MEDICAL TREATMENTS FOR PREECLAMPSIA

BED REST…  

If a doctor feels that you may be at high risk for preeclampsia or you are beginning to have protein in your urine, you may be put on bed rest and you also may be given medication for hypertension.  Recommendations will probably also be made to drink large amounts of fluids, including electrolyte drinks such as Gatorade as well as water.

Being on bed rest will help to keep your body relaxed, which helps to keep your heart rate and blood pressure lower. 

But many times bed rest is not enough.  The symptoms experienced and the fear that goes along with preeclampsia symptoms such as rapid heart rate, abdominal pain, headaches, uncomfortable swelling of the hands and feet may cause a woman to feel anxious, scared and ultimately sad and depressed, which in turn can cause the heart rate to go up. 

While being on bed rest, listening to soft, soothing music along with a comforting guided meditation can help to ease the discomforts and fears associated with these debilitating symptoms.   Breathing techniques are also used in guided meditation to actually help to lower the heart rate and make a woman feel more relaxed and comfortable.

Many times hypertension and stress that we experience is not through physical activity of the body but a direct result of stressful and anxious thoughts in the mind, which is actually a direct link to many illnesses experienced in our society today, as well as during pregnancy. 

This is where the experssion:  "The body is the servant of the mind" comes from. 

 More and more doctors today are recommending meditation to their patients  to help alleviate stress and anxiety,  especially in the case of high blood pressure, hypertension, heart attacks and strokes.

The average person has approximately 80,000 thoughts a day, both conscious and subconscious, leading to feelings of fear which turn into stress and anxiety in normal everyday people and this can become somewhat elevated during pregnancy because of the enormous stresses put on women today.

We invite you to listen to the following sample of a pregnancy meditation track so you can see for yourself exactly how a guided meditation works:

LISTEN TO SAMPLE TRACKS OF PREGNANCY MEDITATION

HOSPITALIZATION:

In severe cases of preeclampsia, a woman may be hospitalized for continuous monitoring of blood pressure and presence of protein in the urine.  Preeclampsia is a very dangerous pregnancy complication and can lead to severe outcomes.  If you feel you are experiencing any of the warning signs associated with preeclampsia, you should contact your health care provider immediately or go directly to the hospital.  In some instances, it may even be urgent enough for the doctor to perform an early  c-section to prevent fatal outcomes for both mother and baby.

BABY ZEN ORDER INFORMATION 

PREECLAMPSIA SUPPORT THROUGH MIND RELAXATION AND BREATHING TECHNIQUES TO SLOW DOWN THE HEART RATE

ABOUT PREECLAMPSIA

PREECLAMPSIA - WHO IS AT RISK

PREECLAMPSIA WARNING SIGNS

AVOIDING PREECLAMPSIA 

UNDERSTANDING PREGNANCY MEDITATION AND BODY/MIND RELAXATION FOR PREECLAMPSIA:

HOW IT WORKS:  

Most people truly do not understand the importance of body/mind balance; that so much of what we experience in our bodies is a direct result of the messages -(neurotransmitters in the brain) -  the mind sends to our bodies, which eventually builds up negative emotions such as fear and anxiety, ultimately leading to high blood pressure and many, many more illnesses that could have naturally been avoided by nuturing the body, mind and soul collectively. 

Mind relaxation and meditation is a great complimentary approach to add to your regular OB/GYN care for avoiding preeclampsia and even helping to lower high blood pressure during pregnancy through easy-to-follow breathing techniques that aid in lowering the heart rate.  What this does is relax not only your body, but it relaxes your mind as well. 

A proper guided meditation teaches breathing techniques for pregnant women.  Concentrating on deep, slow rythmic breathing plays a vital part in regulating the heart rate as well as getting the proper amount of oxygen supply to each organ in the body, as well as to your baby. 

Most people today walk around totally unconscious of how they are breathing and are probably breathing through the chest area, with short, hard breaths.  If you watch a healthy sleeping baby, you’ll see that the baby’s stomach will rise and then fall through each breath, and that‘s exactly how nature intended us to breathe before stress and anxiety took over.

In guided meditation, you will use simple breathing techniques to slow down the heart rate and increase your oxygen supply. The guided imagery and background music also play a vital role in increasing the Melatonin hormone in your body (a natural hormone in your body to induce relaxation and sleep.) and decrease cortizol ( a stress hormone), which also helps to decrease feelings of sadness and depression that may sometimes be experienced during pregnancy, as well as after pregnancy.   

Another important factor in meditation is being aware of your thoughts and then releasing them.

The more you practice this, the more you are able to release any negative fears or thoughts that may cause you anxiety or stress throughout the day by simply starting to become  aware of your thoughts and refocus your thoughts from negative to positive ones.  This technique is called mindfulness meditation.

Auto suggestion is another key factor in guided meditations. Because the body is the servant of the mind, suggesting healthy, happy thoughts over and over to your body will cause your body to react in positive and healthful ways to these positive suggestions and affirmations that are part of a guided meditation designed for pregnancy.  Just as negative thoughts cause stress and anxiety, which causes increased heart rate, reduced oxygen consumption and can lead to many other ailments in the body, the positive thoughts and affirmations will have the reverse effect, bringing balance and well-being to the body. 

The benefits are enormous!  The evidence for this is piling up through studies done by Harvord, Stanford and many other universities throughout the country.

HOW AND WHEN TO USE MIND RELAXATION AND MEDITATION DURING PREGNANCY:

To experience the full benefits of a pregnancy meditation, 15 to 20 minutes daily can cause enormous benefits in pregnancy, along with applying the breathing techniques throughout your day which you will easily be taught during the guided meditation. 

Learning to become aware of your thoughts periodically throughout the day and then releasing any negative thoughts you have and replacing them with powerful positive thoughts is also a helpful tool in keeping yourself relaxed and calm all day long, and through guided meditation, you will learn exactly how to do that.

IN CONCLUSION:  

We hope this information has been helpful in understanding that inasmuch as proper nutrition, hydration, routine medical care and light exercise during pregnancy is important, keeping yourself as stress free and relaxed as possible by using a mind/body approach is as vital as the others and are simple ways of helping you to have a healthy and happy pregnancy without complications.