Pih

Hi Shaun.

I delivered our baby girl this past Sept. I too had PIH and was on bedrest the last few weeks of the pregnancy.

Here is what I did to lower my BP
Cut out salts and high sugars.
Lay on left side as much as possible.
Try not to get upset or cry
Cut out caffeine

I hope this helps you and your little one. I also sell some great tea's that are supposed to help reduce stress during pregnancy.

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My prayers are with you
A.

Things that I tried that helped lower my bp during pregnancy were: a teaspoon of flax seed oil in yogurt daily, regular moderate exercise, reduction of stress (easier said than done), calcium/magnesium supplements and aged garlic (Kyolic) supplements.

A lot of midwives swear by protein to lower bp and should I have another baby I plan to eat more protein during pregnancy.

Do you have anything else going on besides elevated blood pressure? Your body is working hard with a lot of extra blood volume. I was diagnosed with PIH in my first pregnancy and treated as though I was pre-eclamptic but I did not have protein in my urine or other sympytoms of pre-eclampsia.

I was diagnosed w/ the same thing during my pregnancy. This caused me to have an emergency c-section at 36 weeks. My doctor suggested a no salt diet and trying to stay off my feet. Also try not to worry about your pregnancy there is nothing but good that your pregnancy will bring.

I am due in early February as well.What I found helpful was just relaxing and laying down.I had that with my last pregnancy and was put on bedrest.That helped alot.

O.k. This is very important. You need to start eating tons and tons of quality protein immediately. My midwife recommends eating an entire dozen boiled egg whites as quickly as you can stomach. Drink lots and lots of low fat milk. Also, salt your food generously. Contrary to typical hypertension, pregnancy hypertension can actually be helped by increasing your salt intake. Also, take to the swimming pool. The pressure of the water on your body can reduce water rention in the short term.

Have your doctor give you the surfactant shots needed to help your baby's lungs mature in case of early delivery.

Best of luck.

E.

Hi Shaun! I don't know that much about this, except a woman I have known for YEARS just had her baby Sophia, and she was stillborn. SHe also had the hypertension, and I and she feel she just wasn't watched close enough. I would make sure to get to the doctor (you may want to go to a high risk doctor) when you feel the slightest bit not normal. Have a wonderful and happy pregnancy!

I had this problem with my first child, and I do feel for you. PIH carries a potential for other problems as well which I won't go into because I don't want to scare you.

First off, look at your work load. If you're working long hours or have a really stressful job, you may want to look at cutting back or taking your maternity leave early (talk to your OB and see what he/she thinks, they may "order" you off work which would cut down any problems with your employer). If you cannot get your blood pressure down, your doctor may put you on bed rest-- which is no fun at all.

Try to stay off your feet as little as possible and stay away from salty foods if at all possible.

Shaun
I went through the same thing, doctors always told me to lie down on my left side and close my eyes in a dark quiet room and just breath through my nose and out through my mouth. Also said to elevate your feet to heart level, works great in a recliner when u aren't lying down. Since this is your 1st child, if you don't plan on breast feeding and fear the breast swelling, take a head of cabbage and put it in the fridge and take a hot shower let it beat down on your breasts and then when you get out of the shower put a leaf, enough to cover your entire breast inside your bra. the cabbage dries up your milk and removes the heat. Sounds funky I know, but thats what the midwife told me to do and you won't believe how well it works, just continue to change the leaves when they are wilted. Good Luck.

You may already be doing some of this, and some might seem like common sense, but here's my advice. Rest as much as you can. Try to avoid standing for long periods of time or doing any kind of activity that gets your heart pumping faster. Take a relaxing bath (not too hot) with lavender or gardenia scented bath salts EVERY night (or day, whichever you prefer) and try to soak for at least half an hour. Drink chamomile tea and read a good book while you're snuggled under a fuzzy blanket. Make your partner or a good friend give you a massage as often as possible (one a day would be best, even if it's just a hand massage... it'll help keep you relaxed). Have as many orgasms as you can! Stay away from caffeine, drink lots of water, and rest, rest, rest. Try to nap for an hour or more every day. Also, try some breathing exercises or meditations. An easy one is to sit cross-legged with your back flat against a solid surface, place your hands on your belly, close your eyes, and concentrate on your breathing as you breathe in and out for a count of 4 heartbeats. And if all else fails, go to a pet store and play with the puppies and kitties. The less stress you have in your life, the better, so do things that make you happy!

I've not had this to deal with before so I'm making stabs in the dark here. Try to keep yourself in a calm enviroment as much as possible. Maybe try some deep breathing relaxation techniques...you can actually slow your heart rate like that. Have you talked to your doctor about it and see what he/she suggests? Also stay away from foods that are high in saturated fat and cholesterol, and salt is bad too...salt will actually raise your blood pressure...try seasoning with other things instead like garlic powder instead of garlic salt. I know that salt raises blood pressure, stress raises blood pressure so try to avoid those things as much as you can. Good luck to you and I hope everything turns out ok.