Thread: Avoiding induction this time?

Hi ladies
Thought Id pop over and say hi!! Im due dec 2012. With my son I ended up being induced due to "high blood pressure". I was so not ready and it took forever to dilate, he was face up, and i ended up needing an epidural. Thankfully i was still able to have him vaginally.

Now I say "high blood pressure" because it would be high in the OBs office, liike 150/100, which by the sounds of it isnt even that horrible. But my urine and bloodwork were all completely normal. And when my OB would send me to triage, they would let me rest for about 10 mintues then my pressure would be like 120/78. They kept askiong me "why are you here?!" LOL!!

So I think it was an unneccesary induction and I hope the same thing doesnt happen again. I thik I will stand up for myself more this time now that I have mroe knowlegdge. I mean, if my bloodwork was all wacky, of course I dont want me or my baby in danger, but we clearly were not.

Thanks for letting me share my story!!!

Are you seeing the same provider as you did with DS? I would defiantly voice my concerns as well. I had PIH at the end of DD's pregnancy, but I was high risk for all sorts of things. The first time it happened, I had the same experience as you -- all was fine at l&d. I hope this pregnancy goes smoothly for you and that your ob team is willing to let you avoid induction if it seems like another false alarm.

I really think this time you know enough to know not to just go along with it without lots of questions. You've learned a lot of the last 2 years since having Simon and seem just overall way more confident in your parenting and I have no doubt that will filter over to your pregnancy this time. It's hard when you're a FTM and pregnant and a dr tells you what to do, most FTM's first of all have no idea they can question the dr and second, they won't question them because they feel like it is blatantly putting baby in danger. I have complete faith in you and your body to safely deliver this new baby safely and without intervention And I have complete faith in your parenting abilities, I mean, look at that adorable son you've already done an amazing job with. You've got this girl!!!

I had a similar experience with DS2. I had high blood pressure in the doctor's office but not at the hospital the day I went to be induced. I was at 41 weeks and I think the doctor was just looking for a reason to get the baby out. My cervix was closed and they used cervidil. Luckily for me that started labour and I didn't need pitocin. The last time I chose a different provider (midwife instead of OB) I'm thinking it's too late for you to switch given the shortage of midwives in Ontario (but it doesn't hurt to look into it) With my 3rd I didn't have any problems and the baby came on his own (I did use EPO starting at 38 weeks though, 2 pills orally and 1 vaginally each day and I think that helped getting things going earlier)

Could you get a digital blood pressure monitor and check your blood pressure at home, write it down and take it in to the doctors office when you go? Sounds like you might have white coat hypertension, and if that's the case, being able to prove your blood pressure is fine at home should help your case big time!

Definitely invest in your own monitor! They only cost about $40 at the drugstore, and they remember the last 20 or so readings so you can show your OB your BP history. You're probably too far along to establish a baseline BP because BP tends to be lowest during the second trimester and then gradually increases again in the third trimester. You can safely go 20/10 above your baseline at the end of pregnancy, so if you know that your BP pre-pregnancy or in early pregnancy was 125/80, then 145/90, while technically "high" would be fine for you because it's not "too high" given your baseline. I hope that makes sense. Take your own monitor with you to your OB appointments to make sure that they're both in sync; if their reading is high, get yours out & see what it says.

Another thing is, if your arm is on the larger size, from either muscle or fluff, then make sure that they always use the larger cuff on you because that alone can artifically inflate your BP. And they should always always take your BP at rest, i.e. not immediately upon walking into the doctor's office after trudging through the parking lot & up the stairs. Insist that they take it after you've been waiting for at least 10 minutes, even if that means seeing the doctor first.

Originally Posted by AmberC727

Could you get a digital blood pressure monitor and check your blood pressure at home, write it down and take it in to the doctors office when you go? Sounds like you might have white coat hypertension, and if that's the case, being able to prove your blood pressure is fine at home should help your case big time!

As someone who is wimpy and had a hard time turning down an induction, even though I knew it wasnt necessary, I second taking your own blood pressure, even if only to reassure yourself that you are doing the right thing.

Originally Posted by Spacers

Definitely invest in your own monitor! They only cost about $40 at the drugstore, and they remember the last 20 or so readings so you can show your OB your BP history. You're probably too far along to establish a baseline BP because BP tends to be lowest during the second trimester and then gradually increases again in the third trimester. You can safely go 20/10 above your baseline at the end of pregnancy, so if you know that your BP pre-pregnancy or in early pregnancy was 125/80, then 145/90, while technically "high" would be fine for you because it's not "too high" given your baseline. I hope that makes sense. Take your own monitor with you to your OB appointments to make sure that they're both in sync; if their reading is high, get yours out & see what it says.

Another thing is, if your arm is on the larger size, from either muscle or fluff, then make sure that they always use the larger cuff on you because that alone can artifically inflate your BP. And they should always always take your BP at rest, i.e. not immediately upon walking into the doctor's office after trudging through the parking lot & up the stairs. Insist that they take it after you've been waiting for at least 10 minutes, even if that means seeing the doctor first.

Totally agree! I was going to mention about ensuring the right size of cuff too.

Do you remember how I was told I had hypertension last pregnancy? They always insisted on using the cuff machine. This pregnancy my providers' nurses always take it by manually after I've had a chance to sit and get comfortable with my surroundings. My BP is very, very normal this time. One commented how it was amazing that my hypertension "cured itself" (ha ha) since with DS they told me I had hypertension before pregnancy and didn't know it. I was NEVER comfortable in that place like I am in my current one.
Also, even in Canada you can refuse an induction. If everything comes back normal like it did last time, you can tell them no thanks how about some more monitoring in a few days instead?

Originally Posted by alwayssmile

Do you remember how I was told I had hypertension last pregnancy? They always insisted on using the cuff machine. This pregnancy my providers' nurses always take it by manually after I've had a chance to sit and get comfortable with my surroundings. My BP is very, very normal this time. One commented how it was amazing that my hypertension "cured itself" (ha ha) since with DS they told me I had hypertension before pregnancy and didn't know it. I was NEVER comfortable in that place like I am in my current one.
Also, even in Canada you can refuse an induction. If everything comes back normal like it did last time, you can tell them no thanks how about some more monitoring in a few days instead?

A friend of mine who's an ER nurse once told me that she refuses to use the BP machines, because they tighten too much--artificially raising the person's BP.