Pregnancy is a special, very delicate state of the female body. Right now you need full care. Any changes that previously could simply be ignored now take on serious meaning and significance. You are responsible not only for yourself, but also for the future baby. In this case, the issue of blood pressure is no less important than the level of hemoglobin or nutritional features. The doctor must take measurements with the expectant mother in order to track her condition. Moreover, the specialist should be alerted by any indicators that differ from the norm. However, today we are interested in low blood pressure during pregnancy. What to expectant mother how to raise blood pressure without harm to the baby?
Normal limits
What can be taken as a reference point? Normal pressure for a person is 120/80. However, your working condition may vary slightly. If the indicators are stable slightly higher or lower, and at the same time you feel good, then everything is in order. You can be calm. However, there is a lower limit to the norm. This is 95/65, the maximum permissible mark at which the doctor necessarily hospitalizes the patient. In this case, the figures must already be adjusted using certain external conditions (warm clothes, hot tea, good nutrition), as well as medications. Do not give up the possibility of a relaxing stay in the hospital. It is now important for you and the baby.
Causes
Why are we interested in this topic? Because it is a fairly common occurrence. Every second mother has low blood pressure during pregnancy. What to do, we will disassemble today. Most often this is due to a change in the hormonal background. From the first days, a woman's body produces progesterone. This causes a weakening of vascular tone and a decrease in blood pressure. That is, it is a physiologically determined phenomenon.
Hypotension Factors
In one woman, the decrease in pressure may be insignificant, about 5-10 units. For another, it becomes very tangible. Especially pronounced decrease in pressure happens in mothers, prone to hypotension. Therefore, warn the doctor at the first consultation. He will definitely tell you why the low blood pressure is diagnosed during pregnancy, what to do in this case, and what kind of prevention can be. So, the main factors that cause hypotension are as follows:
- Improper diet or hunger provokes a decrease in blood pressure. Expectant mother must forget about diets.
- Hot tub or shower.
- Prolonged stay in a stuffy room or in the heat.
- Physical or mental overwork.
- Stressful situations.
- Colds that occur with high fever.
- Pathology of the internal organs. This is peptic ulcer, adrenal and thyroid insufficiency, allergies and cardiovascular pathologies.
Clinical picture
A very important point. Every woman should have a complete understanding of how to determine low blood pressure during pregnancy, what to do and how to help herself. Most often, a woman feels dizzy and nauseous, general weakness and drowsiness. Symptoms are very unpleasant, since most expectant mothers are still working at this time and can not afford a good rest.
When can I take a low pressure during pregnancy as a conditional norm? 1st trimester is characterized by a sharp change in hormonal levels, so there is nothing surprising in this. However, severe differences in blood pressure can cause darkening in the eyes and ringing in the ears, a feeling of lack of air and even loss of consciousness. Most often, these are single events that do not require medical intervention, but it will not be superfluous to tell a specialist about this.
Diagnostics
What needs to be done to determine your blood pressure? The most important thing is to find a working tonometer. In any medical institution there is a therapist’s office where you can quickly measure the pressure. Large city pharmacies also offer a similar service. The device can be had at home. This will save you from unnecessary worries and quickly indicate the cause of the ailment.
However, there is also a false tonometry. This happens if the cuff is badly inflated or air is released too quickly. In addition, incorrect figures can occur when a woman is in a supine position, or her hand has a very small volume. In any case, there is nothing to worry about if you have low blood pressure during pregnancy. 1st trimester - a difficult period of body restructuring. In order to alleviate your condition, you need to listen to the advice of a doctor.
Therefore, having recorded a decrease in pressure once, the physician will most likely prescribe monitoring, that is, daily measurements for a certain time. If, having fallen, it soon rose, then nothing terrible happens. It is also not an alarming symptom if the pressure stably keeps at one mark, which is slightly below normal. Much more dangerous is his strong fluctuations. But that is not all. Every expectant mother should know that the most common symptom of low blood pressure is toxicosis. It manifests itself in profuse vomiting and dehydration. As a result, this leads to a large decrease in pressure. Excessive fatigue, tinnitus and tinnitus, palpitations are the companions of hypotension.
Risk to mother and fetus
This question is of interest to all women, because it is most important for us that the birth of a healthy child ends the long-awaited pregnancy. Low blood pressure is found in many people. And, it would seem, you can not pay attention to him. But it’s not so simple. Pressure can decrease even at night when the expectant mother is sleeping. Especially often this happens when a woman lies on her back. The fetus compresses the vena cava and blood circulation is disturbed. In this case, the problem may be not only in the poor health of the mother, but also in a violation of the development of crumbs. Although toxicosis, gestosis and anemia, which are the result of hypotension, are unpleasant phenomena. To avoid such a problem, doctors advise a woman to sleep on her side, and not on her back.
Reduced pressure leads to oxygen starvation of the child. Prolonged hypoxia can lead to miscarriage, stunted growth and development, and health problems after birth. Worst of all, the baby’s brain reacts first to a lack of oxygen. In addition, the baby is also deprived of nutrients, which means it will grow more slowly than it could.
Second trimester
If before 16 weeks low blood pressure is still considered a normal option, then it is definitely an indication that there are certain problems in the body. Usually the second trimester is much calmer. The expectant mother already ceases to worry about the upcoming changes and with great pleasure interacts with the crumb, which is moving more and more noticeably inside. At this time, a surge of strength and energy is replacing apathy.
However, low pressure during pregnancy (2 trimester) dramatically changes the picture. The expectant mother is hard, she constantly wants to sleep. The reasons for this phenomenon are the same. And as at the very beginning of pregnancy, arterial hypotension can lead to miscarriage and impaired fetal development, as well as labor weakness, if the condition is not corrected until the baby is born. Low blood pressure during pregnancy (2nd trimester) may result from increased fetal severity. Its weight affects large vessels. To reduce it, you need to sit in one position as little as possible, walk more, sleep in a comfortable position, preferably on your side, placing a pillow under your stomach.
What to do?
In fact, the doctor must find out the cause of what is happening. Only in this way can effective therapy be prescribed. If the decline is caused by a specific disease, then it requires constant monitoring and treatment. And of course, you do not need to seek the advice of friends and acquaintances. Women like to practice a similar method of treatment - consult on the phone with neighbors and ask: the pressure has dropped, what should I do? You will receive a lot of tips. But will they be safe for your child?
Analyze the above factors that trigger a decrease in pressure. Are they capable of playing a decisive role in your case. If the attack occurred due to stuffy air, just open the window and drink sweet tea. Do not forget about caffeinated drinks if the pressure drops. What to do after drinking coffee? Lie down, preferably raising your legs above head level, and relax. Soon the condition is normal.
A pregnant woman’s nutrition greatly affects her well-being. The more uniform and poor the diet, the more likely physical inactivity. Speaking about how to raise low blood pressure during pregnancy, it is necessary to note the role of a healthy diet. The menu should contain vegetables and fruits, berries and nuts every day. Particularly useful are carrots, lemons and grapefruit, as well as black currants. Be sure to have beef liver and butter in the diet.
In the morning
In order to feel better during the day, you need to properly "fuel" your body. To do this, it is good to drink sweet tea or coffee and have a good breakfast. These products increase blood pressure and improve well-being. However, you can drink no more than 2-3 cups per day - this is a safe dosage. In addition, it is very important for a pregnant woman to eat small meals. Long breaks between meals help lower blood sugar. We have already told you how low pressure affects pregnancy, which means that you need to pay special attention to this.
The main methods of increasing blood pressure
If each measurement with a tonometer shows low indicators, and neither proper nutrition nor healthy sleep helps, then you need to resort to other means. Let's talk about what to take with low blood pressure during pregnancy. The essential oils of laurel, basil and rosemary work very well. Massage with their use will additionally give an excellent mood. Enriching the body with oxygen is another opportunity to safely raise blood pressure. For this, there are special pressure chambers, oxygen cocktails. The usual walk in the park also helps.
Phytotherapy
But what if the above methods do not help? How to raise low blood pressure during pregnancy? Reviews emphasize that folk remedies work quickly enough and are safe for the fetus. These are Eleutherococcus extract, Ginseng tincture, Leuzea extract, Pantocrin tablets. However, we must remember that each of these funds has its own contraindications, so it is very important to consult a doctor.
In addition, it is recommended to regularly use celery root. It can be crushed into salads or boiled soup. It is very good to use ordinary strawberries. It is able to normalize blood pressure and increase hemoglobin. To stabilize blood pressure, a decoction of onion peel is well suited. More serious drugs are prescribed individually by the attending physician. If the indicators do not normalize for a long time, then hospitalization is mandatory.