Long post ahead:

Hi ladies, first time mom here. I did have two pregnancies last year but lost them both very early at 7 weeks. My question is related to high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia, and future complications.

I am overweight so I know I started out at a higher risk. Prior to getting pregnant and up until about a few weeks ago my blood pressure readings were below or right at 120 / 70. So not great, but not terrible either. Starting in May my top number went up to around 124. Still not good but not the worst either.

For the last month and a half I’ve been seeing a new midwife in my docs office because my usual one wasn’t available on the days I’ve been going. This new midwife doesn’t read my chart before coming in the room and asks if I had ever been pregnant before and several other things that I think she should know already had she read my chart. She finally looks at it and tells me that about a year ago someone put on my chart that I had chronic hypertension. This was news to me as no one has ever told me that and no one had ever said anything about having high blood pressure either. Mind you, this was put on my chart during the time that I lost both of my first pregnancies, was in a bad car wreck, and was interviewing for a new job at work. Lots going on. Anyway...we talk about it and I thought she had agreed to remove it from my chart as a mess up. Well, I come back a month later (July 16), and it’s still on there and now she’s telling me she wants me to start taking baby aspirin and get an EKG. I’m so confused. I try to ask her why and she just keeps saying it’s because of this mark on my chart from last year. She doesn’t say that I have any current major red flags other than being overweight. At this point I’m mad because I thought we had put this behind us and she wasn’t saying anything about current risk factors. In my head I tell myself that I won’t take the aspirin but agree to do the EKG.

Fast forward two weeks to last Friday. I get the EKG done and it’s normal. Yay! I also go see the specialist that I’ve been seeing due to my history of miscarriages, fibroids, and endometriosis. The specialist tells me the new midwife sent her a message saying that she (the specialist) should talk to me about my chronic hypertension. WTF?! Now I’m really mad. I explain the history to the specialist and show her my blood pressure readings for the past few months from my OBs office, and she even agrees that it’s weird that this new midwife is saying all this and wants me to take aspirin and do the EKG. However, she does take my blood pressure after the ultrasound and of course it’s reading high 138/????. (Sorry I don’t remember the bottom number.) It’s high because I had been talking about this argument already and then they took my BP while I saw still sitting on the table with my feet dangling and very uncomfortable. The specialist recognizes that the readings could be related to other factors and tells me to get an at-home BP cuff and start doing readings at home and keep a log.

Now it’s Monday (yesterday) and my cuff comes in the mail. (Thank you, Amazon) I wait a little bit to do the reading because I’m nervous. I finally do the reading and it’s 134/83. What the hell is going on? I try to brush it off and later go to bed. Now, I wake up this morning and my hands are tingling and I’m getting worried. I’ve of course read all the horrible things about pre-eclampsia and I’m panicking. I try to calm down and do another BP reading. It’s 138/81. Now I’m in full blown meltdown. Now I’m terrified I’m going to lose my baby or die in delivery. I’m also mad at myself for being so stubborn with the new midwife. So I take the baby aspirin and just cry. I don’t know what can be done now? I don’t eat super unhealthy but have been trying to do better while pregnant. Everything I’ve read online says bedrest and reducing salt intake have shown to not help with pre-eclampsia. It also says the earlier you have issue, the worst the outcomes are for mom and baby. I’m so scared y’all. I don’t know what to do. I know I should probably call my doctors office, new midwife or the one I really like, but what do I say? I was a stubborn bitch and didn’t listen and now I’m scared for mine and my babies lives?! Please help.

I’ve obviously worked myself up a good bit here and need to hear from people who have experienced high blood pressure early in pregnancy (20 weeks or earlier) and what was the outcome? Thanks to anyone actually read all of this.