Q: I am a 29 years old working woman and 35 weeks 3 days pregnant. My blood pressure (BP) was 130/90 mmHg, which was considered high by the doctor. I am already taking Alphadopa once daily but the doctor asked me to take it twice if my BP goes beyond 130/90 mmHg. I have swollen legs and have been advised to rest and stop eating foods containing salt. I work from 9.00 A.M. to 12.30 P.M. and then 4.00 P.M. to 6.30 P.M and reach home at 7.00 P.M. How can my control my BP with exercises and diet? My weight is 68 kg now, which was 54 kg at the beginning of my pregnancy. Please advise.

A:You will need to proceed on leave, rest and work at home - light activities, with regular walk/ swim/ cycle - as you wish. Enough rest and timely meals, along with medication, will take care of BP, and any other possible problems due to the high BP - if control is not achieved in 2-3 days - medication can be stepped up, and another one too may need to be added under supervision and monitoring. You may need to be further investigated by a pre-eclampsia profile, fundoscopy, fetal heart rate checking by stethoscope as well as CTG. If all is still not well, or BP is not controlled and swelling not reduced along with high urine albumin, the pregnancy may need to be terminated early in the interest of mother's wellbeing, and a normal healthy baby.