Episode #11
Postpartum Follow-up After Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy
Blood pressure often peaks after patients have already gone home; yet fewer than half of people with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy receive the recommended blood pressure check within 7 to 10 days of birth. Follow-up is even lower for Black and Hispanic patients, who also face a disproportionate burden of severe complications. Why is that happening, and what can we do about it?In this episode, we speak with Jill Doyle, CNM, PhD candidate and predoctoral fellow at the Boston College Connell School of Nursing, about her integrative review on the subject. Jill draws on 15 years of midwifery practice and her own experience of postpartum preeclampsia and hospital readmission to reframe missed follow-up as a systems problem rather than a patient one.We discuss what ACOG recommends and how it differs from the traditional six-week postpartum visit, how remote blood pressure monitoring works, and what an intersectionality lens reveals about who gets timely care. Jill also walks through the patient, provider, and health system-level barriers and facilitators she found.Whether you're a midwife, nurse, OB, or primary care clinician, you'll leave with practical steps you can use in your next clinic day and a clearer view of how to design postpartum care that meets people where they are.In this episode:-Why early postpartum blood pressure surveillance matters, and what the guidelines recommend?-Remote vs. home blood pressure monitoring: what's the difference?-Using an intersectionality framework to understand inequities in follow-up.-Barriers and facilitators at the patient, provider, and health system levels.-Practical steps clinicians can take now, and the policy and research needed next.Guest: Jill Doyle, MS, CNM, PhD Candidate Article: Doyle JC, Lee CS, & Canty L. Barriers and facilitators to early postpartum blood pressure follow-up after hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: An integrative review. J Midwifery Womens Health. 2026;71(3):330-343. doi:10.1111/jmwh.70091 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-doyle-cnm-ms-6136b419/Keywords: Midwifery care, Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy, Preeclampsia, Postpartum Blood Pressure, Postpartum Health Disparities, Black Maternal Health, Telehealth Postpartum Care, Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health.Hashtags: #SpeakingOfMidwives #Midwifery #MaternalHealth #Preeclampsia #ReproductiveHealth #PostpartumCare #HealthEquity
