blood pressure

[sallymarie]

Hi ladies

just a quick question about my blood pressure. It has been really good so far and this week at my 26week check up it was 141/87... i dont know much about these numbers so is it very high and has anyone else had this happen? does it seem quote common?
I am a first timer.

[tiffanny]

When I pg with DD mine was about that from 20is weeks on. At 28 weeks it was 160/100 so I hospitalised and held out for another 3 weeks with lots of meds and delivered DD at 31 weeks.

[sallymarie]

did it make u feel any different when it was about what mine is??? like i am getting more light headed and i can feel my heart pounding at times then get really hot etc... hard to tell what is normal pg stuff lol

[Alan]

Hi Sally
Your Blood pressure is a little high.We usually like it to be below 140/90. But it also depends a little on what your blood pressure was before you became pregnant. If you notice any of the following then you need to get checke out.
Dizziness for more than a few seconds.
Stars, flashing lights, zig zags, dots, in front of your eyes for more than a few seconds.
Bad headache
Sharp pain in stomach (just above your bump

[Alan]

One thing I should add. It is not unusual for your BO to go up when you go to see the doctor/midwife. It is caused by being anxious/excited

[sallymarie]

thank you alan, i am getting it checked again in a weeks time so it will be interesting to see if it has gone back to normal.

[Alan]

You could also go to your local chemist or the hospital to get it checke if you need/want to

[Je$$_84]

Hi - i just had my first hospital appointment yeasterday and mine was 130/75.... midwife said it was ok but i'be been having dizzy spells. blured vision and sometimes it feels like my heart is pounding that much its going to pop out of my chest. It also makes my tummy pulse with every beat and looks like bubs kicking (i know its not bubs though) last pregnancy i had "borderline" high BP and when i was in labour it went sky high they had to put me on heart monitor. should i be worried????

[Snacks]

Hey Sallymarie, I'm so with you on not knowing what's high BP! I had it towards the end of my pg, and they did explain the numbers to me but I'm blowed if I can remember what its all about, LOL. They told me to look out for the symptoms that Alan told you, and a couple of times I came in to the hossy for a few hours (like maybe 3-4) and they monitored me every half-hour or so, and monitored bubs with the CTG. Each time, my BP was just fine after the first half-hour! I didn't consciously feel afraid or excited while they were taking my BP (the old 'white coat' syndrome) but aparently there was something going on there.
Anyway, the point of my ramblings is that hopefully you're in the same boat and if you can get monitored for a while as you relax, perhaps you'll find a different result?

[tiffanny]

Not really Sally although there were the odd occasions where I would get dizzy from standing up too quick. Towards the end of my pg I had flashing lights and severe headache that wouldn't go away and my kidneys weren't functioning properly hence my induction. After my DD was born that I had heart racing I don't know whether it was from the meds I was on or not. I do know though that when you are pg your blood volume increases by 20% so your heart has to compensate and work harder to pump it around.

I suppose worrying about it being high isn't going to help either lol I hope I haven't scared you xoxox

[Alan]

Hi Je$$
It is not unusual to ge those symptoms and proiding that they only happen occasionally and do not last for more than a few minutes then it is ok. But as with everything, I am not able to examine you so if you are unsure it is worth getting it checked

[Je$$_84]

Hi Alan - thanks for the advice
I saw my GP yesterday and my BP was 110/65. He said that he would monitor me through out just to keep an eye on things but for the moment things look ok.

[sallymarie]

Hi there,
i also got mine checked again and it was 131/90 on fri then went back down to 140/75 so was ok on sat now i have to have it checked again on thurs. No protein in the urine or swelling in hands and feet etc... but i did have quite a bad pain under my rib cage but that went away after about an hour.

[Alan]

Hi Sally
Your BP is still towards the upper limit. So I would expect them to keep an eye on it. Try to cut down on your salt intake.

[sallymarie]

i will be doing that, and yes they said they will need to keep an eye on it every few days.
Alan i also wanted to know what kind of range do they look at, how high does it have to be for them to medicate and how high does it have to be to have to deliver early??? i just want to make sure i stay under those limits.

[visitor2]

I've had high BP with all my pregnancies and each where delievered early. They included swelling of the hands, feet and face. Flashing lights/spots before eyes, protien in urine and they also run a blood test to check for kidney function and other stuff that at the moment i can't remember.
I know with my BP they wouldn't allow it to go mcuh above 140/90.

Sorry if all that scares you. Hopefully you won't get any of that and they will watch you very carefully now you have had high BP. It might have been a one off i had a few like that with my last pregnancy and a nice hospital stay with it. They thought they was going to deliever at 26wks but i lasted until 37wks 2days.

[Alan]

Sally
Michelle is basically correct however what they let your BP get to without intervention will depend on the following:
Your hospitals policy
What your BP was prior to your pregnancy (or very early in your pregnancy)
What, if any other symptoms you are having.

Also what some people may not know is that you can have a high BP without having pre-eclampsia. In this case your doctor may just give you some tablets that will help to keep your BP down.

[sallymarie]

i think that is what they are thinking that i dont actually have any other symptoms of pre-eclampsia only the blood pressure. My blood pressure was about 120/60 when i was first pregnant and it has gradually got up to what it is now. So i will find out Thursday if it is high again the doctor will see me and let me know what they are going to do.