I am a huge advocate of prevention when it comes
to the issues of PIH (Pregnancy Induced Hypertension; i.e., high blood pressure during pregnancy), Pre-eclampsia and Eclampsia
(also known as "Toxemia").
While I do realize that not every case of PIH,
Pre-eclampsia and Eclampsia during pregancy can be prevented, I honestly feel that using an excellent diet and following good
lifestyle habits during pregnancy (and even before) can go a long ways toward preventing these issues in the first place most
of the time.
I also think that it is possible to monitor
one's own blood pressure (BP) during pregancy in order to detect any potential BP issues that may require medical attention,
and that one probably receives a more accurate BP reading by doing it themselves, since they are in a normal environment and
can see how their BP is reacting in normal, every-day situations.
What is scary to me is that most DR's treat the
issues of high blood pressure, Pre-eclampsia and Eclampsia during pregancy in ways that can actually cause more problems--problems
that can become deadly. I would be very careful about the DR I'd choose to treat my baby and myself in this type of ordeal,
if I felt the benefits of seeking medical attention for a situation such as this suddenly outweighed the risks for some
reason.
I would then be very cautious about what I
did and did not allow to be done to my baby and myself. I would insist that the DR in charge and staff members follow
the protcol on the Blue Ribbon Baby Website , which is where I would began to learn about the
prevention of these pregnancy ailments in the first place. It's a fabulous website and I highly recommend it to every pregnant woman.
JMO.
~Carrie
UC Board CL
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This is something I've thought about very carefully.
My first pregnancy ended badly because of high blood pressure and a diagnosis of pre-eclampsia. If I knew then what I know
now, I would have done things very differently.
There are different things that can cause these
symptoms. What might work in one situation, might not work in another. These are the things I would try before seeking medical
help. These are also the things I try to do to prevent this kind of problem.
First off, I do eat salt. Some feel that salt is
bad for pregnant women, the way excessive salt can be bad for middle aged men and women who are not pregnant. This is bad
medicine. Middle aged men and women who are eating a diet of processed foods often do need to cut out salt, and processed
foods to get healthy. Pregnant women are increasing their blood volume to nearly twice what it normally is, and are maintaining
a huge supply of ever refreshing amniotic fluid. You do not build up amniotic fluid, and then that's it. Your body is constantly
adding more to the supply, and more is coming back through the placenta, into you, and back out your kidneys. Pregnant women
*need* salt, preferably unprocessed sea salt (more balanced mineral content). Not eating enough salt will throw off this whole
balance, and can lead to swelling, which can cause high blood pressure. If you aren't getting enough fluids, your body will
stop letting fluids out. If you aren't getting enough salt, you can't maintain those fluids and the same thing happens.
I grew up on a salt free diet. My mom has hypothyroid
and has been told not to eat any salt at all. I had to work hard to learn to eat the stuff, and now I really like it. I use
only unprocessed sea salt. It is a bit grey and wet, and has a great balance of minerals in it.
Protein is the other key. I don't believe that
eating enough protein will prevent *all* cases of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, though many more knowledgeable than me make
this claim (see www.blueribbonbaby.org). I don't strictly follow any diet, but I do try
to follow the basic guidlines of a few good sensible diets, like the Brewer Diet and the Diabetic diet. I try to get the amounts
of protein that are recommended in the Brewer diet, at *least*. I've found that by doing this I can keep swelling away and
my bp down. During my third pregnancy I ate amounts of protein that I would have once thought absurd and unnecessary. I never
had to remove my wedding rings because I never swelled, and I maintaned normal bp through the whole pregnancy. I think that
there are other causes of high bp, and the symptoms associated with pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, and this isn't going to prevent
100% of cases. I do believe it will prevent most cases, and is a great idea for all/most pregnant women. I think that if one
is swelling, upping protein is a good place to start. If that doesn't work, it might be time to pursue other options as well.
If these methods of keeping my blood pressure down
were not effective, I would consider medicinal ways of doing so. I'd try herbs for it, after carefully looking into which
ones were best and safest during pregnancy. If that didn't work, I'd seek answers within western medicine. I would take blood
pressure medicine before I would allow my baby to be subjected to induction. I was induced because of high blood pressure
once, and now I know this to be really poor medicine. All studies indicate that outcomes are better for mother and baby when
blood pressure is treated, and the pregnancy and birth are allowed to progress naturally. I would only consider this kind
of intervention if all other avenues had been explored, and all other methods had failed.
Kiley
UC Board CL
