Meds control the symptom--they don't change the underlying disease. So if you're developing hypertension or preeclampsia, the dose needs to be upped as it progresses. They'll want to keep your BP within a safe range to prevent effects for you and the baby, but if the underlying disease is worsening,...

They may bump your meds. There are a lot of open questions about just how aggressively to manage hypertension in pregnancy--you don't want to be overly aggressive, because of the effects of the meds, and because there's a theory (which I may not explain too well) that the fetus is used to your basel...

In your shoes? I would let your husband and kids do the housework and cooking, for sure, and take it easy. I wouldn't worry about trying to stay in bed all the time, but I would definitely not be exerting myself. I would try, since you're still feeling okay, are early on and not on formal bedrest, t...

Did they do a 24 hour collection, or just dips? Until your 24 hour reaches 300, you have gestational hypertension, not preeclampsia--the official definition requires both. The dipsticks are not very reliable because they measure concentration, not quantity. (I have a friend who got a 2+, then a 3+ a...

It is possible to have preeclampsia and get a clean random dip. The dipstick measures concentration, not quantity, so if your urine is very concentrated or dilute, the dipstick is not accurate. The 24 hour urine is the standard. I once got a freak low BP reading--at 36 weeks after my BP had been gra...

I have not taken labetalol (I took a different beta blocker), but one of the things beta blockers do is reduce anxiety (I can't remember the full mechanism of action--as well as keeping your heart from racing I think it has something to do with adrenaline). In fact, they are used to treat situationa...

The SMFM website is a good resource (just FYI, we are not allowed to name/recommend specific doctors on the forum). Does your OB have someone s/he consults with? That might be a good start because that would be who you would deal with if problems arose in a subsequent pregnancy. I would personally b...

If your baseline was 108 you may dip trace routinely. Ask, but providers are frequently unconcerned about trace protein--I always have it. The dipstick only measures concentration, so if your urine is particularly dilute or concentrated, it will throw off the dip.

I would really talk to your OB. Lying on the left lowers BP; that's the point and it's why you don't take it that way. It may be that because your BP is SO low when doing this, that they think it's a problem (too low BP isn't good for you or baby either) and you're better off running slightly high--...

With my first pregnancy, my BP rose before I started spilling protein. In hindsight, that should have been a red flag for my OB--I had preexisting HTN (140/95 in my first trimester... 6-7 weeks I think?) But yes, BP can rise first, but it's not PE till you have proteinuria as well. That doesn't mean...