hi i wrote on hereabout 3 weeks ago asking for help dealing wth high blood pressure and pregnancy, to all of you who answered thanks, i did see my family doctor in the mean time til i could get to the ob and he put me on methildopa (a blood pressure med safe in pregnancy) and labeled my pregnancy high risk and took a bunch of labs. anyways, this might sound crazy but i think im contracting. at first i felt some braxton hicks and thought that since this is my third child it was probably normal and then a couple days of braxton hicks are now starting to feel like real contractions. im cramping in my lower back moving to my lower abdomin. they are not regular at all but havent stopped for the past 2 days. could it be the new meds or the fact that im high risk or could it be normal, im gonna get some of your inputs then probably more then likely go to the er, since my ob wont see me until his name shows up on the insurence (which it will in two weeks) and since my family doctor is not an ob. thanks
well i went to the er and they gave me an ultra sound, baby was very active (yay). the doctor said that sometimes dehydration or a uti will cause it (which i already knew that but iwasnt going to just guzzle a gallon of water and run out the door since that would have been useless considering your body will only process 15ml every 15 minutes the rest i would have just peed out) so they gave me fluids and tested my urine for a uti. that came back fine and the fluids did not help so i just called the ob that i will be seeing and that ive seen for with my other two pregnancies. im still having contractions both braxton hicks and real contractions. and my blood pressure is still running kinda high. i will update agian after the ob nurse calls. thanks
You really don't need another sister to tell you to go to the E.R. right away do you? lol...but if you have ANY doubts just remember that EVERY pregnancy is different but what you are describing , plus the fact that you are already high risk (I understand , I was too) should be more than enough motivation to at least let them hook you up to some monitors and check you out. Go! Shoo! And Good luck! :)
I have been on methyldopa for 5 years and 2 pregnancies and have high blood pressure so I feel for you. As for the meds causing the cramping, it is probably not the problem. I don't believe that is one of the side effects, I never had any problems with it during either pregnancy or in between them. I would call your ob and tell him/her what is going on. A few things to look for on this medicine though (off topic but might be useful to you), its common to feel a little light headed for a minute after standing up from sitting or lying down, if you start to feel dizzy or light headed or more tired than usual then check your blood pressure because it could be low. Likewise if you are hotter than normal, start getting headaches a lot or feel like its a little harder to breath it may be high. Methyldopa isn't exactly the best med for controlling high blood pressure but its pretty much the only one we can use and it does the job. Don't be suprised if further on your doctor adjusts your meds a few times..blood presssures change naturally at different stages of pregnancy so they'll have to adjust to that. One wonderful bonus of having a high risk blood pressure related pregnancy (gotta look for that silver lining right?!) is that you'll get a lot of extra ultrasounds to check the babies growth :) Anyway, sorry that was so long but I hope it helps you some!
Yes, you need to go to the ER right away! You could be at the starting stages of premature labor & if you wait any longer it may be too late. There are things that they can do to stop labor if it is caught in time. I delivered my son at 26 weeks & it was because it was not caught in time. So go NOW!!
Best of Luck!
I would go to the ER ASAP! I was told if there was ANY cramping/pain with Braxton-Hicks to be seen even not being high risk & since you are high risk, it seems you would be told by your OB to go..Good luck!
First of all go to the ER right away. You should not feel contractions at 17 weeks. Also what kind of Ob is that if he will not see you until insurance is cleared??? If you are having a problem he should see you and deal with the money later.
I am an Ultrasound Tech...go to ER! I have had 4 pregnancies and am very laid back, I don't rush myself or my kids to the doctor but I think you need to be seen ASAP.
Good Luck
Hello.
I had high blood pressure with my first pregnancy. I took Methyldopa twice a day through my entire pregnancy. I was put on it by my family dr also. It was able to get my BP under control, and was safe for me and my daughter. Today, I have a healthy happy 6 yr old daughter.
I don't believe the medication will make you have contractions. I would call their office and tell them it feels like real contractions. Personally I wouldn't wait on insurance. If you can't see the OB then go back to your family dr, or get seen by another OB. It sounds like something is going on. {{{hugs}}}
Try and relax as best you can.
Seriously? You'll wait to go to the ER when you think you're having real contractions? I would guzzle a gallon of water and head out the door! Contractions can be due to being dehydrated, but I'd want to know for sure what was going on. And I doubt just the fact that you're 'high-risk' is why you're having contractions. Your body doesn't say 'oh, I'm high risk, let's do all the stuff that goes along with that'. No. Seriously?
By now I hope you have gone to the ER. Please let us know how things turned out. WE are concerned for you.
R.
