If a nursing mother has high blood pressure - what to do and how to understand why it has increased

Both during pregnancy and after childbirth, the hormonal levels in women remain extremely unstable. The body works in an intense mode, which does not have the best effect on the hematopoietic system as a whole. It often happens when high blood pressure is observed during breastfeeding, but the situation, even short-term, should in no case be left to chance. Such loads negatively affect the incompletely formed systems and organs of the infant. The lactation period is important in the life of women, and blood pressure levels need to be constantly monitored, and urgent measures must be taken if increased pressure has become an obsessive, daily occurrence.

What's the norm?

The normal pressure value is from 120x80 mm Hg. Art. It is acceptable to reach a level of up to 130x85 mmHg. Art., which is not considered a pathology. But if it exceeds 140x90, it’s worth thinking about. Constant jumps are fraught with the development of lactostasis, congestion in the mammary glands, the development of the inflammatory process and thrush if microbes and bacteria penetrate through microcracks in the body. The infection can get into breast milk, and this is already dangerous for the health of infants, and the mother will have to interrupt the feeding period until complete recovery.

IMPORTANT! A sharp deterioration in health, blood pressure exceeding 140x90 mm Hg. Art. should be a cause for concern and see a doctor. You cannot ignore swelling of the mammary glands, vascular spasms, in particular, systematic dizziness, headaches, and onsets of nausea.

Perhaps the time has come for an examination and treatment course. Also, with constant pressure surges, it is necessary to identify provoking factors and contribute to their timely elimination.

Are blood pressure surges normal during breastfeeding?

What to do if a nursing mother has high blood pressure? There is no need to be scared or sound the alarm prematurely. Hypertension in a nursing mother is not an indicator of the normal state of vascular and heart health, but still such a pathology occurs quite often in medical practice.

This is due to the fact that after giving birth, a woman’s balance of sex hormones is just beginning to be restored, the body is rebuilt to work with a completely different metabolism, and a newborn baby does not always provide the opportunity to fully rest at night.

If before the start of the lactation process a woman did not suffer from hypertensive crises, and during feeding her blood pressure began to rise to a level of 135 per 90 tonometer units, but the nursing mother feels well, then there is nothing to worry about. Most likely, the pressure will soon return to normal on its own.

It is much worse if blood pressure has jumped to 140 per 100 units and all the signs of a hypertensive crisis are present. In this case, the woman should be hospitalized in the hospital department.

Why does it happen?

There can be many negative effects on high blood pressure. Most often, these are stress, nervousness, and overexertion in women, which is typical after childbirth, when the condition is otherwise called postpartum depression. Blood pressure surges are especially triggered by severe labor, as women spend a lot of energy. Also the main provoking factors:

• hormonal imbalance;
• diseases of the endocrine system;
• development of cardiovascular pathology;
• born, acquired heart defect;
• polycystic ovary syndrome;
• abuse of alcohol, smoking, strong coffee, tea;
• genetic hereditary predisposition;
• stress;
• lack of sleep;
• long stay in a stuffy, unventilated room.

On a note! One of the main reasons for increased blood pressure during lactation is an increase in circulating blood volume and an increase in the infant's nutritional needs. Milk begins to be present in larger quantities, and the body works in a certain, enhanced mode.

High blood pressure cannot be ignored. If the condition has become an obsessive phenomenon, then you need to think about visiting an endocrinologist or cardiologist. It is probably time for a nursing mother to undergo restorative therapy to correct hormonal levels, identify the causes in a timely manner and undergo diagnostics.

Why does a young mother have high blood pressure?

Blood pressure is an indicator of the force of blood pressure on the walls of blood vessels. The average norm is considered to be 120/80. But if your blood pressure is slightly higher (up to 130 with the first reading) or lower, this may also be normal. As a rule, in women of childbearing age, if they are generally healthy and prosperous, the pressure does not “jump.” Women, by their nature, are more protected than men in this sense - estrogen, the hormone of youth and female beauty, helps them control cardiovascular health.

But when its reserves run out, and this happens during menopause, women begin to have problems with blood vessels, heart rate, etc. This is the time when blood pressure may first begin to rise. But this is a standard scenario, and in life, not everything always goes according to it - sometimes young women develop health problems characteristic of a certain age.

If a young mother has never had problems with blood pressure before, no one can guarantee that they will not arise in the postpartum period. It happens that during the entire 9 months of gestation, a pregnant woman’s body literally works to its limits: all systems take on an increased load. But this, many will say, is normal, as nature intended. True. This is the norm only for a healthy body, but a body in which some kind of malfunction occurs cannot smoothly go through the path of pregnancy. And this is not an exaggeration: obstetric statistics are inexorable - the percentage of patients who are registered for miscarriage is growing year by year. And such patients include those pregnant women whose condition was at risk - they were in hospital for conservancy or experienced other difficulties associated with pregnancy.

Therefore, we can predict that the postpartum period is not always prosperous. A tired body can fail. After childbirth, he is weakened and susceptible to infections, viruses and other attacks. Natural defenses may not be enough.

Other symptoms

Typically, high blood pressure is accompanied by obvious malaise and loss of strength; women complain of:

• dizziness;
• nausea;
• vomiting;
• headache;
• the appearance of dark circles and spots before the eyes.

An unpleasant condition or preeclampsia occurs. During the diagnosis, the concentration of protein in the urine is increased, and in women, the legs and body swell significantly. The pressure can take an abrupt form, i.e., decrease and increase in episodes. If there is a periodic increase in blood pressure after childbirth for 2-3 months, then we can assume the development of arterial hypertension of 1.2 degrees. You can no longer hesitate to conduct a full examination, in particular, to check the degree of functionality of the kidneys and urinary system.

The risk group includes women who have experienced pressure surges during breastfeeding and should be under the supervision of doctors for at least 3 months after childbirth. If high blood pressure has increased for at least 3-4 months in a row, then the condition is dangerous due to the appearance of fatal convulsions and the rapid development of heart failure, which poses a threat not only to the health, but also to the life of the woman.

For comparison, a table is attached indicating possible conditions when pressure increases, and signs that can no longer be ignored:

Advice! It is important to be able to reduce and control the pressure in time, preventing the level of 150x90 mm Hg from rising. Art. Swelling of the legs can lead to pulmonary edema, but it is no secret that many medications during lactation for women remain prohibited. This is fraught with failure, suspension of breastfeeding, and for the baby – refusal to accept breast milk.

How to lower blood pressure during lactation

What is the best way to lower high blood pressure? Doctors recommend treating the condition with Nifedipine, Verapamil or beta blockers, Metoprolol, Nadolol and Labetalol. In some cases, diuretics are prescribed, but it is worth remembering that they worsen lactation and require coverage with hormonal medications. In severe cases, patients are recommended to take medications: Dopegit or Methyldopa, which are practically not absorbed into breast milk.

General recommendations

What is the best way to reduce blood pressure on your own? The following recommendations will help ease the situation:

• A balanced diet that does not contain salty, fatty, fried, spicy or smoked foods. Also, the feeding regimen and excellent health will require giving up fatty sour cream and cream, fatty meat and fish, jam, confectionery and seafood.
• It is recommended to saturate your diet with vegetables and fruits, fresh or cooked with minimal heat treatment.
• You should give up cigarettes and alcohol, tea and coffee, and replace the latter with fresh vegetable and fruit juices.
• If you are overweight, you should consult a nutritionist. He will create a daily menu to lose excess fat mass.
• It is useful to keep not only your body in shape, but also your emotional state, avoid stressful situations and tune in to the positive.

Herbal treatment

If you constantly suffer from migraines, you can drink herbal tea from meadowsweet, mistletoe tincture or hawthorn juice. It is useful to use motherwort tincture or prepare a drink from the following herbs:

• Take 2 tbsp. l. juniper cones and lemon balm, 3 tbsp. l. peppermint and motherwort and 1 tbsp. l. dill.
• Mix the ingredients, then pour a couple of tablespoons of the mixture into a liter of boiling water, steaming it in a thermos.
• After 3-4 hours, you can drink the infusion at the rate of 0.5 glasses per day: once in the morning, once in the evening. It is drunk half an hour before or after meals, without drinking water or juice.

Therapeutic baths

You can take a relaxing bath with valerian. To do this, a bottle of tincture is poured into water to which sea or regular salt has been added. Duration of the procedure: 10-15 minutes.

For high blood pressure, a clay bath helps well, and the water temperature should not exceed +37 degrees:

• First soak 3-4 handfuls of clay in a small amount of water. Grind the mixture thoroughly so that there are no lumps or foreign inclusions.
• The clay mixture is poured into the bath, a head of crushed fresh garlic is added.
• Duration of the procedure: 25-30 minutes, while it is useful to do a self-massage of the body, and at the end rub thoroughly with a hard towel.

Useful tips: video

What measures to take

Increased blood pressure as an obsessive phenomenon should be a cause for concern. Understanding the consequences this can lead to, and especially with problems with the heart and blood vessels, it is important for women to know what to do in case of emergency in case of sudden surges in pressure and daily monitor blood pressure readings, keep a tonometer at hand for measurement.

Self-medication with unknown drugs is excluded. During breastfeeding, steroids that can only increase blood pressure remain prohibited, as well as anti-inflammatory and diuretics, which must be used with extreme caution.

The passage of drugs into breast milk, if the mother took prohibited medications the day before, can cause harm to the child’s health.

Low pressure

A woman with hypotension gets tired quickly; due to emotional instability, she can flare up over anything. During this period, there is a high probability of falling into deep depression, which is an extremely undesirable condition during lactation. Breastfeeding is of great importance for the baby, who not only receives vital substances along with mother's milk, but is also charged with positive emotions and energy.

When a woman suffers from low blood pressure, one can hardly talk about a positive attitude. Taking care of a baby, keeping the house clean and cooking takes a lot of effort. It is necessary to raise blood pressure in such a way as not to harm the child and yourself. First you need to understand exactly how low blood pressure manifests itself.

The disease is diagnosed in cases where the upper level is less than 90 units. The indicator is average, it does not apply to those for whom 80 is the norm. When blood pressure rises in such people, it is no more than 70-120 mm Hg. Art. Such physiological features are usually noticeable even in childhood.

Hypotension in a young mother manifests itself with the following symptoms:

• high irritability;
• constant weakness and drowsiness;
• chronic fatigue;
• dizziness;
• tremor in the limbs;
• loss of appetite;
• numbness of fingertips;
• blueness under the eyes;
• short-term clouding of the mind;
• emotional depression and apathy for no reason;
• sudden weight loss.

Medicines

To relieve the condition and reduce blood pressure, the following medications can be prescribed:

• Verapamil;
• Nifedipine;
• Labetalol, Metoprolol as beta blockers;
• Dopegit, Methyldop in severe cases.

These blood pressure pills are not absorbed into breast milk. But it is better not to use diuretics. The medicine can lead to worsening lactation and decreased breast milk production.

Approved medications include:

• Melidop;
• Nefedipine;
• Verapamil, but with mandatory dosage compliance and only after a doctor’s prescription.

When there is a surge in blood pressure, women drink motherwort and valerian in small doses, although exceeding doses is also dangerous for the health of infants. Feeding may have to be interrupted. Specialist consultation is required.

The following medications are strictly prohibited:

• ACE inhibitors;
• angiotensin blockers (Reserpine);
• diuretic tablets (Furosemide);
• injections in injections (Papaverine, Dibazol, magnesium sulfate);
• adrenergic blockers (Atenolol, Nadalol, Metoprolol).

Even if these drugs can lower blood pressure for a short time, they will ultimately only lead to new severe pressure drops. If you cannot do without medications to lower your blood pressure, then the main thing is to take the following:

• water soluble;
• high molecular weight;
• ionized;
• with rapid elimination from the body;
• achieving high concentrations in blood plasma in a matter of hours.

You need to take medications consciously, without forgetting that the baby’s health is only in the mother’s hands.

IMPORTANT! It is not recommended to take medications at pressure levels up to 150x95 mm Hg. Art. Above this level the condition may become critical. Signs of hypertension are likely and the best consultation is with a doctor. Taking unknown drugs can be detrimental to a child's health.

What medications are allowed during lactation?

What you can drink for blood pressure while breastfeeding, your doctor should tell you at your appointment. If the attack occurs for the first time, the emergency doctor will give the approved medication.

Conditionally approved medications for high blood pressure during breastfeeding:

• Dopegit;
• Verapamil;
• Metoprolol;
• Atenolol;
• Bisoprolol.

Why, you ask, are they allowed conditionally? This is easy to explain - all prescriptions associated with increased blood pressure must be individual. Each of the pharmaceuticals has a list of contraindications, and often a voluminous one; if the doctor did not prescribe, then some of the contraindications may not be taken into account. A mother who is in a state of anxiety due to high blood pressure may not look at the package insert.

To stop the spasm and relieve a severe headache, you can take a tablet of No-shpa, Ibuprofen or Papaverine. But after taking these pills, feeding the baby is allowed only after a few hours.

All medications related to ACE inhibitors, as well as angiotensin II receptor blockers, are strictly prohibited during lactation. The listed drugs negatively affect the health of the baby. Also, diuretics and products with clonidine are not recommended for a nursing mother. They will have a bad effect on the baby’s condition and will reduce milk production.

If a young mother’s blood pressure has risen due to anxiety or acute stress, she can drink soft-based sedatives - tincture of valerian or motherwort, hawthorn and peony. For heart pain, you can take Corvalol.

How to give first aid

If there is a sharp increase in blood pressure, of course, you need to call an ambulance. What can you do to temporarily stabilize your condition on your own before the doctor arrives? You need to act according to the following algorithm:

• lie down;
• eliminate sudden movements;
• open windows to bring in more fresh air;
• keep calm;
• eliminate feelings of fear and anxiety;
• calm down;
• take measures to warm your body and legs if it is very cold.

Complication

A dangerous complication of hypertension is lactostasis. The pathology develops due to blockage of the mammary gland ducts. The woman complains of lack of milk, pain, swelling. Causes:

• tight clothes;
• improper feeding of the baby;
• disruption of the process of expressing milk;
• errors in hygienic breast care.

An increase in blood pressure leads to swelling of the breast tissue, which causes the gland ducts to swell and lactostasis occurs. Without proper treatment, there is a risk of infection.

In order to prevent serious complications from the cardiovascular system, women during pregnancy begin to keep a diary recording blood pressure and pulse parameters, as well as other physical indicators. Blood pressure measurement is mandatory during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

See also: Does green tea increase or decrease blood pressure?

Causes of low blood pressure

A condition in which blood pressure is low is called hypotension. With this disease, its upper limit drops below 90. In a woman with breastfeeding, many nutrients are spent on the growth and development of her baby. Therefore, iron deficiency anemia is considered one of the causes of hypotension.

The next one is a deficiency of thyroid hormones - hypothyroidism.

There are also factors that influence lowering blood pressure, such as postpartum depression, stress, and overwork.