stressed/depressed/worried

[Lazuli]

I just got back from the doctor a little while ago, and I'm kind of upset. I sniffled all the way home, actually. My blood pressure was up a bit, 122/88, which he said was too high and that if it goes any higher I can't have a homebirth. He also told me I have to eat more protien and more salt and I have to in general eat a lot more than I have been. I've been trying to up my protein intake, but it's difficult since I don't like meat and the salt thing is really hard since we're not big salt eaters. So that's a big worry. I eat when I'm hungry, but apparently that isn't enough. Now if I start eating a lot more (he said 8 times a day) my weight will probably go up, right? And if my weight goes up, won't my blood pressure go up? I'm so upset and stressed right now. I have to go back to the doctor every week now to check my blood pressure. I really don't want to have to go to the hospital....but it's looking like I won't have any choice. *sniffle* I don't know what to do.

[plantmommy]

Oh, no fun! If your bp is high, you certainly don't need to be stressing over where you might or might not be able to birth. : (

There's a lot of protein in things you might not expect; whole grain bread, brown rice, nuts of course, seeds and legumes, soy and soy milk.

You can make yummy smoothies with soft tofu as a thickener, blended with fresh or frozen fruit and a bit of sugar or honey to taste. Oh, now I want one of those!

Salted pretzels are fat free. Although honestly, I'm a salt person and crave even more salt when pregnant, so finding ways to sneak that in isn't something I have experience with.

[msrog]

I'm sorry for your nasty news at the appointment, Lazuli!! Hopefully you'll find lots of natural ways to keep bp low, and surprise your doc next time... I've not heard of eating more while pregnant causing higher bp, though, so I wouldn't worry about that! (We twin mommies are having to eat even when not hungry, too, and also encouraged to up the protein intake...)

[cottonwood]

My blood pressure went up just reading your post! :LOL

Edited to say: I should have asked what your blood pressure is normally before shooting off at the mouth. :LOL Is it a dramatic change?

[cottonwood]

No, you said it was up "a bit". So I'll go back to my initial reaction, which is that it sounds like he's being... overly cautious. It's actually normal for bp to go up slightly near the end of pregnancy, and it's not really considered to be "high" until the top number is 30 pts. over normal, and the bottom number is 15 pts. over normal. http://obgyn.uihc.uiowa.edu/Patinfo/...b/hyper10n.htm

Is it possible, also, that it has to do with "white coat syndrome"? You might want to get a bp cuff to check it at home, or use one of those machines they have at pharmacies.

ETA: if your blood pressure truly is borderline, isn't giving birth in a hospital, since you don't want to do so, only going to push it up? Seems like to me the safest thing for your baby would be make sure you're in an environment that is not causing you stress during labor, since that in itself will raise your blood pressure. It kind of concerns me that your doctor is looking at this only as a diet issue.

[Lazuli]

Thanks Blueviolet, I feel a little better now. This is only the second time I've seen this doctor. I don't know what my blood pressure is normally...wish i did, but I think it's normally something over 70 or so. He said the problem was the lower number. I'm not overly keen on doctors, which probably is part of the issue. He also made a comment about how I shouldn't be concerned about my weight, that I'm not overweight or anything, i'm pregnant. When not pregnant I admit I have some minor issues with my weight, but since I've been pregnant I haven't really thought about it. I know I need to eat more / better things and so I have and I've gained weight but it's not anything I obsess over or anything. I eat when i'm hungry and I'm not restricting myself. He asked me what I eat when I get up in the night and I looked at him very strangely. When I get up in the night it's to pee, and then I go right back to sleep. I did actually get up hungry one night last week and ate a luna bar before going back to bed, but otherwise....I'm just not hungry in the middle of the night. If I ate something everytime I got up to pee, I'd never get any sleep since eating would wake me up and once I'm awake at night I have trouble going back to sleep.

I see a different doctor next week. Of course, I do worry a little that I'm going to be so stressed out about my blood pressure that it will be higher, that viscious little cycle thing. Maybe I should try meditating beforehand or something..... I have issues with hospitals, I really hate them and the hospital where the doctors I'm seeing deliver is about an hour away when the traffic is good. If it's rush hour, we're looking at a good 2-3 hours. (Which is silly really, considering we're not that far from Chicago.) All of which is stress inducing. Hopefully things will be back to normal next week and I can stop worrying. For all I know it's because the drive to the doctors office stresses me out. (I HATE driving.)

*frowns* Okay, I have now confirmed that cottage cheese is, in fact quite disgusting and I won't be eating any more of it for added protein. Eggs tend to make me gag, I haven't been able to eat chicken or turkey for years, beef tends to make me gag..... I'm not going to force myself to eat things that are going to make me sick, that seems counterproductive. I think I'm going to wander off to the bathroom and have a nice soak in the tub.

[cottonwood]

It really does sound like there's a good possibility your bp was stress-induced -- I mean, the conditions for it were certainly there. And if that is the case it means your body is working as it should -- it's not an indication that you're sick, it's a defense mechanism. But you still have to deal with the fact that the doctor will insist on the hospital anyway. Are these the doctors that would be attending your homebirth? I see you're in Illinois, the political climate for homebirth midwifery isn't too good there, is it?

Re: protein, what about milk, soy, tofu, ice cream, regular cheese (I hate cottage cheese too, lol), nuts, beans? One of my favorite protein boosts right now is refried beans with cheddar cheese melted on top.

That comment about night-eating is odd -- like he was implying that pregnant women should be eating in the middle of the night?

[Robertsgirl]

Sorry about the yucky report. I agree with the other girls, I think your Dr is being a little one sided and not really being an advocate for helping you get better. BTW, your BP isn't considered "high" yet, just elevated, which is normal in late pg....you just don't want it too high. Mine was starting to creep up some the last two appts with my MW and she told me to buy a cheap machine to use at home every day. She wasn't worried about me having high BP but she wanted us to know that it was white coat induced BP because I knew I was being "watched". Sure enough, at home my BP is not elevated at all. Maybe if you do that and go to your Doc with good stats, then he'll get off your case! She also told me to DROWN myself in water to help. I'm drinking about 1 1/2 gallons a day, but am feeling better than I was before.

As for upping your protein....I struggle with this too. I've found yogurt is good with some granola or muesli. Also fruit smoothies as mentioned above but with a natural protein powder added has helped me alot. I HATE eggs and choked them down as much as I could, but I just COULDN"T force it anymore. I do try to get some protein at breakfast, usually with almond butter and banana on toast. Nuts are good to throw in anything or just munch on too!

Hope this helps! I get so frustrated with Drs sometimes!

Edited to add.......my MW highly recommends snacking during bathroom breaks at night to keep your blood sugars from bouncing around so much. She says just a handful of nuts while your on the potty can make a big difference......FWIW!

[Lazuli]

Originally Posted by blueviolet

Are these the doctors that would be attending your homebirth? I see you're in Illinois, the political climate for homebirth midwifery isn't too good there, is it?

Yep, one of these doctors will be attending. The doctor I saw the most moved and left the practice. We're loosing a lot of doctors around here because of the malpractice rates. And you're right, the political climate is bad for homebirth midwives here. Hmmm... can I buy a blood pressure cuff at Walgreens or any old pharmacy? Maybe I should keep track of what it is here at home and hopefully find it's consistently lower. Then I could take that info in with me and all would be well again.

[msrog]

Hey, I LOVE cottage cheese, haha!

[cottonwood]

I would definitely get a cuff! If you can't find one at a pharmacy, look in the phone book for medical supply.

[plantmommy]

Lazuli, another thought. Do you go to the appt by yourself?

I ask because maybe if dh went with you, you'd get a lower reading.

Typically, all of my kids and dh come to mw visits with me, but last time elder dd and ds had chickenpox, and dh stayed home with them. I went and brought Isabelle with me. When I got up on the exam table, she was petting my hair, gently rubbing my tummy and giving me the sweetest kisses! We got an all-time low bp reading that time. : ) So maybe if dh came along and did something soothing for you, it'd help?

[mum2tori]

I agree that he sounds like he's being really cautious. Part of it could be because he hasn't been seeing you regularly so he doesn't have a good BP baseline. I know today when the nurse was taking mine, she did it twice because it was a little "high". When he looked at it, he thought it was fine. I commonly read a little bit elevated during the last trimester. Mine is nothing to be concerned about it just a little up from last time. It's when it does a BIG jump that they get really concerned. Same thing happened to me while I was in labor, my BP was high and they wanted me to lay down. I wanted to sit on the birthing ball, I knew I was getting stressed because I wasn't comfortable. He came by to check me and said it was fine if I wanted to sit on the ball, my BP wasn't a concern to him because HE knew I was in my tolerances. The L&D nurse didn't know what my baseline was. My BP did go down a little while I was on the ball. I was much more comforatable there. Anyway that was a book and a half. :LOL

It is very possible, especially since you don't like Doctors and hospitals that would cause your BP to elevate a little. Next time, try some breathing relaxation exercises before they take it. Also, ask them to re-check it after you've had a chance to set in during your appointment. Might show that "white coat syndrome". Tell the DR. next time that you aren't comfortable in DR's offices, he'll take that into account.

Don't get the eating in the middle of the night. Okay yes, I find myself eating at night a lot. But it's because I'm still up and haven't gone to sleep yet. Can't say that I've thought to eat once I've gone to "sleep". Luckily I haven't had to make lots of trips to the bathroom at night. I just have to change position every 45 minutes instead. :LOL

Adding protein. Well that's not a problem for me. I'm a happy meat eater that can't get enough. :LOL BUT other ways I try to keep mine up are Nuts. I eat lots of almonds and walnuts. Usually by the handful in the evening. As hard as it is to try to eat 8x a day, it's a really good habit to try to get into now. You'll need that even more with breastfeeding. Don't worry about weight gain affecting your BP, you would have to gain SIGNIFICANT weight for it to really effect it. Remember you don't have to eat 8 MEALS, you need to lots of "snacks" or small meals. A bowl of oatmeal, a serving of yogurt, a serving of trail mix, a PB&J sandwich. Things like that. I got into the habit with eating more often during the day to help with my m/s as long as I kept a little something in my stomach I didn't get as nauseous. Smoothies can be wonderful, you can add all kinds of things to them. Flax seed oil is a good one to add. You can add veggies too but I've never been able to do that. :LOL Beans are also an excellant source of protein. We eat a lot of mexican food here.

A quick "snack" - take 2 torillas, spread some beans on one, sprinkle with some cheese and onions (if you like them), but the other torilla on top, heat a non-stick skillet. and Toast that puppy on both sides. The cheese should be melted and the beans will be warm. Cut into wedges and dip into salsa or picante sauce. Quick little snack-- great for kids too, Tori loves them.

Check you BP at a pharmacy, see if it's different. You want to only check at the same place each time because each machine can be calitrated a little different. Also they get abused a little different. So you want to use the same one for a baseline.

Try to not stress, it will only exhaust yourself and make you feel worse.

[Lazuli]

I go to all my appointments by myself, i don't really have a choice. They only have evening hours on Tuesday and my husband doesn't have a job where he can take off to go to the doctor with me. Trying to make an evening appointment would be rough and a little stressful since I'd have to deal with rush hour traffic and pick my husband up at a different train station. And that's if he can get out of the city on time, which i difficult for him. I've given myself a headache.....not good. I think I'm going to demand ice cream or something.

[Robertsgirl]

I got my blood pressure machine at Sam's. They carry them at any drug store and alot of supermarkets and places like Walmart. They aren't very expensive either!

[momto l&a]

Hardboiled eggs make a great night time snack

IMO just going to a Dr would make my BP go up.

Brewer diet says to salt food to taste. I detest salt on food when not preggo but when preggo I love salt :LOL

[hjohnson]

I have a blood pressure cuff at home and I keep an eye on my BP since I had pre-eclampsia with the last pregnancy. So far so good. My BP is usually somewhere between 115/75 - 122/78. I know that high normal is considered 130/90 for most people. I have heard the same thing with the smaller number being more important but I don't remember why. I will dig through my stuff from my last pregnancy and see if I can find some information for you. I have heard that drinking water with some epsoms salt disolved in it will help keep your BP low. I know that there are some lemonade recipies out there that call for epsom salt.

[JenInMpls]

Nothing to make your blood pressure go up like your blood pressure going up. Worrying makes it worse. Of course, you can't tell someone not to worry. So I offer you a big !

Cucumbers are one of the best natural bp regulators out there. It's better if they're slightly older. No, I'm not kidding! If you like cukes, start eating one a day!

Aerobic exercise is also good for your bp because it causes your vessels to stretch to accomodate increased blood flow.

My bp has been in the 110s over 70s at every appt. Frankly in my small studies of bp in my life (I did study circadian rhythms in blood pressure for a science project once) I have learned the systolic (1st) # is of more concern than the diastolic (2nd #). Hopefully that diastolic # will go down for the next appt.

I think it was irresponsible of your doctor to give you such a scare without giving you more background or suggestions.

Calm vibes to Chi-town!!

j

[msrog]

Oh, I just remembered the nurse was saying at last week's visit that my BP was high! She was going to have me lie down on my left side and retake it after I saw the doc, but he ended up saying he wasn't concerned. Weird. Maybe it does have something to do with our stage of PG?

[sistermama]

Sorry about your upsetting visit Lazuli...

The yummiest way to eat almonds -

Get the raw, unroasted kind still in their skins
Pour boiling water over them and let sit for about 2 minutes
Rinse them off with cool water and pop the nuts out of the skins
Put the nuts in a container, cover them with cool water and store them in the fridge
Change water everyday, like you would for tofu

I just grab handfuls out of the container a couple of times a day. Soaking them makes them kind of tender, not mushy at all - they still have bite to them. Plus it makes it a lot easier for your body to digest them, and absorb all their nutrients.