Ischemic Stroke: What Expecting Mothers Should Know

Ischemic stroke happens in about two to four children per 10,000 births. About 60 percent of children show immediate signs; 40 percent show them later in their childhood. It occurs when an artery to the brain is blocked. Babies often have an Ischemic stroke because mothers suffer from hypertension.

Pregnancy women can experience hypertension during different stages of their pregnancy.

Chronic hypertension, for example, occurs throughout a pregnancy. Some mothers are not even aware of it until it is discovered in a prenatal checkup. Others, however, are conscious of their hypertension and are taking proactive measures to treat it. In some instances, mothers can develop hypertension even after the twentieth week of pregnancy.

Hypertension not only increases the risk for Ischemic stroke, it can also cause babies to become unconscious in the womb. Babies with mothers who suffer from hypertension, many times, are born premature.

The more severe the mother’s hypertension, the higher the risk for the baby. Women with mild hypertension, for instance, do not have much more risk than women with normal blood pressure.

Mothers with hypertension will most likely receive additional ultrasounds and prenatal visits during certain times in the pregnancy to make sure their babies are developing normally. Many will receive drugs to treat the condition. However, some hypertension drugs increase the risk of birth defects in babies.

It’s important for mothers to ask questions about the side effects and risks these drugs pose to their babies. Seeking the advice of an experienced birth defect attorney is also advised.