Thank you in advance for your support!
The 4th trimester and where things could have drastically gone bad.
I’ve heard the term preeclampsia over the years but never expected to experience it firsthand. Luckily, I was ahead of it.
My discharge papers list the risks of preeclampsia as Seizures, Stroke, Organ Damage, and Death. Preeclampsia is not anything to take lightly.
If you don’t know what preeclampsia is, it is a serious disease related to high blood pressure. It can happen to any pregnant woman during the second half of pregnancy or up to 6 weeks after delivery. Though there is SO much still not known about preeclampsia which is why I need your help to raise funds and awareness. Please consider making a gift!
I realized things were not right one week after giving birth to Carter.
I am grateful for my knowledge from the American Heart Association and my blood pressure monitor. Both are the reason I did not have any severe outcomes.
At 38 weeks, I went into triage (first-time mom and thought I was in labor— wrong ), and it was there that I had my first high blood pressure reading. They told me to get a self-monitoring blood pressure device to monitor my BP at home. I knew it was important from my time at AHA, so I bought one that day.
I was induced at 39 weeks under the guidance of my doctors. At the hospital, I never had an issue with my BP (and they always monitor you). I went home wholly concerned about my new little babe, Carter, and all the postpartum fun (*sarcasm*) though my BP wasn’t on my mind.
It wasn’t until a week later that I had a bad headache. I have to imagine most women would EASILY ignore this symptom which is why I am here to say pay attention! I was feeding Carter at 2 am and realized this headache would not go away. Even though I felt “off” overall from being postpartum, I felt this was peculiar. At AHA, you will hear us say that heart disease is the #1 killer of new moms (and blood pressure is a significant contributor to heart disease), so I decided to take my blood pressure.
The numbers were high. 170’s on top, 100’s on the bottom. Deadly high. I was scared. I had a lot of emotions running through me. I waited a bit and took my BP 3 more times. All of them were similar.
I called my doctor’s after-hours line and told them my numbers and they told me I need to go to triage. Then they called back and said you need to go to the emergency department.
I. Was. A. Mess.
A lot goes through your mind. I was beside myself to leave my newborn and husband. I was scared of what was happening to me. I packed a snack (if you know me well, I would, of course, do this) and drove myself to the ER at 4 in the morning. It was terribly sad. When I got there, they took my BP and temperature and told me to “stay close” cause they were getting me in asap. I was at the city's busiest ER and went to the front of the line. You’re thankful for this, but it also scares you.
Carter was born at 6:06 am, precisely one week before, so instead of wishing him a happy one week, I was having every test run in the ER. Everyone was so friendly and kept asking me about Carter. I could barely say his name because I was so emotional.
I stayed in the ER for another 6 hours and then was admitted to have a magnesium drip administered. It wasn’t terrible, but you can’t get out of bed for 24 hours. I missed my new little family but was thankful nothing worse happened. And now I’m still on BP pressure medicine and still wondering why it all happened. That is how you can help, by making a donation, more can be done to understand pregnancy-related heart events. I am incredibly passionate about ensuring women catch these symptoms early and that research is done to continue progress around maternal health.
Carter, Matt, and I appreciate your donation more than you know. ❤