High blood pressure can be due to many different things. I have always prided myself in coming from generations of people who have high blood pressure (HBP), yet not having it myself. We eat cleaner than most of society. I incorporate herbs in most of my diet. And we live very cleanly when it comes to using chemicals in products like soaps and farm products.
So imagine my surprise when the midwife realized I was dealing with HBP during the last few weeks of my pregnancy with our fourth child.
Looking back on my pregnancy with our third child, I actually believe I was beginning to struggle then with this issue, but it didn’t pop up until days after I delivered.
In this article, I’m using myself as a client “case”, and will show you how I was able to support my body with herbs, hydration, and nutrition during this time. I’ll also share how important it is to support your body before, during, and after pregnancy so that you may help prevent HBP, pre-eclampsia, and postpartum pre-eclampsia.
You can visit my supplement storefront to order many of the supplements mentioned in this article.
Pre-Eclampsia vs. Gestational Hypertension
Before we begin, we need to distinguish the difference between pre-eclampsia and regular gestational hypertension. The reality is that they are, and are not, the same. I know that sounds confusing, but just stick with me here.
Both issues are high blood pressure. But both issues are not equal in severity.
Your doctor or midwife will begin noting both issues when they see your BP reach 140mmHg systolic or higher, and/or 90mmHg diastolic or higher.
Gestational hypertension can progress to pre-eclampsia if you do not support your body during and after your pregnancy.
Pre-eclampsia is high blood pressure as well, but it becomes a more complex issue because the other organs in the body are now affected.
Medical professionals will often tell the difference between gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia by seeing if there is any protein present in the urine (which means you most likely have pre-eclampsia). If protein is not present, you either have gestational hypertension (which can turn into pre-eclampsia). Or they will test to see if there are other things present in your urine.
If you have low platelets, impaired liver function (or pain), kidney insufficiency or pain, fluid in the lungs, swelling in the face/hands/feet/ankles, bad headaches, or visual/neurological disturbances, these can all be symptoms of pre-eclampsia.
The reality is that whether its gestational hypertension or pre-eclampsia, high blood pressure during pregnancy can be a major issue.
Is HBP Normal During Pregnancy?
Often times your BP will be slightly more elevated than normal while pregnant. This is because blood flow is so much more prevalent than before. Blood volume increases by up to 50%, the heart pumps 30% to 50% more blood per minute, and your circulatory system goes through a complete overhaul in order to help support your growing uterus, fetus, and placenta.
The issue, however, is when you are either already struggling with elevated BP before you get pregnant, or when your body is struggling to stay healthy and shows extreme changes in BP.
The Issue Begins Before Pregnancy
My pregnancies take a lot out of me. But the truth is that most HBP issues begin before pregnancy. Your kidneys are already struggling to cope. Your liver is already sluggish. Your nutrition and hydration are probably already lacking.
So your body does what it knows to do when trying to grow a new life—it takes from your reserves. If you lack reserves before you even get pregnant, your body becomes depleted.
HBP doesn’t just suddenly happen because you’re pregnant. We must come to terms with the fact that our body could barely support ourselves before pregnancy, nonetheless growing another human within it. A human that needs to be hydrated, detoxed, and more…just like us.
Your body is now doing the detoxing and filtration process for two humans, not just one. And what are the main organs that do this?—the kidneys and liver.
What are the two major organs that suffer during pre-eclampsia? Your kidneys and liver.
Coincidence? Not at all.
As we look at the human body and understand how it works, we realize that HBP is actually a symptom of a deeper issue.
The good news is that you can support your body before pregnancy to help prevent the issue of HBP. You’ll also learn that you can support the body early in pregnancy to help your body filter, detox, and grow your little one.
What Were My Symptoms
I personally believe my symptoms started with our second child. I began “showing” very early in my pregnancy, but began to really stick out there after my twentieth week. My BP, however, was perfect. I never had any HBP issues. But looking back now, hindsight says that I was holding more fluid (in this case, amniotic fluid) than I should have been.
With our third child, my amniotic fluid was even greater. I was much bigger than I was with my second pregnancy, and I could barely fit into many of my pregnancy pants. I had even lost twenty pounds at the beginning of the pregnancy, so it didn’t make sense as to how large I was. I chalked it up to hormones and it being my third baby.
When my midwife palpated my stomach one day, she told me I had an abnormal amount of fluid. She wasn’t too concerned yet. My BP was fine, though maybe once or twice it would spike to 160/75. But that happened maybe just four or five times my entire pregnancy.
Large amounts of amniotic fluid can mean that your kidneys and liver are struggling to filter, causing higher blood sugar levels in your body. It then causes extra amniotic fluid.
Amniotic fluid is continuously replenished every few hours. The baby swallows the fluid, filters it through their kidneys, and then urinates it back into the sac, creating an ongoing cycle that helps maintain healthy fluid levels. And then, your kidneys do the same thing in your body. But when pressure is being put on the kidneys and liver, they have a hard time doing what they are supposed to do.
When my water broke with that pregnancy, there was so much fluid pouring out that I literally looked like I had lost 20 or more pounds. My stomach was so small. My husband even commented that it was a little weird that I now looked skinny while I was in labor.
After I delivered, the next day or two I felt like my ribs were going to come out of my body. It felt like they had been stretched so far and now they were stretched without support. I have a very high pain tolerance, but this hurt. I calked this up to just being so big with this baby, and I didn’t even think about taking my BP. I also had headaches for a few days, but then everything got better after the first week. I didn’t know this then, but these were signs of postpartum preeclampsia.
Remember, the difference between HBP and PP preeclampsia is that preeclampsia (or eclampsia) means your organs start to become damaged because of the HBP.
It wasn’t until my fourth baby that I began to really have clinical symptoms of HBP.
I had not lost all of the weight I had gained during the first 2 years of my last baby’s life. When I am breastfeeding, I gain weight. My cortisol levels were probably through the roof too (should’ve been my first clue!). Our third baby was very sleepless and my body took a great hit because of it. I was very surprised to find out we were pregnant again with our fourth baby.
It is important to note that our family was also under very high stress during my fourth pregnancy due to a health issue with my husband. This really set me over the edge in my lack of healthcare.
Once again, I began showing very early. But this time my pregnancy pants simply would not fit. I thought it was because I was heavier than I was pre-pregnancy all the times before. But that wasn’t it.
We noticed that I had a lot of amniotic fluid earlier, but didn’t really pay much attention to it until the end of my second trimester. I tried eating more protein, less carbs, and that helped bring it down a bit.
But suddenly at each midwife appt, my BP was high. I would consistently stay around 160-180/90 at these appointments. When I would get home my BP would be ok, around 140/80, but that’s still higher.
My midwife legally has to refer me to a specialist, but I declined. Which is the beauty of privatized healthcare. As an herbalist, I knew I could handle this. I know the limits of my body, and how to care for it.
In my third trimester my BP would no longer go down. I consistently stayed around 160-170/90. Some days I’d have headaches. I’d become tired. And I felt like my kidneys were struggling a bit. I stayed hydrated and began looking for ways to support my body (which we’ll go over in the next section).
One of the greatest things was only drinking clear liquids with the exception of herbal tea when necessary.
After I delivered, that was when the real issue began.
I had an aching pain (some days it really hurt) under my right shoulder blade in my back. I thought it was from needing an adjustment, but I quickly realized it was probably because my liver was struggling.
My kidneys were also hurting (I used to be prone to kidney stones), and I knew I needed to began supporting my body more seriously.
I struggled for six months after I delivered our fourth child. But praise the Lord, He gave me the wisdom to use the plants and natural products He gave to us to help support my body so that I can teach you how to do the same!
