February is Heart Health Month, and we want you to protect your heart before, during, and after HG.
Four Ways to Protect Your Heart
1. Take your thiamin. Thiamin deficiency (wet beriberi) can affect your heart. Recommendation is 100 mg/day before 20 weeks and 250 mg/day after 20 weeks.
2. Ask if an EKG is needed if you’re on multiple medications. If everything is normal, you don’t have to do anything else. Arrhythmias can result from certain combinations of multiple meds in sensitive patients or if there are electrolyte abnormalities.
3. Learn how to take your pulse. Rapid heartbeat (tachycardia) can be a sign of dehydration, vitamin deficiencies, or even sepsis (especially if you have a PICC, midline, or other catheter).
4. Check your blood pressure at the doctor’s office, at a pharmacy, or even at home! Those with prolonged HG are twice as likely to develop preeclampsia and more likely to experience eclamptic seizures, and high blood pressure in later pregnancy or postpartum can be a symptom.
It’s important to be proactive with your treatment and ask you doctor is you have any heart symptoms.
