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low-blood pressure

7 replies

AllieBongo · 07/10/2008 09:45

i'm 31 weeks and have ben suffering from low blood pressure. i fainted last week and can only manage to walk or do anything for a short period of time before i feel dizzy, clammy and out of breath. i am still waiting for my midwife to appear today (she is over an hour late) i've only had an ante-natal check at 12 weeks, 28 weeks and i'm not due another check until 34 weeks. do you think it is unreasonable for me to ask for more check ups, as at the moment, i have 2 other children that i can do nothing for. dd (3) is badly asthmatic and has been in and out of hospital this week, so that means i get little sleep as she is bad a night, and ds (8) school is 5 miles away, but i don't want to drive as I don't feel safe in case I faint again. has anybody else suffered with this, and are they likely to induce me earlier if i ask them? my other 2 have both been perfectly healthy normal deliveries, both over 8lb. i just needed a rant! thanks

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AllieBongo · 07/10/2008 11:06

bump

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jeanjeannie · 07/10/2008 11:32

Allie - just wanted to sympathise. I've always had low blood pressure and with DD2 it hit the floor. I was fainting, shaking, breathless - it was awful The consultant basically said it was tough luck but they don't worry about it - unless you're about to have an epidural!

Sorry, I've got no words of wisdom - I just had to get through it and it was horrendous. My DD1 was a non- walking 17mth old and picking her up off the floor constantly meant I was always feeling ill. I did give up driving a month before the birth as I knew I wasn't safe

The only thing that helped me a bit was eating bananas (hate them) and choccy - which isn't so bad! It was only a fleeting respite but helped a bit.

Good luck with the rest of the pregnacy and you have my sympathy x

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AllieBongo · 07/10/2008 11:55

thanks jean. it is shit. the midwife has just been and said the same really, to get up slowly etc. the next 9 weeks are going to take forever i think! dh is picking ds up from school, dd is off nursery until she is fully better (she has an infected toe now ) i just find it so annoying that I can't do anything. i feel sorry for dd as she is just watching videos and doing boring stuff indoors with just me.

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mamakim · 07/10/2008 12:08

Hi Allie, i too suffer from low blood pressure. It's very annoying because mw/docs etc don't care because it's not dangerous like high blood pressure. My only advice i to make sure you're very hydrated, if you're not it lowers your blood pressure further.

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Ginni · 07/10/2008 13:52

I also suffer from low blood pressure, when I was round 20 weeks I ended up in A&A as it was so low and i'd become dehydrated too, and my blood sugar had dropped (even though i'd just had porridge and fruit for breakfast!) kept vomiting, diarrhoea, fainting, shaking and apparently my lips had turned blue too. It was one of the hottest days of the year which i'm sure was a factor. It seems to drop if I let myself get hungry or thirsty - I find I have to avoid this and also have started craving Coke and salty crisps, things i'd stay well away from ordinarily but it does seem to do the trick.

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jeanjeannie · 07/10/2008 15:50

Ah yes, keeping hydrated, I'd forgotten about that. Definately make sure you've got a drink with you when you go out.

Don't worry about using videos etc as babysitter and entertainer - I did and it's not for ever. You've just got to get through the next few weeks

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AllieBongo · 08/10/2008 12:36

thank you lovely ladies! i feel a little better today. it hink the exhaustion from last week had caught up with me and everything seemed much worse. I have started my maternity leave early so if i can rest this week, I should have enough energy to sort my other 2 out next week!