Labetelol at 27 weeks pregnant

[crumblybiscuits]

Does anyone have any experience with taking/requiring Labetelol from such an early stage? Every searched thread I find are from 37 weeks onwards. I've just spent the night in hospital after starting it and obviously blood pressure will continue to rise as I get further on in pregnancy. Should I be expecting to be induced at 37/38 weeks?

I have essential hypertension, so have been taking labetelol since before I was pregnant (currently 14wks) ...I take 200mg x 3 a day, and my BP remains steady (higher than average, but within tolerance levels)

I started 200ml labetalol twice a day from 13 weeks. It's highly likely I had hypertension prior to being pregnant but obviously wasn't being monitored. I'm 16+5 and will be seeing the midwife this week so will see how it's going. Hopefully it's working. I'll be having extra growth scans and the consultant said there's a "significant" chance I'll have to be induced early. She would not elaborate further so I'm hoping my midwife can clarify things.

Yes, I started it around 22 weeks. The idea is to control the BP before it rises, not after.

I had essential hypertension and my mother had pre-eclampsia. I am currently 37 weeks, there is no talk of me being induced as my BP has been well controlled on Labetalol throughout pregnancy. It's not a given that your BP will rise.

I started on 200mg twice a day, but that dropped my BP too far. I'm now on 100mg twice a day, coping fine (except for some possible side effects, but can't be sure they're from Labetalol)

I was on labetlol throughout my pregnancy which kept my pre-exsisting hyper tension under control. I had regular scans and blood tests along with BP and urine checks every 2 weeks at the midwives to try and spot any risk of pre-eclampsia. All was fine but they did induce me at 39 weeks as an extra precaution and my son was 9lb 4. TBH all the extra monitoring was a pain but necessary. Thank god for the NHS!

Did anyone not have pre-existing high BP? I have low blood pressure issues which makes the high blood pressure so unusual and they definitely seem to think my blood pressure will continue to rise now as it is still jumping up and down. I had an IUGR baby previously so they have said they are concerned the placenta will fail this baby too. I'm glad to hear that people have managed to go to 40 weeks though.
Thanks for sharing your experiences!

I went on it later as I developed pre-eclampsia - like you I had stable but relatively low blood pressure but it started creeping up at about 36 weeks. For what it's worth, I was induced at 38+4 because of it and it was absolutely fine - 12hr labour, no interventions, 7lb 3oz baby at the end :)

Did anyone not have pre-existing high BP?

Er, yes, several of us said we have existing hypertension.

Oh, sorry I googled hypertension and it said "abnormally high blood pressure". So I asked Did anyone NOT have pre-existing high BP? I have abnormally low blood pressure when not pregnant. I am still in hospital and pretty dosed up, I'm sorry if I'm being dense

I was asking if anyone was hypotensive pre-pregnancy not hypertensive.

Thanks LBOCS2
No signs of pre-e so fingers crossed it can be managed pretty easily with the medication and close monitoring. They said they were more worried about baby's placenta than pre-e at the moment so happy to hear of a good weight baby.

Sorry, "did anyone not" read (to me) like a posh way of saying "did anyone have" - maybe I'm just a posh git, apologies!

I had hypertension but it was under control (on different meds). So sorry, no advice from me on that!

I started labetalol at 32 weeks. I didn't have high BP before falling pregnant, I just felt unwell one day and my midwife recommended I went to the maternity assessment unit to be checked.

I was induced at 38 weeks as they discovered the placenta was starting to fail. DD was perfectly fine, although her blood sugars were low because of the labetalol. This is v common when the mother has been on labetalol, and the hospital will insist on doing regular blood sugar tests on your baby before and after feeding.

Between 32 and 38 weeks I was admitted to the antenatal ward a couple of times when my BP spiked and the dosage needed adjusting. I was also readmitted postnatally as my BP continued to go up (which is uncommon but does happen).

DD is now 18 weeks old and I'm still on 200mg of labetalol twice daily. At the highest, I was on 300mg three times a day, plus nifedipine.

I'm currently 11 weeks pregnancy and have started labetalol this week, I didn't have high blood pressure before pregnancy (although my GP is dubious about this!) And normal for me is 120/65-79. I had pre-eclampsia in a previous pregnancy and started labetalol at around 27 weeks and then annother drug but went to 37 weeks before needing induction. They never got the bp down completely but each time they would manage to reduce it slightly by adjusting the levels of meds.
Labetalol is making me feel awful, I've been off work but hate it as a feel all a bit precious (I've had 3 previous miscarriages so that adds to the stress!) DS was fine after birth and the induction was fine- I was on an epidural the whole way through to keep my bp down.

I don't have BP problems out with pregnancy and needed labetalol from 20 weeks this time, 34 weeks in previous pregnancy.

Ended up on 200mg x 4 times a day with some nifedipine thrown in for good measure, I had numerous stays in hospital, before and after birth, I did make it to 38 weeks. I also took aspirin from 12 weeks.

I didn't have high BP before becoming pregnant with my third child. I had to have two lots of IV labetalol in labour, too, because my BP spiked even after taking oral labetalol and having an epidural. I had not been induced but I did have a sweep at 40 weeks. DS was born soon thereafter and his blood sugar monitored. It was fine, though and he was fully breastfed.

consider I find that I need to take the tablets with food, otherwise they make me dizzy and physically sick (and that was pre pregnancy!)....I just take them after I've eaten, and I feel much better

I was admitted to hospital with my first pregnancy at 28 weeks with high blood pressure as a result of preeclampsia and I had no previous history of high blood pressure. I was on labetalol and nifedapene in increasing doses. I was in hospital for just over a month and my baby was born at 30 weeks. I remained on labetalol for around 4 months after (I think) until I was weaned off under gp care. My baby was IURG, but they ultimately decided to deliver by cesarean because my platelets were through the floor ( had platelet infusion pre surgery) and medication wasn't controlling my BP well enough. Hope everything goes ok for you!

I've been taking 2 X 200mg labetalol per day since about 16/17weeks. They suspect I already had pre existing hypertension prior to pregnancy but was undiagnosed and untreated. It's doing its job and keeping my BP within an acceptable level. I've been monitored fortnightly right through and now going to weekly (34 weeks pg now) and also having growth scans. Baby has gone from 50th centile to 10th between 28 and 32 week scans so scans now fortnightly which is slightly concerning but I'd imagine would be a different post from me altogether if I weren't on the labetalol. I had pre eclampsia symptoms in previous 2 pregnancies at the end with BP increasing from early on (no treatment given as not as high as early as it was this time round). I'm being induced no later than 39 weeks. Though depending on my scan this coming Friday could be earlier.

I've been on 50mg of labetalol twice (more recently three times) per day since 19 weeks. My BP is at the high end of normal outside pregnancy but doesn't require treatment, especially if I watch my weight and exercise (which I don't do enough).
I had hypertension in my first pregnancy in the third trimester and was on labetalol and nifedipine then, but looking back there was some evidence that the placenta wasn't working brilliantly by about 20 weeks I.e. relatively small baby. Placenta continued to be crap and I was induced at 37 weeks, baby born on 0.2nd centile but otherwise perfect and has caught up with all his friends.
This time around they have monitored the crap out of me and the low dose labetalol is more for prevention than addressing any real issue with my bp - I even came off it for a month because it was dipping too low. Baby is growing perfectly normally and is on track to be absolutely average in size. They are happy for me to go to term. Definitely worth the drugs.

Consider, just to second what mermaid said if you don't take them after/with food they can make you feel rubbish. I felt sick and had a tingly head for the first few weeks but then it settled down.

Sorry can't help op as I have pre-existing high bp. Good luck.