Hear me out:
A digital blood pressure cuff.
Why? Bottom line: It saves lives.
Why else? Because early signs of preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome can be hard to differentiate from regular late pregnancy discomfort, but being able to take your blood pressure on a regular basis is a non invasive and simple task that can point out trouble before it gets out of hand.
But isn't that fearmongering? Shouldn't we just let people enjoy their pregnancy without thinking about possible dangers of preeclampsia?
In my humble opinion, I don't think it's fearmongering to suggest that someone track their blood pressure at home in the late second trimester and third trimester. I found it incredibly empowering to have a blood pressure cuff at home when I was pregnant. When I first felt weird and took my own BP, I was able to report the exact numbers (very high...160/93) to my doctor on the phone so that they had a data point to begin with before I arrived at the hospital. They also knew I was coming and why so that when I arrived it was an extremely speedy process to be welcomed and popped onto a hospital bed for further testing.
Even with as many check ups as people get in their third trimester, it's still only once a week (on average) that their doctor takes their blood pressure. And it's even less often if the pregnant person is in their second trimester (every other week on average).
Preeclampsia can come on slowly (like mine did) or can suddenly and disastrously strike. Had I not had a blood pressure cuff at home to confirm my suspicions that something was amiss, I could have talked myself out of taking a trip down to labor and delivery to get checked out. Does this dismissive behavior sound familiar to you? How often do women minimize their discomfort to not be a problem for other people? A lot? Yes, I know. In fact, women regularly have more severe heart attacks and die more often because they do not think their symptoms are serious enough to be seen by a doctor. This is an *actual fact*.
Being able to clearly see that my blood pressure had risen above normal empowered me to seek help immediately rather than flip-flop and dilly-dally because I didn't want to be a pain over other less-specific symptoms that could have just been regular pregnancy complaints (which is an unhelpful attitude that I could talk about for an hour but I won't).
That immediate help very possibly saved my life and Arthur's life.
While taking one's blood pressure may never result in an irregular reading (hopefully), the possibility that it could give you information that saves lives is extremely valuable and, in my opinion, should be regarded as a very normal item to have in one's self advocacy toolkit during pregnancy.
I purchased this monitor on Amazon. It is extremely easy to use and I would absolutely buy it again. You should check with your doctor for their specific recommendation on a cuff that is right for you. Also, consult with your doctor about what reading should immediately result in a phone call (usually 140/90 or above, but always talk to your doctor as I am not one and cannot/would not give medical advice).
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZH84RPN/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_0G6BHAYKKC67JGQPJJD1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1