What is Preeclampsia?

What is Preeclampsia?
Preeclampsia is known as pregnancy-induced hypertension or toxemia. It usually develops late in pregnancy, after the 20 week mark. Preeclampsia is characterized by sudden onset of high blood pressure, excessive swelling and protein in the urine. If left untreated it can progress into eclampsia, involving seizures. 

Women carrying multiple babies, are over 40, or have high blood pressure or diabetes are at greater risk for developing preeclampsia. If you have had preeclampsia in a past pregnancy your risk increases from 8% to 33%, and increases if it was in your first pregnancy or you developed it early in the pregnancy. 

There is speculation on what the cause of preeclampsia is, genetic makeup, blood vessel defect (vessels constrict instead of widen during pregnancy), gum disease, an immune response, and nutritional deficiency. As I dug into preeclampsia, searching for answers to my own sudden issue, I found some interesting information. The truth is preeclampsia is probably a multifaceted disorder. Many doctors say they have no idea. Some have devoted their life to finding the 'cure'. One doctor found a very strong cause, Dr. Brewer. 

In the 1950's and 1960's Dr. Tom Brewer was in the process of his medical education, and researching the work of Hamlin, Strauss, Burke, and Ferguson, doctors who had worked on the problem of preeclampsia in the past 40 years. Dr. Brewer discovered that the cause of pre-eclampsia was an abnormal blood volume, caused by malnutrition, or food deficiency. 

Nutrition, is it really that simple? In many cases yes. Simply making sure you have the proper nutrients in the correct relations can prevent many issues in general. Nutrition is so much more important during pregnancy. 

What can you do? Well Dr. Brewer has a website you can scour through here. I have also put together a small course full of my tips from all my research, diet guides, and nutritional extras for when you just can eat enough. You can find that here. 

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What is the biggest challenge in pregnancy?

What is the biggest challenge in pregnancy?

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links, with NO additional cost to you. 


What is the biggest challenge in pregnancy? The weight gain? The mental games? The issues with body image?  While all of those can be issues, they were in mine, it is not the biggest challenge. The biggest challenge for almost any pregnancy boils down to proper nutrition. Yep, that is it. Nutrition.


In the standard American diet (SAD) today, proper nutrition is really difficult to come by. Our food tends to be highly processed and void of key vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Eating healthy takes on a very intentional lifestyle choice. When you are pregnant, that choice is even more difficult, but more important. 


Quick easy to fill carbs are abundant and cheap, but protein, fresh fruits and vegetables are not. During pregnancy, your body needs extra protein. All the cells and DNA your baby is forming, requires amino acids, which comes from protein. Your body needs protein to build your own blood supply as your baby needs more blood. The vitamin and minerals from food are the most readily absorbed form for you to ingest. These are needed to help your body continue to function, stay healthy, and clear debris that builds up in your own system. 


Eating a proper diet during pregnancy can also help prevent other complications like preeclampsia, PUPPS, gestational diabetes, and strengthen the uterus, reducing the risk of hemorrhaging. There are many other conditions a proper diet can prevent as well, I just haven't needed to look further yet. 


So what can you do? No matter where you are, you can start choosing to eat healthy. I highly recommend sticking as close to a whole food diet as possible. This cuts many of the quick easy, but highly processed meals out. Sorry, Hamburger Helper. But the benefits quickly outweigh the convenience. 


What are some good guidelines? The Brewer’s diet is huge and you can look up more on their website here. The simplified version I have made as a quick and easy to print off guide for you. It does come from their website, but saves you trying to print and format it for your fridge. You can get that guide for FREE here.


What diet changes are you making? Are you already following the Brewer’s Diet? How is it going? Let me know!




Wanting a community to lean into? Join the FREE Courageous + Purposeful Mommas group! This community is for the Mommas, mommas to be, in the midst of raising, and kids grown, looking for tips on building your family up and providing for them through natural methods. Tips include: gardening, bulk buying, caning,/preserving, livestock, homesteading, and home remedies. Your family is precious, and this group is to help you gain the knowledge and tools to keep your family well and not reliant on outside professionals. Remedies and tips are easy and simple for the busy momma, time is precious after all, including pregnancy, birth, young kids, and illness. Trust your Momma gut again! This community offers the resources + community you need to help get started on your journey and prepare for whatever future you envision.

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What I did to prevent preeclampsia

What I did to prevent preeclampsia

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links, with NO additional cost to you. 


Whether this is your first pregnancy or maybe it’s your second or third, preeclampsia is a real threat for some expecting mothers. Some doctors will tell you to just take a baby aspirin a day just to prevent it. Or we don’t know why it happens, it just does. 

So what is preeclampsia? Preeclampsia is known as pregnancy-induced hypertension or toxemia. It usually develops late in pregnancy, after the 20 week mark. Preeclampsia is characterized by sudden onset of high blood pressure, excessive swelling and protein in the urine. If left untreated it can progress into eclampsia, which can  involve seizures. 


Who is at the highest risk? Women carrying multiple babies, are over 40, or have high blood pressure or diabetes. If you have had preeclampsia in a past pregnancy your risk increases from 8% to 33%, and increases even more if it was in your first pregnancy or you developed it early in the pregnancy. 

Guess what? I was 24, carrying one baby, with low blood pressure and no health issues. What was my problem?!?! Why did I, of all people, develop preeclampsia? Was it something I did or didn’t do? Why could no one tell me about it? So I started digging and discovered some shocking information that made a huge difference in my next pregnancy. 


I am not a doctor, but I am a mother who has had preeclampsia with my first pregnancy and turned around and rocked my second pregnancy without the aspirin and avoided preeclampsia. I was to help you avoid preeclampsia like I did, so you don’t have to take the steep learning curve I did. 


My course is full of the tips and tricks I learned in my journey, so you don’t have to do all the research and guess and check. I am NOT a doctor! I am simply a momma who found a natural path to a serious problem. 





Wanting a community to lean into? Join the FREE Courageous + Purposeful Mommas group! This community is for the Mommas, mommas to be, in the midst of raising, and kids grown, looking for tips on building your family up and providing for them through natural methods. Tips include: gardening, bulk buying, caning,/preserving, livestock, homesteading, and home remedies. Your family is precious, and this group is to help you gain the knowledge and tools to keep your family well and not reliant on outside professionals. Remedies and tips are easy and simple for the busy momma, time is precious after all, including pregnancy, birth, young kids, and illness. Trust your Momma gut again! This community offers the resources + community you need to help get started on your journey and prepare for whatever future you envision.

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