High blood pressure occurs when the arteries become narrow and there is too much blood being pumped. Pregnant women who experience high blood pressure are at risk of placental problems, premature delivery, and a high chance of acquiring cardiovascular diseases.Fortunately, pregnant women who are having a hard time controlling their blood pressure, can take steps to keep their blood pressure stable not just for their health but for their baby too.
Here are some examples of steps that you can take if you want to get your blood pressure lowered.
Reduce or skip eating foods that are fried. Eating foods that are rich in oil or grease constantly can have negative effects on the condition of your arteries. The oils from these foods can accumulate in your arterial wall causing high blood pressure. If you can’t completely eliminate fried foods from your diet, you can balance it out with a plate of salad instead of eating French fries.
Take your medicine regularly. If you are taking medications for your blood pressure, make sure that you take them at the appointed hour. This will ensure that your blood is flowing properly so your blood pressure will remain stabilized.
Skip alcohol and cigarettes. Drinking alcoholic beverages or smoking cigarettes while you are pregnant is ill-advised as these habits can affect your pregnancy not to mention put you at risk of suffering from high blood pressure.
Meditate. Another tip that you can follow when it comes to reducing your blood pressure is to learn how to meditate. You can either learn how to do deep breathing exercises or do yoga to help alleviate your stress levels which is also good for your heart. Doing yoga can also aid you in developing flexibility while strengthening your muscles which is good especially when you are with child
Keep an eye on your weight. Although you will be gaining weight when you are pregnant, make sure that you don’t go beyond what is recommended as it can cause your blood pressure to rise. What’s more, too much weight might make it difficult for you to give birth. Monitoring your weight every week is a good habit to practice so you will know whether to shed some pounds or gain some depending on the recommendations of your doctor.
Don’t skip your prenatal appointments. It’s important that you stick with your prenatal appointments as your pregnancy progresses so you will know whether there are changes you need to make in your diet or habit to ensure healthy pregnancy. This is also useful if you are trying to keep an eye on your blood pressure which can spike at this stage.
With these tips in mind, you are in a much better position to regulate your blood pressure when you are pregnant to minimize the dangers that you are putting yourself into.
