Nifedipine For Preterm Labor - Talking to my doc about the risks?

Question

Here are some things I read:
Why it is used- Labor needs to be delayed for 24 to 48 hours. This is typically necessary with corticosteroid treatment to help fetal lungs mature. Sometimes labor is delayed so the mother can be moved to a hospital with special facilities for treating premature infants. (I have been on it for a month and a half)
Side effects- Low blood pressure and a possible decrease in the blood supply to the fetus. Nifedipine has fewer severe side effects than ritodrine, but its potential for fetal harm has not been fully researched.
Not all experts agree on the relative safety of using calcium channel blockers like nifedipine for the routine treatment of women in preterm labor.
This stuff has me worried. I am 32 weeks and the baby goes head down with contractions (I still have them) so I am wondering about the risks to the baby compared to how safe she would be if born now and trust me I know the longer she stays in there the better. Continued...

I know I should consult my doctor but I want to go in well informed. I'm afraid that since they make think it is best that they won't take my feelings into consideration if you know what I mean. I have looked up a lot of websites but they don't seem to help much. It just scares me that since they haven't done a lot of research that this might be one of those meds that turn up on TV that people end up sueing over later becuase it hurt their child. I'm having a lot of conflicting emotions... can someone please help?

Answer 1

We did everything to keep my little one fromarriving early, and all was fine. your doctor is trained to weigh the risk between the benefit and the possible negatives, so bear that in mind. if you are really anti-intervention, then ask if you can try everything else first, but remeber...better toi intevene and NOT have a preemie than to let it go and deal with THOSE complications....best of luck...try to find less biased info on both sides. born now is WAY WAY worse than the rarest possibility. the criteria for stuff they can use on you is really stringent, so try to breathe and trust the doc, or get a second opinion from another doctor....