How Can I Prevent Postpartum High Blood Pressure? 5 Ways

Once the baby arrives, your journey is far from over. The regular feedings, the lack of sleep, and breastfeeding mean your postpartum period is full of challenges. One of those is closely monitoring your blood pressure.

While blood pressure typically peaks three to six days after giving birth keeping track of your blood pressure numbers is vital to ensure you don’t develop any long-term complications from postpartum high blood pressure (hypertension).

If you have hypertension, we want you to schedule an appointment so we can help monitor your blood pressure and ensure you remain healthy so you can take care of your family.

We’ll take a look at 5 ways how you can prevent postpartum high blood pressure.

5 Ways You Can Prevent Postpartum High Blood Pressure

1. Maintain a Nutritious Diet

Whole grains, lean proteins and leafy vegetables are a good foundation for healthy eating, regardless of whether or not you have hypertension. Bananas, nuts, and yogurt are good options as well. 

Avoid drinks with added sugars, and if you’re breastfeeding, remember your baby eats what you eat, so have caffeine in moderation.  If you’re breastfeeding and want advice for healthy menu options, just check out our breastfeeding tips from our doctors and mamas.

2. Stay Active

It may seem impossible with the sleep deprivation and hectic lifestyle adjustments that occur when a newborn enters the household, still, exercise has benefits that extend far beyond blood pressure control. Exercise helps you sleep better, combats stress and releases feel-good endorphins.

Still, we urge you to be cautious. The postnatal period is not the time to start high-impact exercises or take demanding classes like CrossFit. Instead, consider walking or swimming. Any aerobic activity should be limited to low-impact variations. Because your body has undergone so many changes during pregnancy and delivery, you should contact us before starting any exercise routine. We typically advise you to wait six weeks after giving birth before delving into a more strenuous exercise program. 

3. Monitor Blood Pressure Regularly

Of course, you can’t maintain a healthy blood pressure if you aren’t monitoring it. It’s vital to keep track of it to ensure it’s not creeping into higher numbers. We can recommend a device for easy home monitoring.

A few quick notes about reading your blood pressure:

• You’ll hear the number referred to as one “over” the other, such as (for example) “120 over 80.” It’s written as 120/80, with 120 being the top number (called the systolic) and 80 being the bottom number (diastolic).
• The systolic number measures how much pressure is against your arterial walls when your heart beats.
• The diastolic number measures the pressure when your heart is resting between beats. 
• High blood pressure is when your upper number is 130 or above and/or your lower number is 80 or above.

We’ll be glad to work with your primary care physician and other members of your healthcare team to be sure you understand how to track and monitor your blood pressure.

You can learn more about high blood pressure from the American Heart Association.

4. Manage Your Stress

Blame it on stress hormones—they cause your blood vessels to narrow, and at the same time they increase your heart speed. While managing your stress is important, it’s not merely the stress itself that’s the issue. In fact, there’s no evidence that stress alone is a cause of high blood pressure. 

But the behaviors that can accompany stress can be bad for your health. When you’re stressed or depressed you tend to put exercise on hold and reach for “comfort foods” that are less than nutritious.  It’s easy to fall prey to “portion distortion” and eat more when you’re anxious.

Find healthy ways of dealing with stress. This can include:

• Deep breathing
• Participating in a hobby you enjoy
• Meditation
• Get plenty of sleep
• Speak with a professional counselor if your anxiety makes it difficult to participate in daily activities

5. Speak to Your Healthcare Team About Medication

Sometimes, you may need medication in order to lower your blood pressure. However, if you are breastfeeding, please speak with us or your primary care provider. 

Postpartum High Blood Pressure Statistics 

Nearly a quarter of those with high blood pressure still had elevated blood pressure more than six weeks after delivering their baby. Those who had a C-section were at greater risk for developing postpartum hypertension. 

Many factors can affect the chances of developing postpartum hypertension including:

We invite you to read more about the study to gather important information.

What’s Considered Normal Blood Pressure Postpartum?

A normal blood pressure should be 120/80 mm Hg (or 120 over 80).

Is Postpartum High Blood Pressure the Same as Postpartum Preeclampsia?

No, they are not. Postpartum preeclampsia is a rare but serious condition that presents multiple symptoms, of which high blood pressure is only a part. 

We urge you to contact us as soon as possible if you discover your blood pressure is extremely high with a reading of 140 or higher for the top number and 90 or higher for the bottom number. 

Postpartum preeclampsia is a medical emergency, and it is also accompanied by other symptoms such as:

• A persistent headache
• Swelling in your hands
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Vision changes
• Abdominal pain
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Sudden, unintentional weight gain

The bottom line is whenever you show high blood pressure after delivery, you should contact us, regardless of whether it is postpartum preeclampsia or not. Having a proactive plan in place will safeguard your health so you can concentrate on your baby.

How to Lower Blood Pressure Postpartum

Some of the most effective ways to lower your blood pressure postpartum were outlined earlier. 

Monitor Your Postpartum High Blood Pressure and Follow Up With Our Team at Chapel Hill OBGYN

With convenient locations in Chapel Hill and Durham, we will work closely with you to ensure you can maintain a healthy blood pressure, dramatically reducing your risk for other complications. 

Because high blood pressure often doesn’t have any symptoms, it’s vital to work closely with us so we can monitor your health to put you in the best possible position for a healthy start with your baby. Contact us to schedule an appointment.

The content within this article and others on this website is only for educational purposes and should not be considered as medical advice. For any questions or concerns, please consult with your healthcare provider.