Introduction – My Story as a Mom Who Didn’t See It Coming
Hi fellow moms, today I am back with another topic that actually triggered me to write it off immediately as soon as I got to know the severity of this topic.
I never thought I could have high blood pressure. As a mom of young kids, I was constantly on the move — school runs, chores, meals, homeworks, late nights, and very little sleep. I often felt tired, dizzy, or had headaches, but I brushed them off as “normal mom stuff.” Little did I know, these were actually early signs of high blood pressure in women.
My high blood pressure was diagnosed very late, and by that time, it had already taken quite a good toll on my health! But as we say, better late than never… same is the case with me.
I am writing this not as a medical expert, but as a mom who ignored her health conditions and body warning signs — and suffered a lot. If you’re reading this blog, please let this blog be a reminder to prioritize your health, even when life gets overwhelming.
I will be sharing my journey so that you can avoid the mistakes that led to the late diagnosis of blood pressure and see the signs early.
What I Missed: Subtle Signs of High Blood Pressure
Now I have realized why high blood pressure, or hypertension, is called the “silent killer.” Because it just doesn’t show up dramatically all of a sudden, but it keeps on building inside you.
Like other moms, I ignored these symptoms and thought of them as normal mommy routine caused by stress or tiredness. These are:
- Frequent headache
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Reduced hunger
I perceived these symptoms as a result of a hectic routine with kids. But these were actually the alarming signs that I should have taken into account and consulted some specialist. Since it wasn’t just a multivitamin thing!
What Caused It? Stress, Lifestyle, and Lack of Self-Care
The point is, what causes high blood pressure in moms? What are the reasons that lead to hypertension among moms? Is it stress, the lifestyle, or lack of self-care?
I clearly remember that during my gynae visits when I was expecting my first child, the nurse checked the vitals. Where, my weight was okayish, but my BP was 146/110.
I was surprised at that time, seeing such high readings. The nurse did not bother, neither did the gynae. I was too naive at that time, so I also let it go off as it might be one of the effects of pregnancy.
To be honest, I did not use to take care of my diet that much, or regularly take multivitamins. On top of that, I almost forgot about the BP… it just popped up every time I had my gynae visits and the nurse checked the vitals.
I also used to get stressed about petty things… but now when I look back, I realize that by doing all that, I caused the trouble all by myself. I wish someone had guided me at that time…
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How I Finally Found Out: The Moment of Realization
A Little Background
Fast forward to 10 years, yes… 10 YEARS! In the meantime, I had my second baby, and my BP used to be slightly high during that time also. But me, being ME, ignored it again thinking that it carried forward just like the first pregnancy.
Two years back, when I had my third baby, my BP kept on fluctuating, going towards higher levels… so I went to the doctor, who did a checkup and wrote a medicine for me to take for about 10 days.
I took it for 10 days and after that I almost forgot about it. During all this time, I used to have severe headaches, tiredness, and fatigue, but I ignored all these signs as I thought it was due to exhaustion.
Taking care of kids, home, and all the other things made me neglect myself. Whenever I had severe headaches, the doctor used to give me medicine for the time being, and things got better that time.
How I found out I had high blood pressure
The cycle kept repeating until one day, while we were on our way home from a birthday party, I felt that my BP was high. I checked immediately, took medicine also, but it didn’t help.
I started to faint and my headache became severe, so we rushed to the emergency room, where my BP was checked and it had shot up quite high. They admitted me immediately, gave me a high-power dosage of BP medicine, and gave me a few injections to stabilize my body’s vital levels.
The Key Tests That Helped in Diagnosis
The on-duty doctor there ordered a few tests, blood tests etc., but they also suggested ECG and CT scan, to rule out any neurological cause of the symptoms.
We were not sure why, just because of BP, the doctor had also mentioned CT scan. However, we got that done then and there and waited for the reports.
The reports finally came in, Alhamdulillah everything was ok except one… and that was the report of CT scan.
The report stated that there’s a vein in my brain where blood circulation is not supplying properly. It has somewhat narrowed down, due to which the flow of blood is affected inside the veins, resulting in high pressure.
We were shocked to hear that — definitely that wasn’t something we were expecting.
The doctor then advised us to consult a neurologist right away, as they would be our primary point of contact moving forward.
The Root Cause of Persisting Blood Pressure
The doctor said, “You had blood pressure for so long, yet it was untreated. No one ever told you that you have this issue and that you have to take the medicines regularly and consult a specialist?”
Literally, these were the doctor’s words, and I couldn’t agree more.
The Dilemma
Sometimes when I used to discuss with people around me that I am having severe hypertension, their responses were:
- “We also used to have BP problems, you may have some chilled milk mixed with water.”
- “Oh my God! Hypertension at such a young age.”
- “Don’t make a habit of taking BP medicines daily, otherwise, you will have to take them for the rest of your life.”
- “Seems that you take stress more than everyone around us, or you might shout at your kids a lot, that’s why your BP is going high.”
These were some of the examples in our society. What I did wrong was just blindly following them and not taking this issue seriously. Otherwise, I could have consulted a specialist. Because none of them said that you must consult the specialist (except my brother whom I did not listen to — my bad!)
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How I Manage High Blood Pressure at Home
After consulting the neurologist, I started taking BP medicines religiously and noticed visible changes in the BP readings.
Alongside medicines, I started using less salt in my food and also avoided sprinkling salt mainly over eggs! And yes, I am avoiding pure egg yolk too.
Additionally, I would like to mention that our bodies are different from each other and react differently to different food items. Some may have milk allergies, some might have protein allergies, and so on.
It is really necessary to keep your diet balanced and according to your body type. Needless to say, a healthy diet.
Other than that, honestly, I don’t get time for exercise or doing anything extra for myself. I am managing and controlling my BP only with the help of medicines and using less salt. And yes, I am taking care of water intake as well. It is really necessary to keep yourself hydrated.
My Message to Other Moms
Though right now I don’t have any natural remedies or lifestyle changes to reduce blood pressure naturally at home, this blog was purely intended to highlight the cause of hypertension among moms that remains untreated for long and needs immediate diagnosis.
We, as moms, ignore ourselves most of the time and take the tiredness, fatigue, and headaches as part of a regular mommy schedule.
My advice to other moms is that if you’re having headaches on a regular basis, then do check your BP. If the reading is high, keep checking daily to record the pattern. If you notice persistent higher readings, consult the doctor immediately and take necessary medications.
DO NOT leave the medications on your own until prescribed by the doctor.
Additionally, maintain a record of your routine health checkup and take out time for yourself at least once every 6 months for a detailed checkup. Because remember, YOU are the one who’s taking care of the kids, and your kids need a healthy mom to provide them a healthy and happy life.
So, mommies, you all are precious, and my advice to you all is to never take any symptom lightly if it is showing up again and again. Also, home remedies are good for short-term relief, but for long-term relief and diagnosis, better consult a doctor.
As stated earlier, I never knew how common high blood pressure is in moms like us. The American Heart Association has a great guide on symptoms and risks. It’s worth a quick read—you never know what your body’s trying to tell you!
Self-care and early health checkups can help you stay safe. Wish you all a happy and healthy life.
