Speaking of hypertension and drugs used to control it in today's (1/14)
posting -

My first question isn't breastfeeding related - but I thought maybe someone
here might have run across something similar while helping a new nursing
mom. Has anyone ever heard of hypertension setting in - apparently/hopefully
temporarily - post partum? I have always had low to normal blood pressure -
even through all of my pregnancies and this one was no different. Before,
during and after the birth my BP was completely normal. My Midwives and GP
are aware of post partum pre-eclampsia but I don't have that. Suddenly about
80 hours (3-1/4 days) after the birth (which was 14 minutes long from
parking space to toes) I developed hypertension. It would spike into the
90's (the bottom BP #) every time I'd get up. The longer I was up the higher
it would go. But as soon as I laid on my left side it dropped back down to
the 70s and 80s. It ended up escalating over 4 days to the point where when
I got up it was spiking well into the 100s and my resting rate wouldn't go
below 100 - I went to an emergency care facility then and they just took my
BP and sent me home - I don't think I'll be going back there for care. Then
all of a sudden the next day - the day of my Drs appt of course - it started
coming down. I now am getting readings in the 80s when I'm up and about and
60s and 70s when I'm resting. These are within normal ranges now, but I'm
concerned about it spiking, also it could reverse and start going higher
again and 80's are still high for me as I usually run in the 60s. Also what
is strange is that during this I have been waking up with high blood
pressure every morning (then 96 or 98, now 89) that goes down somewhat over
the course of the day and while my numbers are down now I am still waking up
with a higher BP in the am and it comes down by pm. You would think it would
occur in the reverse - the longer you're up the more hypertensive you would
get via activity and diet and lack of rest, etc. My Midwives and GP are
perplexed - so far tests have revealed nothing.

Also, my GP did give me a Rx for Aldomet (generic Methyldopa 250 mg) to fill
and use if I spike into the 100s or can't get my resting rate below 90. Is
this okay for breastfeeding? She said she uses it with all of her nursing
mothers. She said  because she takes lactation seriously she didn't want me
to take medication at all right now, she wanted me to wait this out and see
what it does. Since it was dropping I've agreed to wait it out - however I
insisted on a Rx for something if it reverses quickly because my grandmother
died two weeks after giving birth to her daughter later in life (I'll be 40
next month) after already having had 2 boys (just like me) and the reasons
are unclear - it was 53 years ago. Family has thought it was blood
poisoning, blood clot or what we now think of as post partum pre-eclampsia.
Needless to say this is worrying me a bit in light of family history. Which
no doubt adds to the hypertension.

Thanks for any input
Mindi
mom to nurslings Duncan 5-7-95, Parker 4-11-97 and Terra 1-2-1

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