A recent study found that certain blood pressure patterns during pregnancy can increase the risk of future hypertension in the five years following birth. Doulas need to be familiar with blood pressure during pregnancy. Doulas are not clinical; they do not treat or diagnose anything. However, as doulas, we educate the families we support about many things, including blood pressure during pregnancy.
One of the most notable things from the study: people whose blood pressure remained clinically normal but did not experience the typical mid-pregnancy drop were found to have an increased risk of hypertension in the years following pregnancy.
Why is this important for doulas if we do not provide medical advice or make diagnoses? We can help educate our clients about what questions to ask. Also, share red flag symptoms to talk to their midwives or doctors about. We can remind them to be mindful of their health not just in the immediate postpartum period.
Blood Pressure During Pregnancy – What Did The Study Find?
Researchers from Keck School of Medicine of USC analyzed data from 854 people. They were tracking their blood pressure throughout pregnancy and up to five years postpartum. Three distinct blood pressure trajectories were identified:
- Consistently Low Blood Pressure (80.2% of participants): These women maintained low systolic blood pressure throughout their pregnancies.
- High Blood Pressure with Mid-Pregnancy Dip (7.4%): This group started with elevated blood pressure, experienced a decrease during the second trimester, and then an increase again.
- Slightly Elevated Blood Pressure without Mid-Pregnancy Dip (12.4%): These women had mildly elevated blood pressure that remained stable without the typical second-trimester decline.
Compared to the consistently low blood pressure group, the third group faced a 4.91 times higher risk of developing hypertension within five years postpartum.
Why is this information important? The third group would not be identified as high-risk as their blood pressure remained below diagnostic thresholds and they lacked traditional risk factors. Not being identified as high risk means they and their providers would not likely monitor blood pressure in the postpartum period and later in life.
Why does that matter? There are rarely symptoms of high blood pressure until there are complications from it. Screening people, especially people with an increased risk, is important for catching and treating hypertension before there are complications.
Implications for Doulas:
As a doula, your role in supporting and educating families is important. Understanding this study can help you support families by:
- Reminding Parents to Monitor Blood Pressure Patterns: Encourage parents to attend all prenatal appointments where blood pressure is regularly monitored. Share the study information with them. Then they know even blood pressure within normal ranges warrants attention if it doesn’t follow typical patterns. Specifically, lacking the mid-pregnancy dip. Any specific questions about this should be directed to their midwife or doctor.
- Educate Parents: As mentioned above, we can educate parents on why it is important to monitor blood pressure during pregnancy and beyond.
- Encourage Parents to Advocate For Follow-Up Care: For parents identified with atypical blood pressure patterns, emphasize the significance of postpartum follow-up visits. Early detection and management of hypertension can prevent more severe cardiovascular issues later.
- Promoting Healthy Lifestyle Choices: Encourage families to maintain a balanced diet, engage in appropriate physical activity, and manage stress—all factors that can influence blood pressure. However, remind them that if they experience hypertension, it is not always lifestyle related. We know some people are simply genetically predisposed to hypertension.
By staying up to date on studies related to pregnancy and birth, we can better support the families we serve. Remember, we do not diagnose or treat any medical conditions, including pregnancy hypertension. However, we can provide important information to help our families feel prepared. Not already a doula? Get started today and help improve birth outcomes in your community!
Author: Aliza Juliette Bancoff
Aliza Juliette Bancoff is a well-known doula and doula trainer who has been providing doula services to families for over a decade. She is the founder of Main Line Doulas, a doula group providing doula support in the great Philadelphia area for the last decade, the International Doula Institute, which provides online doula training and lactation training and certification programs and the International Breastfeeding Institute which provides lactation training and certification. She is the co-founder of United Birth, a company devoted to increasing access to doulas across the country to make the perinatal time safer both physically and emotionally. “Every birthing person deserves access to quality doula support. And we are working to make that a reality across the country. The work we are doing to get doulas to every birthing person will decrease the black infant and maternal mortality rate significantly by 2030.” Says Bancoff. Aliza is known for her compassionate and empowering approach to doula work, and she has been featured in numerous media outlets, including United Nations Maternal Health Report, Parent Magazine, CafeMom, theBump and many more. Aliza's journey into doula work began when she gave birth to her first child and felt a strong calling...