There are several health concerns a woman might have during her third trimester of pregnancy. These include constipation, hypertension, Group B Strep infection, urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy, insomnia, breach presentation and version, and others. We covered constipation during pregnancy in Blog post 54. In this blog post, we will focus on hypertension during the third trimester. We will learn what hypertension is and the four types of hypertension.

Personal Story

I never had hypertension. My daughter-in-law did. I was with my daughter in the hospital because her waters broke 8 weeks early. We had been there a week while the staff worked to keep the baby in utero and tried to mature his lungs. We had just received word that they would let the baby be born the next day. I was leaving the hospital to pick up my grandson from school, when my son called to tell me that my daughter-in law had pre-clampsia and my other grandson would be induced the next day, 3 weeks early. I knew what pre-clampsia was, but that was the day I dug in and researched it more. I had two grandsons born on the same day within two hours of each other in two different time zones. What an amazing day!

Hypertension Defined

Hypertension is when there is a continuous increase in a person’s blood pressure of greater than 140/90. To determine the condition, the blood pressure would be measured on at least two different times greater than six hours apart. It is the most common medical problem during pregnancy, and it affects about 10% of women. If a woman has hypertension, she needs to be monitored closely to protect her and her baby’s life.

4 Types of Hypertension

The four types are preeclampsia-eclampsia, chronic hypertension, preeclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension, and gestational hypertension.

Preeclampsia-eclampsia- a condition which only happens during pregnancy and cured when the placenta has been delivered.

Chronic hypertension- hypertension that started before pregnancy or that started before 20 weeks gestation and is persistent after 12 weeks after the baby’s birth.

Preeclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension- increased protein in the urine tells when the chronic hypertension has added preeclampsia.

Gestational hypertension- elevated blood pressure without increased protein that starts after the twenty-week mark of pregnancy.

Action

When there is a diagnosis of hypertension, close monitoring is needed. Weekly prenatal visits will likely be recommended, and a wise woman will make them a priority.

May God bless your healthful endeavors!

Joni

P.S. What experience do you have with this?