Staying Healthy After Childbirth is a program that helps new moms with high blood pressure safely monitor and treat their high blood pressure from the comfort of their home. We send people home with special equipment that allows for daily remote monitoring and the ability to interact in real time with health care professionals to guide and support them through six weeks after delivery. High blood pressure is common during pregnancy and postpartum. At least 20% of new moms in Wisconsin have high blood pressure, which, if left uncontrolled, can lead to seizure, stroke, organ damage, or even death.
People who use the Staying Healthy After Childbirth program go home after giving birth with a home blood pressure monitoring kit that sends daily blood pressure measurements to the healthcare team and your electronic medical record. Your blood pressure is reviewed every day by an obstetric nurse with special training in monitoring people who had high blood pressure during pregnancy or after birth. The Staying Healthy After Childbirth team can start, increase, and stop blood pressure medication under the direction of the program physician based on participants’ blood pressure readings.
People who use this program are much more likely to have elevations in their blood pressure detected early and treated, thereby preventing serious complications of high blood pressure. In addition, we help minimize trips back to the doctor’s office and readmission to the hospital, allowing new parents more time at home with their new baby.
Learn more about Staying Healthy After Childbirth from Heather Olson, BSN, RN Telehealth Nurse in the UnityPoint Health-Meriter Center for Perinatal Care: