<s>[INST] Just had a baby March 9. On March 15 I developed high blood pressure and heart rate dropped. Also, had swelling in both ankles and calves. Blood pressure is still at 176/93 with meds that were just started on March 15. Heartrate has been as low as 45 but stays around 50. What do you think could be causing this? I had hypertension prior to pregnancy, but did not have hypertension or swelling during the pregnancy. Blood pressure ran low and heart rate was usually around 90-100. [/INST] Hello!Thank you for asking on HCM!Regarding your concern, I would explain that it is important performing a comprehensive differential diagnosis of different causes that may lead to this clinical scenario: - peripartal cardiomyopathy- preeclampsia - an electrolyte imbalance. Coming to this point, I would recommend consulting with your doctor for a physical exam and some tests: - a resting ECG and a cardiac ultrasound- fasting glucose- complete blood count- blood electrolytes- an ambulatory 24-48 hours ECG monitoring to examine your heart rhythm trends. Hope to have been helpful!Kind regards, Dr. Iliri </s>