32 weeks pregnant growth scan and pre eclampsia scare! I am now 32 weeks pregnant and I thought I would do a little update since this week has been a busy one. A couple of days ago I went for a routine growth scan. I have had to have these every four weeks since I was 28 weeks pregnant as I have a history of low birth weigh babies. I also have low Papp-A hormone levels which can increase the risk of delivering smaller or premature babies, and is also the reason why my combined screening came back as high risk.
My appointment consisted of a scan followed by a meeting with the consultant to discuss the results. What I didn’t however expect was that it would also lead to a pre eclampsia scare!
Growth Scan.
The growth scan went really well. Baby is following the growth line perfectly, is currently on the 50th percentile, and has an approximate weight of 4lbs 5oz. My eldest was 5lbs 2 at birth so this seems like a great weight. There are no signs that they will be a low birth weight or small for gestational age should I deliver prematurely. The scan was really positive, everything with the baby looked healthy and as it should, and no issues were flagged.
Results.
Before seeing the consultant I did a routine urine sample and had my blood pressure taken. My urine (pretty sure pregnancy is the only acceptable time to discuss urine on the internet) came back as having plus two protein levels. The consultant at the time seemed completely unfazed by this and it wasn’t even really addressed. As a precaution however all urine with plus 2 protein levels are sent away for further evaluation.
I had my blood pressure taken twice, the first time the nurse said it came back high so she wanted me to take a minute and try again. The second time she said it was fine and sent me on my way.
I came out of the appointment feeling fairly positive apart from a chat about my place of birth options – which I will discuss in a separate blog.
Do I have preeclampsia?
Fast forward two days and I had a phone call from the hospital. The results of my urine investigation had come back and there were concerns. I didn’t know this at the time but apparently the highest protein levels in pregnancy should be is 30 and mine had come back as 80. I was dropping Oliver off at his squirrels group (scouts for 4-6 year olds) at the time of the call so didn’t ask any questions. However I was told that I needed to go into MDAU (maternity day assessment unit) first thing tomorrow for monitoring and further testing.
When I went in the following morning I feeling pretty anxious. It was the first time I had needed be strapped to a monitor, or been called in to the hospital for any reason during any other pregnancy. I didn’t really know what to expect. I also made the mistake of Googling high protein and preeclampsia – note to self stay away from Google until you have spoken to medical professionals!
The midwives explained the dangers of having such high protein levels and whilst my blood pressure wasn’t in the high zone, it was elevated and higher than usual for me which also added to their concerns and need for monitoring. I sat with the monitor on for 30-40 minutes whilst I also had my blood pressure taken, a blood test to investigate my liver and kidney function, temperature and pulse monitored, another urine sample taken, and of course the babies heart rate and movements were also looked at.
Results.
Once the monitoring and testing was over I saw the Doctor. She said at present as I have no other worrying symptoms, and my blood pressure hadn’t reached their magic number she would not be diagnosing pre eclampsia…….Yet (the ‘yet’ was very direct and scary!) We discussed the possibility of me needing to go into hospital weekly or even daily from now until birth to be monitored should my levels not come down. It was also recommended that I pop into my GP or local pharmacist and check my blood pressure occasionally; just when passing, to make sure it was rising.
The plan for now was to see what my urine and blood tests came back showing and to from there. We discussed all the signs of preeclampsia and I was told I was to immediately go to hospital should I get a headache or any other signs – please see the NHS website and contact your health provider immediately should you experience any symptoms. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pre-eclampsia/symptoms/
With a trip to Butlins planned in less than 48 hours I was concerned that my results would come back before we left and we would need to cancel our break. However Monday came round, and as I had not heard back from the hospital I assumed no news was good news and off we went to Butlins to give the children a week of fun!
If you would like to follow my pregnancy journey including the results from the above testing don’t forget to subscribe for notifications.
You can also find my previous pregnancy related posts here https://tutusandmud.com/category/pregnancy-diaries/
