What happens at day assessment for high BP?

[Moominmiss]

Just that really, I’ve had higher than normal blood pressure throughout this pregnancy so I was asked from fairly early on to monitor daily at home too.

I’m now 22 weeks and following 3 high readings (of more than 140/90) my midwife has arranged for me to go to the day assessment unit at the hospital today.

I’ve no idea what to expect, or how long I will be there and just wondered if anyone has had any experience?

All my midwife said was that I should take a book and make sure I’m comfortable as it could be a while.

Surely they won’t keep me in all day? Or was she just referring to possibly just waiting around to be seen?

Thank you for any help!

Hi I had the same as you and had blood tests and a urine test. Had to do a 24hr urine collection to be tested - not sure if they still do that. I ended up being given medication to keep my bp down & was monitored well. My babies are now healthy 21 year olds. Hope it goes well x

Thank you @defnotadomesticgoddess, that’s really reassuring.

So would the blood test and urine tests both be done today?

Is the day assessment unit just a place to go to have an appointment?

I’m trying to figure out why my midwife thinks I might want to take a book with me lol.

If I’m there for an appointment then surely once I’m seen I can just go home?!

Or do they keep you a bit longer for checks etc?

Did they decide to medicate your high blood pressure there and then or did they continue to monitor for a bit?

Did you have any other symptoms of high bp other than the reading itself?

Sorry for 101 questions!

I had to go in for a week after the birth and was in around an hour each time. They took blood and also kept me on BP monitor for around 30/40 mins. Can't remember if I got blood results before I left.

I had to go to mau for high blood pressure. I was in most of the day. I think they checked my BP hourly for around 6 hours and had the monitor on baby.
I was much further along than you though so I was given a sweep and an appointment to attend again around 3 days later, but I had my dd the next day.

Thank you @namechange202086 and @SprogletsMum.

I really hope they just do similar to me in monitor for 30 minutes or so and let me go.

Hopefully because I’m only 22 weeks they won’t keep me in all day for hourly monitoring, I can’t think of anything more boring, although it’s great that your dd arrived for you so soon afterwards!

I should have just asked more questions then I wouldn’t need to be second guessing!

The first time they picked it up I was up there for hours, thoroughly checked for preeclampsia and got medication after they decided it was just the blood pressure..

I then had to go in every other day for checking and that was blood pressure monitor on me and whatever the monitor is on bump too.. but I was at 38 or 39 weeks. and once near my due date and past it a sweep...

The multiple sweeps didn’t work and I remember questioning the alarming beeping in my EMCS and being reassured oh the babies fine that’s just your blood pressures crashed 😬 a rapid return to normal then but stayed on the tablets until my 6 week check.

@vroc81 thank you.

I’m thinking more and more now that hopefully for me today it will be just be a case of quick monitoring for half hour or so, and maybe a urine test and possible blood test.

It sounds like those of you that were kept in for hours were much nearer your due dates, which makes sense as I don’t see what they’d do with me at 22 weeks if they kept me in for hours.

It does sound very scary about the alarms going off during your emcs though!!! I’ll be having an elective section this time as I’ve already had 3 sections, and I remember listening to all the monitors and beeps!

If it's a day assessment then they will keep you there for a good few hours, most of the working day probably, definitely bring a book.

I used to go in for 10am and would get let go at around 3:30/4 pm.
I would take my kindle and a puzzle book, some snacks and a drink.
The hospital had a wee fridge in the room I was abandoned in with sandwiches in for lunch.
I had a comfy chair and would have a nap.

You might be sitting there for hours with a blood pressure thing attached to your arm. That's why she said bring a book, not sure you're allowed to play with phone inside the rooms

I had 140/90 from about 34 weeks. I'd had a perfect pregnancy until then and felt perfectly well except for a dizzy spell the evening before going to the midwife.

I was sent straight to the monitoring unit at the hospital and spent a good couple of hours there. They monitored baby's movements and heart and tested my BP on an electric monitor every 10 mins for a good hour. There was a lot of waiting around while nurses saw to everything and everyone and while a doctor came to discharge me. I went in at 5pm and I think I was home by 9ish. Every time I went to the monitoring unit the first thing they would do was ask for a urine sample. They did feed me though!

The BP triggered weekly midwife appointments. The next week it was elevated again and I had to go to the monitoring unit again. This time I was there for the morning, the same tests and was put onto twice a week midwife appointments.

The next week, around 36 or 37 weeks, I had some incidences of good BP but then it was elevated again. Once more and to the monitoring unit where I had the usual shebang and an ultrasound to check the blood flow to baby and his size. Everything was fine, I was given 200mg of labetalol twice a day and booked in for an induction at 39 weeks.

I continued with the 200mg of labetalol and had to return to the monitoring unit twice a week until my induction.

Up until this point there had been no protein in the urine, no other symptoms of pre-eclampsia. The doctors and midwives diagnosed pregnancy induced hypertension.

The induction went ahead at 39 weeks with DC born at 39 and 2 in the morning. At that point it turned out that there'd been proteinuria while I'd been in labour and the doctors advised I'd had mild pre-eclampsia.

I'd rather hoped that I would get away without taking labetalol any more after birth, but I'm still on it. I went to the doctor 2 weeks PP however as my episiotomy wound had gotten infected and the doctor very happily dropped me to 100mg twice a day as my BP is now fine.

TL:DR - take a book and Netflix, BP monitoring is quite boring and waiting to be discharged somewhat stressful. Wishing you all the best!

@LettyLoman - must depend on which hospital - we were allowed to use our phones without issue on the monitoring ward.

Hi op how did you get on today. Hope it went ok. When I was 22 weeks I just had high bp. Nothing else showed up in tests but I was kept in until my bp medication was working then went home. From then on I had to go to the hosp I think 3 times a week to check my bp and urine. My scans were I think every 2 weeks possibly but it was a long time ago 😊

@defnotadomesticgoddess thank you for asking!
So I was in for around 5 hours. They monitored my blood pressure every 45 minutes and was reasonably high sitting just over 140/90 most of the time.
I actually had a consultant appointment by telephone today too so ended up being sat in there while on the phone and the consultant sort of took charge and spoke to a doctor there and it was decided that with no other symptoms they are happy for me to continue monitoring at home. If it’s still high at my next appointment in 3 weeks then I will be started on labetalol.
I don’t know why the consultant seems hesitant to start me on medication now, as it seemed that had my consultant not got involved today, the doctor at DAU would have started me on it from now.

So just ended up being a lot of sitting around. They only did a urine test, no blood test. They said my blood will be taken at my 28 week appointment.

So I don’t really know what to think 🤷🏼‍♀️

When they put you on labetalol they can't just tell you to stop taking it - I think they have to gradually reduce your dose. Might be why they are reluctant to medicate.

They didn't put me straight onto it either and my bp was mostly around 140/90