I wanted to call these sneaky tips because not many people know about them and even searching on google you probably won't find them...hence they're sneaky lol!
Alright....I gotta give you all the deets on my experience with high blood pressure and trying to avoid preeclampsia along with any medications. I am no expert and this is not medical advice, I am just sharing my experience. I searched high and low for information on this topic and let me tell you...it was hard to find! If I hadn't learned what I did, I would 100% have been on medication early on for high blood pressure, and that could have started a cascade of other interventions.
I struggled with high blood pressure as soon as I got pregnant, and I was able to manage it well enough to avoid medication until I got to 40 weeks, which I consider a HUGE win! If baby Luke would have decided to make his entrance by then I never would have needed it, lol. Anyways, I really love trying to do what I can to avoid any medications/interventions at first, and then once I have done my part and tried all that I know to try, then I am okay with resorting to those options, if necessary. I love that we have both options, but my body just handles everything so much better the more natural I am able to be and it keeps me (and in this case, also baby) better off in the long run too.
This is such a big topic during pregnancy and if you google "how to help high blood pressure", the ideas are very, very lame. Unfortunately, many doctors are going to probably just put you on medication, might tell you it's hereditary, and there's not much you can do, and/or tell you that you will need to be induced (all of these are huge red flags for me when choosing a provider by the way, which is why it's great to interview providers early on and learn how they would handle these types of situations).
On top of it being a big topic, it's also very confusing. It's honestly expected for us to be confused because we're given so much different advice on this topic. I was told complete opposite advice from different doctors when being advised on how to lower my blood pressure...helpful ツ
If you're looking for some help before going on medication, you're in the right place! Here are 3 of my sneaky tips and where to find more information:
1. The game changer for me....POTASSIUM. I was watching my blood pressure pretty closely and I noticed it decrease significantly when I added in A LOT more potassium. It was crazy. Google will tell you to decrease salt, but my midwives (and books I had read) actually suggested increasing salt. I looked into this more and I found that you don't necessarily need to be decreasing salt (you need those minerals big time during pregnancy), you just need the sodium to be balanced out with potassium. They need each other to do their jobs well. Side note - did you know since the recommendation of decreasing salt, we have had more heart disease? You don't need to fear salt. I owe learning (and piecing this information together) to a really good follow I found on Instagram. Check out Ash's highlight about potassium linked at the bottom of this blog, it's SO good.
How do you add in more potassium?
My favorite one...potatoes! Can I get an AMEN for this essential mineral being in a carb and not just spinach?! Proof that we need carbs...but I won't get on that soapbox today ツ We typically think of bananas (which are great), but there's a lot of other foods that have much more potassium in them that I had no idea about.
I never count my food super closely, but to give you a good idea, I was aiming for 3000 - 4000 mg of potassium a day. And when I think about what I was getting in previously....it was probably like 400 mg....
1 potato has about 1000 mg
1 cup of tomato soup has around 500 mg
1 banana has about 300 mg
We had baked potatoes/mashed potatoes with dinner often since they are about the highest source of potassium. I loved tomato soup with a grilled cheese for lunch. And I had more bananas with breakfast, but I also got a lot of potassium from drinks.
Here are the drinks I had just about every day:
+ Ningxia Red (500mg in 2 oz) I drank 2 oz once or twice a day. This is the most expensive on this list, so I use this wisely, but it's SO incredibly good for you, especially while pregnant.
+ Body Armor Lyte (700 mg each) thank you to my husband for pointing this one out! We get these from Costco to save some money. They have coconut water in them, which is another great source of potassium.
+ Adrenal Cocktails: There's so many ways to make these, but I stuck to about 4ish ounces of organic orange juice, 3 droppers full of mineral essence, and 1/4 tsp cream of tartar. I drank these before getting pregnant, but I upped it to twice a day. I would also occasionally add 1/4 tsp of salt. Orange juice and cream of tartar both have lots of potassium as well.
2. Another suggestion I was given was to take a tincture with herbs that are very supportive of the cardiovascular system. Remember that natural remedies, like tinctures, don't work instantly and typically take a couple weeks or longer for you to notice your body responding to it. What I thought was kind of crazy was that I stopped taking this tincture towards the end of my pregnancy (mainly just because I didn't want to buy another bottle) and then my blood pressure went up a couple weeks later. Could be a coincidence but I found that interesting. If you happen to live near Boise, The Vervain Collective, is where I got the tincture and my midwife actually called them for me and asked them to create it. The 3 herbs that were in it: Passion Flower, Hawthorn, and Black Hawthorn. They will all work to support your blood pressure.
3. Add in minerals and electrolytes. If you drink the amount of water that's recommended, you are going to be completely flushing out all the minerals and electrolytes that your body needs! We're often instructed to keep drinking more water. Not to toot my own horn, but I am the queen of drinking a lot of water, lol. I rarely have this issue and surprisingly, I still had a huge headache issue. I eventually learned that some of my chronic daily headaches were due to me drinking so much water that I was flushing out all of the good stuff that my body needed. Moral of the story - drink lots of water, but don't forget to get your electrolytes and minerals too. There's so many great drinks out there, and there's also lot of things you can add to your water too. This is also why I add minerals to my adrenal cocktails (and it hides the gross taste).
Those are 3 really easy tips that I hope are helpful! What I love is that you don't need to change your whole lifestyle, and it's pretty easy to add in potatoes, tinctures, and minerals to your life! On top of those things, don't underestimate the power of a little bit of exercise/walking too! I also noticed a decrease in my blood pressure when I started working out with my family a few times a week for even just 20-30 minutes.
If you're still experiencing high blood pressure, know that truly some of it may be out of your control. I have also read multiple times that researches aren't sure what causes preeclampsia. It sounds like it could also be due to where the placenta is located, which I don't think you can do anything about ツ At the end of the day, you know your body best and you were gifted with instincts. Do what you feel is best and what brings you the most peace of mind.
Here are a couple great resources:
Tell me any other helpful resources/tips to add to the list!
Much love,
Brittany ♡
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