As you’re heading into the final stages of pregnancy, your body is starting to prepare for the actual birth. A common occurrence for many pregnant women is a rise in their blood pressure. It’s generally not a significant increase, but some mothers can feel uncomfortable with their hearts beating a little harder than they are used to. This happens because the overall blood volume of mom has increased significantly, creating a need for the heart to beat harder in order to circulate it properly. The blood pressure will typically start to rise in the sixth month of pregnancy and go back to normal levels about six weeks after birth.

Some mothers become frightened by this change because it can feel as though the heart is racing or that there is an extra beat – but while both of these feelings are true, they are also not unsafe.

So long as you have regular physician care, you are merely just supporting the other little body inside of you.

But there are some problems that can go along with higher blood pressure. Like Pre-eclampsia, also known as toxemia, pre-eclampsia affects about 4-5% of all pregnant women. It is a condition that can happen in the later parts of pregnancy and can be harmful to both baby and mother.

In this condition, a sudden increase in blood pressure can lead to hemorrhaging and infection – it can be a condition that kills.

Occurring mainly in women that have either not been pregnant before or are carrying more than one child, pre-eclampsia is something that every pregnant woman needs to be on the lookout for.

Here are some of the potential warning signs of pre-eclampsia from a doctor’s viewpoint:

· High blood pressure

· High blood pressure, swelling, protein in the urine, and convulsions

· High blood pressure and increased protein the urine with or without swelling

But since you might not be able to recognize these signs, here are the symptoms that every pregnant woman should watch out for:

· Swelling of your ankles or feet that does not go away after 12 hours of rest

· Swelling of your face or hands that comes on suddenly

· Rapid weight gain, as in four to five pounds in a single week

· A sudden increase in your blood pressure

· Protein in your urine – found in a urine specimen at your doctor’s office

· Severe headaches that you have not had before

· Blurry vision, seeing spots

· Severe pain over your stomach, under your ribs · Decrease in frequency of urination

Pre-eclampsia will be something that a doctor will have to carefully monitor as you progress through your pregnancy. Once higher blood pressure is noted as well as other symptoms, your doctor will want to see you more frequently – as often as every day in some cases. Treatment includes bed rest and possibly hospitalization in more severe cases. Some moms will be able to use relaxation techniques to bring their blood pressure down naturally.

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