34 weeks high blood pressure and small baby

[shopes]

Hi,

I've been having high blood pressure the last few weeks, which I was put on medication for. I had a routine 34 midwife appointment yesterday and my blood pressure was still too high (120/100). I was told to come to the maternity unit at the hospital and they increased my dose and booked me in for a growth scan today.

Unfortunately, at the scan the revealed that the baby is too small. So I've been kept in overnight at the hospital for further checks. They've mentioned that they definitely won't allow the pregnancy to go beyond 37 weeks and I could be required to have it sooner.

This is my first baby and I'm trying not to worry too much. I'm waiting for the doctor to speak with his consultant and hopefully explain things a bit better as currently there's a lot of "ifs, maybes, mights" etc and I don't know what's happening at all.

I've been whisked off to the antenatal ward and I'm now just waiting for someone to tell me what's next.

I wish my husband could be here. If anyone has any similar experiences or advice please share, as I don't know what to think at the moment.

Sorry for the long post.

Hi
Sorry you’re having some complications, it can be a bit of a scary time. Without knowing too much detail it seems like you probably have pre eclampsia - small baby + high blood pressure is one way to diagnose it. No doubt they’ve done a urine test and some blood tests for you. Often preeclampsia can be treated and stay stable, and usually that would mean delivery at 37 weeks (most often induction). Small baby sometimes changes that picture a little bit - but it depends on how small and what is happening with the doppler measurements, baby’s heart rate on CTG etc. Again those checks have probably been done so your doctors should be able to talk you through things in the morning.
If you are under 35 weeks with a diagnosis of pre eclampsia you will usually be offered steroid injections to help the baby in case she/he is delivered in the next few days. If not pre eclampsia then sometimes not, depends on exact details.
Unfortunately you may find that there remain lots of “ifs, maybes, mights” because it can be unpredictable. Ie - usually the aim will be 37 weeks, but if the baby’s doppler measurements get worse/if your blood tests get worse/etc etc you may need delivery earlier.
To reassure - this is pretty common and almost all babies past 34 weeks do really well. If delivered from now baby would be likely to need some support with feeding, may be a bit jaundiced (straightforward time treat usually), may need some help with breathing (but not usually a breathing tube). All the best and I hope you can get your questions answered by the doctors in the morning. X

I was exactly the same. I was induced at 37 weeks and had DS 12 hours later with only 2 hours of active labour! DS was 4lb 14oz but perfectly healthy in every other way

Try and keep calm and good luck

Thank you for the replies.

They ended up letting me go home in the end last night, after a steroid injection. Having a second one today. And then continued observations and tests pretty much every other day.

Now I'm just trying to find some tiny baby clothes, as everything I've already bought will probably be too big.

DS is 24 but my blood pressure was 105 , cant remember the bottom at 32 weeks. I was taken into hospital monitored every day, urine tested blood tests every week and scans every week .My blood pressure never went below 90 after that I was finally induced when i started getting high protein in my urine at 37.5 and blood pressure shot up to 125 and he was born 2 days later. He is fine
I think nowadays i would not have necessarily been kept in hospital and may have been given blood pressure tablets to keep BP down.