Medications

• You may require medication to treat your high blood pressure during labor or after delivery. It is unusual to require medication for high blood pressure after six weeks following delivery (unless you have a problem with high blood pressure that is unrelated to pregnancy).

• Most likely, during labor (and for a while after delivery) you will be given a medication called magnesium sulfate. This is to decrease your chances of having a seizure.

• If your baby is very premature (less than 34 weeks), you may be given a medication called betamethasone to help mature the baby's lungs.
• Medications such as oxytocin (Pitocin) or prostaglandins are given to induce labor and/or ripen your cervix. A Foley catheter is sometimes placed in the cervix to mechanically "speed" the dilation process.