Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a condition in pregnant women marked by high blood pressure and high levels of protein in the urine and can be accompanied by swollen feet, legs and hands. It usually occurs in the second half of pregnancy. The exact cause is unknown.

It is most commonly seen in first time pregnancies, teen moms and women over 40. Other risk factors include:

• History of high blood pressure, 
• History of preeclampsia in other pregnancies, 
• Mom or sister having preeclampsia, 
• Multiple pregnancy (twins, etc)  
• History of diabetes, heart disease, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. 

Other symptoms of preeclampsia include:

• Rapid weight gain caused by increase in body fluid
• Abdominal pain
• Severe headaches
• Change in reflexes
• Reduced or no urine output
• Dizziness
• Excessive nausea and vomiting

Seek immediate medical attention if you have the following:

• Sudden/New swelling in your face and eyes
• Blood pressure greater than 140/90
• Sudden weight gain over 1-2 days
• Abdominal pain especially in the upper right part of the abdomen
• Sever headaches
• Decrease in urine output
• Blurry vision, floaters or flashing lights

When caught early, preeclampsia can be manageable with blood pressure medication, but if it goes undetected it can be serious for you and your baby. In extreme cases it can become eclampsia, which causes you to have seizures. There can be other effects as well. 

If you are close to term when symptoms occur, it is likely they will induce labor. If you are not close to term and it is not yet severe they will likely try to control your blood pressure with medication and bed rest. If severe, they may deliver you even if you are early. 

Have you had any experience with preeclampsia? 

Diastasis Recti

Diastasis Recti (DR) is a condition in which the muscles on the front of your stomach (rectus abdominus) separate due to pressure in the abdomen. This can happen to anyone, but pregnant women are one of the highest risk groups for developing this condition. The pressure from a growing uterus is the primary reason this occurs. Hormones secreted during pregnancy also play a part in this separation because they loosen connective tissue. This can happen at any point during pregnancy or after pregnancy when there is nothing to give support. Premature separation can occur as early as 20 weeks.

Other factors that can contribute to developing DR include:

• Pregnancy with multiple babies
• Pregnancies that are close together
• Being over 35
• Having a large baby
• Poor posture
• Daily activities
• Incorrect exercising

Pushing can also make this condition much worse.

During pregnancy you want to avoid any exercises that put additional pressure on your abdominal muscles such as crunches, sit-ups and planks as these can also increase the gap between the muscles. 

Postpartum take adequate time to heal before diving into exercise.

This is just a basic overview. 

See this site for additional information. 

Do you have any experience with this? Share your thoughts below.