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Needed:Some SERIOUS advice...

Hey everyone.. Ok so I have (I hope) about a month left, give or take a week or two, of being pregnant however, the doctor has told me that I have the beginning of pre-eclampsia (pregnancy induced high blood pressure) not that my BP is really elevated it was 140/80 5 days ago but I have protiens in my urine and some pretty nasty swelling in my feet and legs that won’t go away.. Not only is this stressful enough for me and making me very concerned for my baby’s wellbeing but the Dr. has told me that if things continue this way for another week that she wants to induce me early so I’m stressing even more.. There’s just not the medicine or technology here in Kurdistan for premies, so I’m even more concerned. I know that she may very well be ok born a few weeks early but I’m not willing to take chances with my little one..

So can anyone advise me what would be good to have that helps lower BP AND something that might help my kidneys to stop spilling protiens?? I sure appreciate the help everyone!! Thanks a bunch K-Mom

Comments

  • Hi KurdishMom, My thoughts are with you and your baby during this time. I have read that celery is really good for high blood pressure. You should also be on strict bed rest. I know its tough, but you need to relax. Stay calm. Meditation may help here. I’m not a doctor, but this stuff makes sense to me:)

  • Lemon juice is really good for cleaning the kidneys. Add the juice of a lemon with a glass of water. The dosage for extreem cases is 7 lemons a day. Sweetener is ok- but it’s best if it’s stevia or agave. Mint is a good thing to add if you have any there. I hope the best for you as well. Can’t wait to see a pic of the little one!

    Another usefull addition would be omega 3s. They reduce inflamation. Here is info from the internet:

    “Omega-3 and Omega-6 Two important polyunsaturated fatty acids are linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid. Linoleic acid is used to build omega-6 fatty acids and alpha-linolenic acid is used to build omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids cannot be synthesized in the body and must be supplied by the diet. They are called essential fatty acids. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are important in the normal functioning of all tissues of the body. You should make sure you include good sources of omega-3 and omega-6 each day.

    Pregnant women have an increased need for omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. They are needed for the fetal growth, brain development, learning and behavior. Lactating women should also increase their fatty acids intake, since infants receive their essential fatty acids through the breast milk.

    Omega-6 fatty acids can be found in leafy vegetables, seeds, nuts, grains and vegetable oils.”

    Best sources are flax oil, or seed and walnuts. A good thing to make would be a banana smoothie with a quarter cup of walnuts.

    Also b6 is very important. Garbanzo beans have it. For 100% daily allowance you’d need 4 bananas, or 1 cup of garbanzo beans. Geen beans have b6, and avocados.

  • Hi I hope you are doing ok k-mom. I looked up some more on your situation.

    This is something your Dr. may recommend but he has to administer it.

    Magnesium sulfate is an extremely versatile drug and has a variety of therapeutic uses. Magnesium sulfate taken orally can act as a laxative. When taken intravenously or intramuscularly, it can reduce the convulsions during labor and even halt premature labor. It can also be applied locally in the form of creams to treat inflammation of the skin.

    Magnesium sulfate is used as a cure for a certain case of pregnancy-induced high blood pressure in women called preclampsia. It can also be administered when the condition of preclampsia aggravates and becomes the more chronic condition of eclampsia. Magnesium sulfate is administered intravenously to such patients. It can reduce the convulsions during eclampsia.

    vitamin B2 deficiency is considered a strong precursor to preclampsia in pregnant women.

    Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) helps the body to use oxygen and is an antioxidant. Legumes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spinach, asparagus, and leafy greens such as spinach and turnip greens are good sources of vitamin B2.

  • omshantiomshanti Raw Newbie

    kmom i have no advice for you , jsut wanted to send you well wishes and happy, peaceful thoughts!!

  • rawmamarawmama Raw Newbie

    I am hoping that you find answers on this forum to help you…

    My brother just lowered his blood pressure drastically in 2 weeks time by just drinking green smoothies every day. He also drinks the water from one young coconut per day, but he feels the green smoothies are what is changing his life and lowered his blood pressure big time. Yes, resting/bedrest for sure helps and propping your feet up with ice packs on the swelling helps a lot. Be very careful with your swollen feet ankles to not bump into anything if possible. Cherries help with swelling, people with gout a lot of times will eat cherries or drink cherry juice, also pineapples. Are you eating dairy or meat or are you vegan/raw?

  • Thanks everyone for the advice.. I’m looking into getting some walnuts for an extra B2 and I’m going to try to find some cherries (they’re pretty much out of season now but I might still be able to find some dried ones) Thankfully it looks like the swelling might be going away..

    Rawmama I’m working towards raw but over the last couple of weeks I’ve really been cutting out alot of the foods I was eating.. Now the only things I eat are yogurt for breakfast – it’s usually homemade yogurt and they use fresh milk, I have some skinless boiled chicken breast once or twice a week and some fish weekly. Other than that I have some plain boiled rice.

    Right now I’m searching for greens to have smoothies with because I want to start having green smoothies again and also because in 5 days everyone in the house will start fasting (except me) and I wanted something quick and easy to make so I don’t have to worry about eating in front of the others.. Maybe you have some suggestions of edible greens, other than spinach, that I could be looking for?

  • I’d say cut out the yoghurt.. other than that, i’m not really one to speak but i’d also recommend green smoothies. good luck with the baby :)

  • rawmamarawmama Raw Newbie

    I had a problem with swelling at one point when I was pregnant and they told me to eat meat and dairy because I had gestational diabetes, and to avoid all fruit juices and only 1 piece of fruit a day. My feet and legs blew up horribly, very painful, we were driving to Florida and 1/2 of the week they were swollen. :( Oh it hurt! Finally I said, forget it, I can’t stand eating this way. About dairy, I’ve read and heard people speak about how the casein can cause cancer and that dairy could be a cause of diabetes (even thought I was told the opposite that a pregnant woman needed dairy, with diabetes or not, but have read books on it and avoided it when possible). A well known speaker had spoken of dairy and cancer before when in our area. Fish has mercury in it that can cause problems for you and the baby (now the media even doesn’t say to eat tuna, etc. especially when pregnant). So at that moment, I really cut back big time on that bad diet, bought lots of fruits (some) and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and finished our vacation eating that way with an occasional piece of chicken if it was in a salad at restaurants. I did not overload on fruit either, just did everything in moderation. The swelling went down and the trip home I had no swelling at all, in fact no problems after that. I know each person is different, and I am not a doctor, and I did have gestational diabetes then, but could it be the food??? I don’t know? It’s what worked for me.

    For greens, we use (and my brother uses) anything that is on sale :) I was shocked at how mild greens are and you really don’t even taste them unless you use a ton of them. If you don’t have a high power blender, blend the greens with whatever liquid you are using first, then do the other items. Romaine (we love this, it is very mild, do not use iceberg or light colored leaf), kale (I like kale), collards (my friend LOVES collards in hers), dandelion greens (that’s a diuretic, would that help with swelling anyone?), celery (that’s considered a “green” in Victoria Boutenko’s book Green for Life), parsley, cilantro, mint. Not all at one time ;) but we try to do something different in each one we make. Heck, you can go outside and use weeds but only if you know for sure which ones are safe and if it’s not been sprayed or treated…you can add grass to smoothies too :) I’d stick with the basics of romaine, kale, collars, celery and maybe a tiny bit of the herbs, but I do not know which herbs are safe and not safe for pregnant women, so you might be best sticking to the lettuces instead of herbs…only 2-3 large leaves total in each batch of smoothie is sufficient. We also throw cucumbers into ours for the liquid and it’s good for your skin and hair. Aren’t cucumbers and/or celery good for swelling? We drink 16 ounces in the morning, and you can sip on 16-32 ounces throughout the day…do not gulp it, do not drink 32 ounces all at once, or you stomach will hurt! The smoothie won’t go bad, so drinking it throughout the day is the way to go…AND I cannot have melons in mine or my stomach hurts. Melons, eat them alone or leave them alone they always say, and it’s a statement that holds true for my body, not everyone, but mine for sure.

    Victoria uses about 1/4 bunch of lettuce in each quart of smoothie, but work your way up if it is too green tasting for you. We do not use spinach a lot. I read somewhere about the oxalic acid in spinach not being too good of a thing to take in in large quantities (I forget why), so I only do spinach here and there. Greens will be great for you if you are nursing too.

    FYI: Victoria Boutenko has a long list of Greens, Weeds, Herbs and Sprouts on page 102 of her book Green for Life. I don’t know if I’m aloud to type it here or not without her permission? But if you email her I bet she’d email it to you? www.rawfamily.com I really like her book, I think it’s worth buying. There also are some great smoothie recipes on this site too, and if there are no greens mentioned in them, just throw a few leaves in and it will be a green smoothie :) You can also check out Jinjee’s site, she was raw and has 5 children: www.thegardendiet.com Hope this helps :) Take it easy, take in plenty of fluids, take care of your swollen legs :) If everybody will be fasting in your house, you’ll have tons of good things to drink before or after your meals :)

  • Hi again rawmama… it’s funny you should mention Victoria’s “Green for life” book because I happen to have a copy given to me personally by Victoria. Also my testimony at the start of my raw-ness is in that book. I sometimes read it when I’m having a hard day to remember how bad I was and how far I’ve come since then. I’ve decided that I am going to do as much natural healing as I can until they take out my cerclage on the 2nd of Oct. (well unless I start to feel horrible or notice something’s wrong before then) after that I’m hoping that the baby’s born soon after. But for now she’s happily kicking and moving so I think she’s handling this better than I am. I’ve been resting so much I’m starting to feel quite lazy but if it helps I guess I can live with it for a little while longer.. I’ll have to check in the market for any greens and hopefully I’ll find something other than dill or cilantro although I guess I could use them I’m not sure how nice a smoothie they make. Thanks so much for all the advice!! K-Mom

  • rawmamarawmama Raw Newbie

    In a book called Macrobiotic Preganancy and Care of the Newborn it says that it is a result primarily from the overintake of more extreme yin items such as sugar, soft drinks, refined carbohydrates, and fruits, together with the overconsumption of foods containing saturated fats such as milk and dairy products, eggs, and fatty animal foods. They recommend bed rest (feet elevated and alternating between hot and cold towels on swelling legs) as is keeping the use of salt to a minimum both in cooking and in various condiments. The temporary restriction of salt helps to allow accumulated fluid to discharge more rapidly. If the proper diet, including a reduction in salt intake, and bed rest do not reduce the swelling, the special daikon radish tea can be taken once a day for 3 days. The tea acts as a diuretic, stimulating the discharge of excessive fat, water, and salt through the kidneys, and that women who suspects toxemia should seek appropriate medical advice, which you are doing already. Another part of the book says that swelling can also be from the kidneys being overtaxed by too many fluid intakes…so I don’t know if this helps with anything or not? Just definitely keep in contact with your doctor since there is protein in your urine, and they can keep a close eye on you and the baby as your final month goes one :)

    I’d use dill and cilantro for more savory smoothies, probably not many fruit smoothies, although cilantro does taste great with pink grapefruits,limes, and mangoes :) Dill I’ve not used yet…we do more of the lettuces, kale, collards right now.

  • rawmamarawmama Raw Newbie

    In a book called Macrobiotic Preganancy and Care of the Newborn it says that it is a result primarily from the overintake of more extreme yin items such as sugar, soft drinks, refined carbohydrates, and fruits, together with the overconsumption of foods containing saturated fats such as milk and dairy products, eggs, and fatty animal foods. They recommend bed rest (feet elevated and alternating between hot and cold towels on swelling legs) as is keeping the use of salt to a minimum both in cooking and in various condiments. The temporary restriction of salt helps to allow accumulated fluid to discharge more rapidly. If the proper diet, including a reduction in salt intake, and bed rest do not reduce the swelling, the special daikon radish tea can be taken once a day for 3 days. The tea acts as a diuretic, stimulating the discharge of excessive fat, water, and salt through the kidneys, and that women who suspects toxemia should seek appropriate medical advice, which you are doing already. Another part of the book says that swelling can also be from the kidneys being overtaxed by too many fluid intakes…so I don’t know if this helps with anything or not? Just definitely keep in contact with your doctor since there is protein in your urine, and they can keep a close eye on you and the baby as your final month goes one :)

    I’d use dill and cilantro for more savory smoothies, probably not many fruit smoothies, although cilantro does taste great with pink grapefruits,limes, and mangoes, BUT only if you like the taste of cilantro because it is a stronger tasting green, a little goes a long way :) Dill I’ve not used yet…we do more of the lettuces, kale, collards right now.

  • Ok so I did some intense serching on the internet for the english names of some of the things we have in the market that are green. Lo and behold I found out that we have swiss chard! Infact it’s completely common here and you can get it year round. Boy do I feel silly!! Now I think I’m going to be having those green smoothies even if I only have spinach and chard ones!

  • There’s so much conflicting advice out there that it’s hard to figure out what to go with!

    The generally accepted theory within the midwifery model of prenatal care is that preeclampsia is a nutritional disease related to insufficient protein intake. The Brewer diet, discussed at http://www.blueribbonbaby.org/ has a lot of info (I don’t necessarily agree with the dietary recommendations, but the general theory behind it seems very sound to me).

    In particular, related to other advice given here (and I worry I’m going to make myself unpopular, but this subject has been something of a focus for me since I developed preeclampsia with my first baby)...

    At this point, try to find ways to include more protein in your diet, and do not cut protein sources from your diet without an adequate replacement. You need to be adding protein, not restricting it further. If you can replace the protein you’re eating now with raw vegan sources and add more as well, great, but if not, don’t cut what you’re already getting. You can finish transitioning to raw post-pregnancy if necessary.

    My husband mentions that, as a fermented/living food, some schools of raw food would consider yogurt to be raw. If you aren’t adverse to the idea and have a safe source, raw eggs are another raw but nonvegan option.

    Increased greens are a great idea, and the walnuts, seeds, nuts, and beans recommended are protein sources.

    Do research before restricting salt. While restricting salt is a common and effective treatment for high blood pressure unrelated to pregnancy, adequate salt is necessary during pregnancy to maintain the expanded blood volume, and restricting salt can actually make blood pressure problems worse. Assuming you aren’t eating a ton of processed food with lots of hidden sodium, salt your food to taste.

    In addition to the info found on the website…

    Mix 2 teaspoons of cream of tartar taken, the juice of half a lemon, and 1/2 cup water. Drink once a day for three days, take two days off, then repeat.

    Watermelon, parsely, garlic, cucumbers, and celery are all helpful in lowering blood pressure.

    If possible, submerging yourself to the neck in water for at least 30 minutes a day is helpful for blood pressure and swelling. A pool is ideal, but a tub is ok, too.

    I realize that my advice contradicts a lot of what has been said here. Please use both my advice and the other advice given here as a starting point for your own research, and do what feels right for you based on that. Good luck!

  • ZoeZoe Raw Newbie

    maybe you could find some grass, wild or on a lawn or park that you could eat? It is a great green food. Just normal grass…

  • Hi KurdishMom, So sorry that you are needing to work with this right now, but so glad that you posted your question.

    I know the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is fairly mainstream, but it has been shown to be effective for some. It’s interesting because it effectively is provided by a balanced high raw diet…

    Here’s some info and links:
    1. A diet low in calcium, potassium, and magnesium and high in sodium (although sodium intake is not generally thought to be a cause of preeclampsia) may cause high blood pressure.
    2. To increase the potassium in your diet, fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of this nutrient. (Just be very careful if there would ever be a progression to renal insufficiency or failure from the preeclampsia—high potassium intakes at that point could be unsafe/life threatening). Dairy products are high in calcium and magnesium. DASH recommends that you eat 8 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables and 3 servings of low-fat dairy products per day.(*BUT ALMONDS, SPINACH, SOYBEANS, WHOLE GRAIN CEREALS AND RICE HAVE MORE MAGNESIUM THAN DAIRY per the NIH click here for link), and BLACKSTRAP MOLASSES, ALMONDS, TOFU, WHITE BEANS, TAHINI AND OATMEAL all have at least 100 mg Calcium/serving (with your goal ~1000-1300 mg/day during pregnancy depending on your age). Click here for calcium reference

    Other articles referenced the importance of adequate omega-3 fatty acids. Food sources include ground flax, walnuts, beans and fatty fish, if you eat that. “link to omega 3 info”: http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=george&dbi…

    “Click here for abstract on omega 3’s with preeclampsia”: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pub…

    Best of luck to you—hope any of this is of benefit!

  • Sorry those last 3 links didn’t work. Here they are if you need to cut and paste them:

    On omega 3’s: www.whfoods.org (search omega 3 and then find link under “nutrients” section

    On preeclampsia per Pubmed: enter 17521921 or 17302536 in the main search field at the top of the page at www.pubmed.com for the 2 articles…

  • sweetpeasweetpea Raw Newbie

    Please do not worry as this will make things worse. I am not trained medically so I can’t advise. But if I had those symptoms I would make sure I was drinking lots of water and reduce concentrated proteins in the diet such as nuts and seeds and take my protein instead from leafy greens and algaes and sprouted grain.

    Wishing you lots of healing and light.

  • i feel like everyone who has told you green smoothies is right.celery is a good base its very calming.tomato is great with celery…this is a great base for a green drink…... but most important to remember to nurture your body with calming thoughts this is more powerful than anything…....calm your mind and release it back into the body and to your baby…..rest your mind. deep breathing is key. you’ll be in my thoughts. sending love!! -ro

  • there is a wonderful movie out there called birth as we know it..the director is a mid-wife..you can check her out at birthasweknowit.com or email her at elena@birthintobeing.com birthintobeing.com hope this helps…it was a very powerful movie..

  • Wow thanks so much everyone.. all these great advices and positive thoughts help so much.. You guys are so wonderful!! K-Mom

  • Hi KMOM! Do you have a way to check your blood pressure at home? It would be neat if you could have that and check it after certain foods to see which ones work best for you. I hope you are doing better!

  • Hi KMOM! If you are drinking the green smoothies don’t forget to rotate your greens as the contain a small amount of poison. Its a small worlk, I live about 5 miles from Victoria. She is an incredible wealth of knowledge!

    Don’t over do it on the protein, this only makes the kidneys work harder.

    Drink water again don’t over do, just more work for the kidneys, everything in moderation.

    And last, REST, BREATHE, and MEDITATE, on how beautiful that healthy baby is going to be :-)

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