More than one out of every 10 women will see their blood pressure spike during a pregnancy. Keeping those numbers in check is vitally important both during and after delivery. Avera has unveiled a new program that is specially designed to help women focus on their own health and allow them to be a mom to their newborn.
Eliana Grace is a miracle in every sense of the word.
“Actually my first daughter, she was adopted. So this was my first pregnancy. Total shock. We actually went through infertility for about 10 years. And so when we learned, it was a total surprise,” said Robin Rossow.
What wasn't a surprise was Robin's high blood pressure, or hypertension, meaning even more careful watch was given throughout her pregnancy.
“High blood pressure or hypertension in pregnancy is one of the more common things we see. And if women are struggling with high blood pressure, it can affect how the baby develops and can lead to complications with the baby. And it causes a lot of complications for the woman, mainly with how her liver functions, how her kidneys function, and it can lead to really scary things like seizures or strokes,” said Marnie Terveen, MD, FACOG with Avera Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Because of her condition, Robin was induced at 38 weeks. While in the hospital, she was approached about enrolling in Avera's OB Connected Care, a remote monitoring program to help keep her blood pressure in check and ensure the numbers return to normal postpartum.
“So I signed up for it right away and they got me the blood pressure monitor in the hospital. I had it before I discharged and could start it day one from getting home.
Robin kept her Bluetooth blood pressure cuff on the kitchen table as a daily reminder to check her numbers.
"It was connected to the app,” said Rossow.
“That's monitored by our Avera@Home team. And so what they do is follow a woman's blood pressure multiple times a day,” said Dr. Terveen.
“And they could see if my blood pressure was getting too high. There was a period where they were like, it's actually kind of getting a little bit low. Let's just kind of keep tabs on that,” said Rossow.
“And it automatically sends all those readings to the Avera@Home team, but also to the provider so that everyone knows how the woman's doing at home after her discharge,” said Dr. Terveen.
“It was nice because it's easy to lose a sense of yourself when you're trying to take care of an infant. So to have a team of people reminding you to take care of yourself was great peace of mind,” said Rossow.
The program is grant funded and aims to reach any woman who develops hypertension during her pregnancy. The program data can then help researchers look for more ways to help remove barriers to vital health care.
“This program is pretty amazing because what it does is it really extends as a provider our ability to monitor the patient, but to do that from the comfort of their home to hopefully eliminate some of the 'you need to come in at one week, you need to come in at two weeks' so we can check your blood pressure and make sure things are going OK,” said Dr. Terveen
For Robin, that meant there were no surprises at her six-week follow-up.
“They were able to see my numbers through the program, I mean every single day they were seeing my blood pressure twice a day. So when I went back they knew what it looked like and I was cleared and I've been good ever since,” said Rossow
Meaning this mom has peace of mind and can focus on Eliana's every milestone.
“Rolling over and grabbing the toys and we're just excited to see her personality flare up and how she's going to continue to fit into the family,” said Rossow.
The OB Connected Care program is currently only enrolling and monitoring moms after delivery. However, the hope is that it will soon expand to be open for all moms who develop high blood pressure as a result of their pregnancy both during and after delivery.
