I went to ob today and he said my bp is high (144/96). I was a little frustrated because when I asked what I should do to take care of myself he just said "don't eat salt". Ok- does that mean nothing with any salt in it or just no salt from the shaker and obviously salty foods like chips etc.
How am I supposed to know if things get too high? What will I feel like... why is it so hard to get thorough information from people who are supposed to provide it? grrrr

btw- my feet are so swollen that my ankles have rolls!!! It's so charming.

Sorry you have to go through that ...Just take it easy, stay calm cool collected, pray when you feel stress coming on...Rest as much as humanly possible and well don't eat salt :wink:

I had high bp with my first, and had to be induced.

It wasn't picked up at a ob. visit. Dh got home from work, and asked if I felt OK. I said I had a headache and felt a bit sick - nothing too unusual during the late stage of pregnancy in an Australian summer. But dh told me my face was swelling, and so were my feet, ankles and hands. So, we called the hosp. and were told to come in. That was at 37 weeks. They kept me in on bed rest (up to go to the toilet and that was it) for a few days then went home. A few days later it happened again, and by then I'd hit 38 weeks, so they induced me.

So, those were the signs I had - headache, nausea, swelling. Just not feeling "right".

Hopefully your bp will settle down! If in doubt, call your ob/hosp.

Praying for you! :)

I'm so sorry to hear about your high bp. Here's the American Heart Assoc. info on high bp http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=2114. It looks full of info and I hope you find it useful. I'll be praying for you. Stephanie :D

I agree with the water thing!!! Sluice that body :wink:

Are they keeping a closer eye on you, or does your doc seem pretty relaxed about the whole thing?

Don't worry I know exactly how you feel, I was blown up like a balloon with my twin pregnancy (this pregnancy for some reason I have been spared any swelling).

thanks gals for your input.
Part of my frustration was the nurse who did bp was taking it very seriously and said that it was not good- she appeared rather concerned. THen when asking the doc his impression was "its' not a big deal etc." So I don't know which one to get a vibe from.

I was/am kinda freaking out because many hypertension moms end up being induced and then that will more likely mess with my natural birthing plans. So I am trying to think about other things rather than sitting here getting stressed about it. Apparently that's not good for the bp!

I did notice that I feel much better when I drink gallons and gallons of water. I know this from work, but seems hard to do at home. Don't know why- the tap is right there.

I had high BP and extreme swelling with my first from 6.5 months on and delivered at 36 weeks....my feet were so swollen I couldn't even get socks squeezed over them! I taught PE barefoot! ;-)
My nurse practitioner hacked me off too...she told me to lay down for 15minutes every 1 hour throughout the day to help manage this....I explained that I was teaching elementary PE all day and that I couldn't just lay down anywhere, anytime....she had no other ideas than that to give me....here's what I found helped and researched....
Lower foods that help you retain water...Lay on your left side as much as possible and drink lots of fluid and try and have your limbs gently massaged each night to help move the fluid a little.....be prepared though that if you go into labor with high BP like I did, they may not let you out of bed! I didn't know this and was completely upset when they refused to let me out of bed for my and the baby's safety....and I had back labor....so having to lay flat on my back during back labor was seriously messed up! Just be aware that this could happen and if it does, roll on your sides a lot if you can manage with the monitors hooked up to you.

just wanted to say i share your frustration.. blood pressure is fine here, low actually (99/60 around lunch time), but my heart rate is high.. 114 at rest this last saturday.. i've been able to get it down to 104, and sometimes the high 90's.. not much to do about it but rest. hopefully the baby will come early, and that should remedy the situation!

I borrowed my friend's bp kit for home and found that my bp in ob office is considerably higher than at home. This might explain why the doc didn't seem to be taking it too seriously. He did find a trace of protein in urine last time, so is sending me for NST twice weekly until babe is born. I just hope it doesn't end in induction.

How are you feeling today?
I think another sign of high bp is dizziness.

Mine has been 90 (the bottom number) before but generally it was always 70. When I'd walked to the clinic fast it was usually a bit higher.

Just try to rest as much as you can. And keep an eye on the swelling. My grandmother had Toxemia (sp?) during one of her pregnancies and it was sooo bad she couldn't even put her shoes on. She was supposed to see her doctor one day and she told him she couldn't make it because she couldn't put her shoes on and he told her to come in straight away.

Be sure to let your doctor know of any visual disturbances( blurred vision etc), epigastric pain ( severe pain in stomach lower throat area) and if you develop a headache that is persistent and unrelenting. Call IMMEDIately if you have any two of these symptoms together.

PIH...pregnancy induced hypertension... comes with a few symtpoms. You only need three to be diagnosed with it. If you are borderline it is called pre-eclampsia. The symptoms are:

pitting edema in ankles
protein in urine
headache
blurred vision
epigastric pain
high blood pressure

I don't want to alarm you. I do not know what kind of doctor you have. Some of these symptoms are common in all third term pregnancies. Most women have some edema, but how long does it stay pitted after you push on it tells severity. You get headaches sometimes, but is it severe and does it never go away and is it accompanied by blurred vision?

Since your BP is already high and you already have protein in your urine and you have some edema...I would be sure to call your physician if you develop any of the other symptoms and keep ALL your appointments and avoid salt and drink your water( 8-12 8oz glasses a day)! Lying on your left side usually lowers your BP!