Blood pressure (BP) refers to how hard the blood is "pushing" on the walls of the major blood vessels as it is pumped around the body by the heart. The pressure is measured in millimetres (mm) of mercury (a silver liquid metal, which has the chemical symbol Hg). So blood pressure measurements are expressed as a number followed by mmHg. (You will be shown how to measure blood pressure).

A blood pressure measurement is two numbers written one above the other. The top number tells you the woman's blood pressure at the moment when her heart "beats"(systolic) and pushes blood out into her body. The bottom number tells you her blood pressure when her heart relaxes between each beat, (Diastolic) so it can refill with blood.

Normal blood pressure: The normal blood pressure ranges from

  • Systolic: 90 - 140
  • Diastolic: 60 - 90

Warning signs:
  • If the systolic blood pressure is above 140mmHg and the diastolic blood pressure is above 90mmHg, then it is a high blood pressure.
  • If the systolic blood pressure is below 90mmHg and the diastolic blood pressure is below 60mmHg, it is called low blood pressure. The mother should be referred in both conditions to the higher health institutions.

How to Check the Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is measured by the equipment called sphygmomanometer. There are different types of sphygmomanometers. Look at the following figures.

Figure 8.3: Blood pressure equipment's

The following picture shows the steps to be followed while taking blood pressure.


During measuring the blood pressure, you have to follow the steps in the above figure. Always the first sound heard during deflation is the systolic sound and the last sound is diastolic. So you have to know the exact number where the first sound is heard and where the sound is stopped. Record the two numbers and analyse the numbers you get to say normal, high, or low blood pressure.

Last modified: Sunday, 26 February 2017, 5:41 PM