Hello every one..
I had my 1st doctors appointment to confurm im pregnant ect (im roughly 9weeks),
1stly i didnt have to pee in a pot (which i thought would have made sence incase all three of my home tests were wrong lol) and she did my blood pressure.. now this is the thing that is worrying me.. she didnt say it was classed as high but she said it was something like 140/90 and thats more than it was 2years ago (i have put on a lot of weight since then..i was dieting but have stopped other than healthy eating since i found out i was pregnant) She didnt really explain much about what i can do, it just seems to be that sigh she let out that worries me.. Any body know what i can do other than excersise? what kind of foods help? Can you loose weight to get your blood pressure down whilst pregnant?
Sorry for the long post..its just playing on my mind as my mum had me 7weeks early due to high blood pressure and my brother was early too
Any help would be great 🙂 thanks
Saz
hi Saz
good news about the pregnancy, and the best person to ask about blood pressure is your GP or nurse practitioner to begin with
tigress
Hi Saz
Congratulations! Just chill. I am not a medical professional but common sense says just do relaxing exercise (walking, swimming). You cannot lose weight whilst pregnant but of course can eat healthily (although I was nauseous at the beginning and all I could face was stodge). Listen to your body though and try and enjoy the pregnancy. 9 months may seem a long time but it does go quickly. Just because your mum gave birth to prem babies does not mean you will.
Also the midwives will keep a closer eye on your blood pressure throughout the pregnancy so you may have to see them more.
Keep us posted.
x
Given the context that's not ridiculously high on a single reading. You've had exciting news, for a start (congrats) so may be more jumpy than usual with all sorts of changes.
Additionally, BP does fluctuate, it can be higher at the start of the consultation than the end, especially if you're late for the consultation and the GP has an office at the top of the stairs in a surgery on top of a hill (as was the case with my mother, who was on meds for years before we twigged this). It can be different depending on where in the body it is measured (which arm) and can go up because it is being measured (white coat syndrome).
So before calling this hypertension I would ask to have the reading repeated (the nurse can do this), several times on different days if necessary. And before agreeing to treatment (if it is offered) ask to have it monitored for a period of time and a few other tests to find out what is the cause. You might find that measuring it yourself at home tells a different story also, but let's not be obsessive about it.
More worrying would be a marked increase in BP later in the pregnancy, but that's another situation really (see preeclampsia).
Aside from all of this, meditation and biofeedback techniques may help - some people do say they can bring it down by wishful thinking alone. Otherwise, ask yourself what day-to-day things may be contributing to it - stress? Processed food (salt)? dehydration? Sugar, caffeine, inactivity no time to relax? etc etc. Light activity is adviseable for anybody who is able - taking the limbs through their full range of movement regularly can help moderate the balance between deep and superficial circulation. Walking engages the calf pumps.
No harm getting a nutritional check-up (just to make sure you're not eating something provocative) and find out who your local alternative health centre would suggest you see - there are lots of alternative resources, but I always recommend working with a practitioner.
It's all general advice: unless your doctor or midwife are advising a radically life-altering health programme, then start with the normal simple stuff. Be nice to yourself (and I don't mean lots of fresh cream cakes) and enjoy the next few months as much as possible.
Hi All & saz120
Absolutely agree with kvdp and heaven~spirit.
Please read their posts for my thoughts.
Take care, 🙂 x
As this was your first visit, you may just have been nervous or excited which could have put your blood pressure up slightly. I worked as a community midwife (now retired) for many years and frequently saw mums on a first visit with a slightly raised bloodpressure and more often than not it lowered on subsequent visits. There is a weight loss group which will accept you during pregnancy - not sure if I am allowed to advertise them, but it's not weight w.w. and they use red and green days (hope that makes sence). They will normally ask for a note from your midwife or gp but it is quite safe to diet during pregnancy - as long as it is done sensibly and under supervision. Hope this helps a little. x
Spiritwalker is right slimming world do accept pregnant ladies and they do well on the plan. eat a lot so never go hungry!
Amethsytfairy:)
Thanx every one.. feel a little less worried now.
Just seems this pregnancy seems too good to be true at times and im very worried something will go wrong...
I have now changed my diet (not drimaticly but hopfully enough) and have been gradually started to excersise.
Loosing weight is probably the best thing you can do -as the weight you have put on is undoubtedly a large factor in the rise in BP. But 140/90 isnt too bad. Its the upper limit of normal.
You do have to be very careful about losing weight during pregnancy tho. Ask your midwife for advice.
Apart from that make sure you rest a lot and take time to relax/meditate. That will also help keep your BP down.
I recently spent nearly 10 years as lead pharmacist for our local womens hopsital so pregnancy is something of a speciality for me!!