White Coat Syndrome - Please Help☹

[Emmmie]

I have a terrible case of white coat syndrome. My blood pressure reading at the midwife's was 170/93 and I was sent straight to the hospital. While still VERY anxious at the hospital, the blood pressure did come down to 130 over something. There were no signs of pre-eclampsia in my blood or urine and I was sent home.
I have another appointment with the midwife on Monday and I am terrified I will have a high blood pressure reading again.

If you can offer some tips or advice, please do. 🌻

I bought my own BP reader and show the results that I take regularly at home. I am not pregnant now but having high BP my GP has to check regularly but is happy with my own readings.
If this isn't possible I make sure I sit and relax picturing a lovely calming scene in my mind's eye. It does help me get the result lower in a health care setting.

If they don't already, ask them to use the old fashioned manual BP cuffs, not the machines? In my case this may be "fear of BP machines" rather than white coat syndrome but it absolutely works for me :-)

They might get you to do a 24 hour blood pressure monitor thing. They attach a cuff to your upper arm and its attached to a unit that will record your blood pressure over 24 hours. Its awkward as the cuff inflates regularly including overnight but it was enough to show my blood pressure was ok at home

I had to buy my own bp monitor. My bp is very high when I'm with the doc but is grand at home.
Practical tips is avoid caffeine, try and have a good sleep, allow for 5 minutes rest before you get it taken and wear clothes that don't involve any fuss.
Even rolling up my sleeve made my bp go up.

Good news is you are getting great care. Its good they are taking it serious even if you feel its white coat syndrome it might not always be.

If they do the auto machine cuff on me, mine comes out super high but the manual old fashioned ones come out fine. Which one did they use for the high reading?

I have this. My anxiety gave me high blood pressure. I even freak out going to see the midwife. I ask her to give me five minutes or so before checking my BP so I can calm down and control my breathing x

Mine took bp once at the beginning of the appointment then part way through.

I was in every other day for BP checks. I asked them not to take it for at least 15mins after I arrived.
Walking from the car park with a massive twin bump always left me so out of breath and in pain so I asked them to let me have a drink (and sometimes a biscuit) and lay down for a little while first.

I get it too! It’s usually 110/70 but the machines always bleep like I am having a heart attack. A nice midwife told me to wait until later on in the appointment, to try and lie down as it’s being taken and imagine being on a beach (or whenever you happy place is). If it’s high they should take it three times to check it isn’t white coat syndrome.

Thanks everyone for your advice and understanding. I read that once anxiety starts there is a significant spike in the blood pressure, but then blood pressure tends to go down after a while even if a person is still feeling anxious. This would explain why later BP readings are usually much lower, despite any anxiety a person may be feeling. I was definitely more anxious at the hospital, but my blood pressure was much lower.

SunSparkle they did use the old fashioned manual BP meter both times. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Oh yes and my pulse was reading 143 beats per minute. They were basically measuring my heart rate and blood pressure during a panic attack. I hate this and I feel bad for my midwife, the hospital staff and for myself.

Yep i have the same issue, have done for years when going to diabetes clinic.
I take my bp at home twice a week and is always fine. My consultant is happy with my home BP readings.
Tips I use is close your eyes and think of somewhere beautiful and peaceful while having your BP taken- i think of a sitting on a swing watching the sea lap the shore in Thailand. Even with this my BP is always elevated when i go and see the midwife.
At 4 weeks i had to go to EPU for bleeding, my BP was 150/95 and pulse 140- not sure what they expected, I thorght i was maybe having a miscarriage!
The hosp should be used to seeing people with this condition. Get a home BP machine and check when you are relaxed at home. x

If its the same midwife each time i found it helped. Once i got to know her my reading would be fine because i could relax abit.

I have this and it’s a pain. After multiple trips to mat unit at 36 weeks I was put on medication to try and help.

Managed to get to 41 weeks before being induced, where I was monitored throughout.

No sign of pre eclampsia, just my blood pressure messing about!

Try not to worry xx