed labetalol and kept at home for a couple of weeks as urine was always fine but blood pressure shot up again at 37 weeks and i was admitted into hospital indefinitely with them eventually inducing me at 38 weeks.
I had the floaty bits in my eyes but no headaches and they wouldn't induce me until absolutely necessary! This was 9 years ago tho so likely things may have changed since then!
Once DD was here my blood pressure stabilised and we were home the next day but i still had to take the labetalol and be weaned off as the midwives reduced it too early and my BP went back up!
It is frightening and i remember asking them nearly every day to induce me so i knew baby would be safe but they know what they are doing and you will be well looked after.

I had high blood pressure in both my pregnancies - 20+ years ago! DS was induced at 38 weeks, and there were no issues. The situation was picked up with DD at 32 weeks, and I was in hospital on and off until she was born. It's a pain, but they will monitor you carefully, but you must be completely honest about any symptoms - headaches/eyes - for the health of you and your baby.

Problem with this is that whenever someone comes near you with a blood pressure monitor, your blood pressure shoots up! Still does with me all these years later

Good luck OP and take care.

I had high blood pressure from 32 weeks and went into hospital then. I stsyed until ds was induced at 38.5 weeks when i started getting protein. My bp was in the 90s and a higher. That was 20 years ago and they may medicate now.
i was asked every day about headaches, stsrs, pain under ribs and dizxyness

Thank you , I managed to get 2 readings on the monitor yesterday which were below 90 - both in the 80s (one morning and one night). It's just such a pain because I didn't move at all yesterday which might be why the readings were low. No protein either.

It just seems like such a waste of time being hospitalised, my DS is 2 and being away would be very stressful. And yes, every time they come near me with the monitor my blood pressure shoots up. Hopefully they'll just give me medication so I can get on with things, sitting perfectly still all day is unrealistic. Even washing my hair is too much at the moment!

I'm not sure whether I should just do what I'd normally do and get high readings so they'll medicate me, or whether I should be doing nothing so I get low readings - I'm completely over thinking it now!

I just think that surely it would be safer to deliver my baby sooner rather than later once I've developed a condition?

Hmm, can't really advise as mine blew up so quickly so it was only a few hours from having high BP and protein picked up at 38+6 to them starting induction! My HELLP was caught in time, so I didn't get any long term damage - I had a bit of a nasty BP spike 3 days pp and it took them 9 days to get the medication right so that they would let me home, but I weaned off it gradually and I think I was off all three of the medications that they gave me by 4-5 weeks.

On timing of having the baby, there's a really delicate balance to be struck between your welfare and the baby's, and I wouldn't second guess medical advice on that. While 34 weeks is pretty safe as far as early delivery is concerned, each extra day means they're more mature, reduces the need for things like a special care stay, steroid injections etc. Later is also better for you if they decide to induce rather than do a CS.

Just a thought but could you borrow/buy a home BP monitor so you can keep an eye on it away from white coat syndrome? I found mine very reassuring post birth and plan to use it in any subsequent pregnancies.

Anyway, good luck and hope all goes well.