Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:did they try taking it while you were lying down?

What's the point of that? You shouldn't be doing tricks to get a lower reading if it mask what's going on under ordinary circumstances.

Have you dealt with this? New poster here. Second pregnancy with these types of elevations. I have white coat hypertension and with my first I didn't think much about the circumstances under which they were taking my blood pressure and would often arrive at the doctor's appointment after trying to make it across town, running a bit late, etc. The readings would be elevated like OPs. OB would always have me lie back and take it again. He said that what they're looking for with that is that it comes right down. If it does, no worries. There is a LOT of literature (medical literature) on the right way to take BP readings. Clinical settings are notoriously bad places to get readings because exercise (a pregnant lady huffing down a hallway counts!) will raise your pressure. If you run low, then it will be no big deal. If you run toward the high end of normal or even into pre-hypertensive land, then it makes a big difference. Anyway, OP, my urine was squeaky clean throughout my first pregnancy and I had my baby naturally at 41 weeks - no word of induction ever raised, though my BP did continue to fluctuate throughout pregnancy (itself a source of stress, that probably led to higher BP readings!)

AHA practice guidelines for measuring blood pressure:

"The position of the patient can have a sizable impact on blood pressure measurements. For the most accurate measurement, the AHA recommends that the patient be relaxed and seated with legs uncrossed and back and arm supported. Children should have their feet on the floor rather than dangling above it. If possible, the patient should be seated five minutes before the reading. All clothing covering the cuff location should be removed (rolled-up sleeves, if tight, may create a tourniquet effect above the cuff).

The middle of the cuff on the upper arm should be level with the right atrium, at the midpoint of the sternum. If the upper arm is below the level of the right atrium, the readings will be too high; if the upper arm is above heart level, the readings will be too low In the supine position, the arm should be supported on a pillow to raise it above the level of the heart, which is situated about halfway between the bed and the sternum. In women who are pregnant, the left lateral recumbency position can be used, with measurement on the left arm."

source: http://www.aafp.org/afp/2005/1001/p1391.html

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had high readings in all 3 pregnancies (maxed out around 150/90 but typically a few points lower). They monitored me closely (never had any protein in urine) thru all 3 pregnancies. Induced at 37w b/c of BP with #1 (perfect, no NICU). #2 came spontaneously at 37w (perfect no NICU). #3 they stripped membranes at 39w b/c of BP to see if labor would start (it did), perfect baby no NICU. All vaginal no drug births. They put me on anti hypertensives after 3rd baby as pressure remained high & they were concerned. FWIW high BP totally runs in my family. As long as they are on top of it & you take it easy & are on the lookout for any symptoms you & baby should be fine. I had 24hr urine tests, non-stress tests, etc.

Drink a lot of water & try to rest on your left as often as you can. Take it easy, stay calm. Good luck!

Lots of "perfect" babies end up in the NICU, PP. Please remember that there are women on this board, myself included, who've had babies end up in the NICU for all sorts of health issues, not imperfection issues - whatever those are.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all. It is nice to hear that there isn't cause for undue alarm. I did have a saltier-than-normal restaurant dinner the night before, a small cup of coffee an hour or so before the appointment, and a stressful drive through some heinous traffic. Probably not a recipe for the lowest of bp readings.

In any case, the labs came back normal, so I will keep hoping for the best...