Help! Blood Pressure starting to go up!

Well up until now I have had a pretty uneventful pregnancy for which I am very thankful! However, yesterday's appointment with my OB left me feeling a little nervous! My blood pressure so far has been very good - always with the lower number below 80. Well yesterday my blood pressure was 120/86. There was no protein in my urine but I do continue to have pretty intense swelling in my legs/feet and some mild swelling in my hands. The doctor said that they would need to "keep an eye on" on my blood pressure since it does seem to be creeping up. I did ask if I should check it on my own and he said that I could. I am supposed to call if I see the bottom number stay consistently around 95 or if I ever see if above 100. Now I'm getting myself freaked out that I am developing pre-eclampsia. Can anyone help to reassure me? I was still working full time and I am now going to cut my hours back to about 5 hours a day to see if this helps. Does anyone know if drinking more water has any effect on your blood pressure? I'm just trying to do whatever I can to make sure both the babies and I stay safe for a few more weeks.

Thanks for any advice or words of encouragement!

 

Drinking water probably won't help your BP go down, but it should help the swelling go down. I know that that cutting back hours on work will help and laying down and resting will too. Ask him for bloodwork next time to see if you're developing pre-e. You're probably not yet and it might help to ease your mind....that helps with the BP too!

 

I wouldn't worry about it too much. It isn't that high. Mine was higher (140/90 ish) at my appt. on Wed. No protein in urine. On Monday it was down to 116/66. They watch it too cause mine did go up at 38wks with DD and did have protein in my urine. I too have swelling going on. Just keep an eye on it but don't get over worked up about it. Laying on your left side helps too!!

April

 

120/86 is in the normal range--(well, the bottom number I think "normal" goes up to 85, but still!) I can't believe they were giving you a hard time about it! My doctor would probably KISS me if my blood pressure dropped to 120/80-anything!

Try not to stress--stress only elevates it more. (speaking from experience--I once checked into the hospital with a full blown panic attack, and my BP was 155/100, I was having chest pains, thought I was having a heart attack, etc.)

Try to relax as much as possible--especially before a doctor's appointment. If you drink caffeine, don't have any before you go to the doctor--between worrying about your BP and drinking the caffeine, you can spike your BP. If you can, listen to relaxation tapes or do gentle yoga breathing exercises whenever you find yourself getting really worried or stressed.

Also, if you've been exercising at all--walking, swimming, etc, and your doctor says its still safe to do so, remember that cardiac exercise can help with HBP.

Good luck!

 

I don't think your BP seems that high...I had Pre-E w/ my first pregnancy. It started around 34 weeks and I was instructed to stop working, drink lots of fluids and lay on my left side as much as possible. It slowly got worse and I delivered at 38 weeks (singleton) and my baby was totally healthy..now me, on the other hand...oh lord, my BP was up for about two days, post-delivery. The highest that I ever saw it was like 180/100. Hang in there, worrying will only make it worse!

 

Rest as much as possible... you may have to quit/take off work sooner than you had planned... I couldn't imagine still being at work that far in my twin pregnancy!

 

The other ladies had excellent suggestions - drink lots of water, rest and try not to stress out too much. I know that's easier said than done! (I remember DH saying "RELAX!!!! You have to relax for the babies!!!!!") When I was in the hospital for pre-eclamp. It's funny now because how can you relax with that kind of pressure!!!!

Put your feet up as much as possible, as that will relieve some of the swelling - especially at night. Baths help, too! Good luck!

 

Rest, rest, and more rest.

Mine was creeping up around the 19-20 week mark, as high as 140/100, I was put on bedrest for a week and it went down. Now I am only working 20 hours a week and resting like crazy and I am managing it in the 110/70 range.

So get off those feet, and relax!! Stressing out will only make it go up higher.

 

Mine would spike if I got anxious or was just too active. I spent more time in bed. Mine was up about 150/100 before the OB moved my c-section date up.

 

I just posted this the other day... I recently was reading in my pg book about bp and read that it's not so much a # that they look for, but rather a certain amount of increase from your baseline. The # that they usually look for- that makes them concerned- is when your top # has gone up by 30 and your bottom # by 15.... And obviously this can happen quickly or gradually.... in either case once it hits that magic number they tend to monitor you more closely to make sure it doesn't keep going up. Hope things go well... not sure if the other ladies mentioned...but watch your salt intake too, that can cause bp to go up.