My first born baby and I are Preeclampsia survivors. Every May is Preeclampsia Awareness Month but did you even know that? Every May, I want to shout out from the roof tops the need for more awareness for this disease.
I want to thank my medical and birth team for caring for me and my first born child. I also want to thank my friends and family for persuading me at the time to have get my stubborn butt in to see the doctor, which looking back was so important. My case could have been life threatening, but thanks to early detection and monitoring and treatment it did not escalate to something very scary.
I have a friend who had more of an urgent situation involving preeclampsia with multiple pregnancies, and it can be pretty intense. My heart forever can relate to her and all mommas that have been touched by Preeclampsia in their pregnancy. I don’t believe that there is a way to know the specific cause of preeclampsia or figure out a specific reason why this happens sometimes, often in these cases we will just not know why it happened. I’m thankful that I had no Preeclampsia issues with my second pregnancy.
In my case, I had heard of the condition of preeclampsia, knew some things about it, but for some reason despite that and all the prenatal classes I had taken, this condition just crept up on me and I was shocked at around 38 weeks when it surprised me. Looking back I did not hear enough about this disease specifically and wish that I had been more prepared in understanding more about it during my early pregnancy and birthing classes.
I had a birth plan, and Preeclampsia was not part of it, nor did I have it on my list of possible concerns. I am glad that I had the support of a Doula for my birthing experience and an amazing Obstetrician. It can be hard when medial interventions must take over your birth plan and vision. Be sure to have a supportive birth team by your side and know that you are not alone, there are many women who have been on this preeclamptic path.
Preeclampsia is defined as a condition in pregnancy characterized by high blood pressure, sometimes with fluid retention and proteinuria.
The Preeclampsia Foundation website reports “5-8% (up to 1 in 12) of all pregnancies to be affected by this condition.” The scary thing is that it is a rapidly progressive condition. It is important to follow a good prenatal care plan and be seen for routine checks by your doctor to screen for preeclampsia and any other potential issues during your pregnancy. It could creep up and slip through the cracks on you, like it did to me. I want to highlight some important information from the Preeclampsia Foundation website:
~ “Swelling, sudden weight gain, headaches and changes in vision are important symptoms, however, some women with rapidly advancing disease report few symptoms.”
~”Typically, Preeclampsia occurs after 20 weeks gestation (in the late 2nd and 3rd trimesters middle to late pregnancy) and up to six weeks postpartum (after delivery), though in rare cases it can occur earlier than 20 weeks.”
~ “Preeclampsia is a disorder that occurs only durning pregnancy and the postpartum period and affects both the mother and the unborn baby.”
~”By conservative estimates, these disorders are responsible for 76,000 maternal and 500,000 infant deaths each year.”
~”HELLP syndrome and eclampsia (seizures) are other variants of preeclampsia.”
My intent is to have more people be aware of this condition. Recognizing potential signs of this condition and getting treatment if necessary to protect more mommas and babies from this potentially life threatening condition. Keep in mind, as mentioned above, there may be few symptoms or they might not be felt or recognized by the mother. Early detection and diagnosis is key.
When I experienced Preeclampsia, I had a healthy and normal pregnancy and all of a sudden around 38 weeks, BAM, high blood pressure (which I’ve never ever had before) and abnormal blood labs. I did not have any protein in my urine at the time. I had some swelling of my hands and feet. Thankfully with some medial intervention my baby was delivered and we were both ok. I want to urge new mommas to remember to take care of yourself in what is often now called the “Fourth Trimester.” Be vigilant to any symptoms you could have after delivery too, not just regarding Preeclampsia, but also things like Post partum depression, and just general wellbeing. It’s easy to fall into that new momma fog and put ourselves last, but talk with your partner, friends, family, support groups and doctors and take care of you too. Dealing with Preeclampsia can be challenging, I found a lot of support from my friends and family.
To all my fellow Preeclampsia survivors, I relate to you and let’s keep spreading the awareness of this condition. And I don’t know about you, but I can almost still feel the burning of that Magnesium Sulfate I.V. drip going in, almost worse than some contractions! (But I am of course grateful it’s available to keep us safe.) But seriously, hugs to you, this disorder affected us all in different ways and severities, but we can all relate. Strong Mommas. We are in this Preeclampsia club together, I salute you and your story and let’s continue together the awareness, education and support of these topics and conditions.
If you know a Mom who dealt with Preeclampsia, give her a hug and show her your support.
I urge you to visit The Preeclampsia Foundation website http://Preeclampsia.org There you can find lots of amazing and helpful resources at your fingertips.
