# Postpartum hypertension



## lexbeach (Mar 6, 2002)

I've been having some blood pressure issues since about 4 days after my baby was born (on 11/14). My blood pressure was pretty high at the end of the pregnancy too (but no signs of preeclampsia), and then was normal for a few days after the birth before it shot up higher than ever.

I was taking labetalol for a few days but it didn't help my bp, and there was some concern that it could be affecting my baby's breathing (he's having breathing issues), so I just switched to nifedipine. I hate taking meds., especially while I'm nursing, but it seems like this is a scary enough condition that I should be trying to control it somehow.

Generally, my bp has been around 160/100, sometimes going up to 180/110. Has anyone else been through this? How long did it last? Any info. greatly appreciated. I also had high bp after the birth of my twins, but not to the extent that I needed medication, just extra monitoring.

Thanks for any help!

Lex


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## momtokay (Apr 29, 2003)

I had issues with my BP after the birth of my second. It wasn't high enough to need meds, but it was high (especially for me). It went down sometime between 2 weeks pp and 6 weeks pp, but I can't remember exactly when. I just remember it being normal at my 6 week checkup. I have no advice for you, but wanted you to know you're not the only one.


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## georgia (Jan 12, 2003)

Lex, I'm going to link this over in Birth Professionals


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## Jane (May 15, 2002)

I don't know much about blood pressure issues after pregnancy, but there are a couple of areas I might look at...
: Post-partum pre-eclampsia - are your organs still functioning okay (simplest check is protein in urine, blood tests are more definitive)? It's not common for it to come post-partum, but rarely it does
: Retained placental fragments or membrances - if it's enough to cause blood pressure issues, it usually stops your milk production
: You are getting hypertension unrelated to pregnancy - do you have a family history? Are you closer to 40 than 20?
: You have an unusual reaction to the hormones of birth, labor, and immediate post-partum. This reaction somehow raises your blood pressure as you adjust to normal post-partum.
: You have labile blood pressure, or "white coat hypertension" and there's enough stress with a baby who's having trouble breathing to keep it high and every time it gets taken, you get nervous and get a high number.


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## pamamidwife (May 7, 2003)

ditto what Apricot pointed out.

I'm so sorry, mama.


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## lexbeach (Mar 6, 2002)

Thanks for all the responses.

The new meds. seem to be working! My bp was 125/88 this morning (still lying down), and then 134/93 after I'd been up for 30 minutes or so. I'm so relieved. Hopefully it will continue to stabilize and I can go off the drugs in a couple weeks.

Btw, my bloodwork has all been normal, so no pre-e.

I do have a family history of high blood pressure (both my parents are on meds.), even though we don't "look" like people who would have high blood pressure (we're tall and skinny). I think it's partially because we're so anxious.

I'm 26 years old, and otherwise healthy, but pregnancy is hard on my body.

I do think I have the "white coat hypertension," but this seems different since lying down hadn't been lowering it at all (until today--yippee!).

And I definitely think that my anxiety about the baby could be affecting my bp, but it's hard to know how much.

My midwives say that postpartum hypertension usually goes away by 2-6 weeks postpartum, so that's what I'm hoping for.

Thanks again, mamas.

Lex


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