I Am One. My Preeclampsia Story.
I Am One. A Preeclampsia Survivor.
My knowledge of preeclampsia - at the time it was happening to me - was next to nothing. I knew it had to do with high blood pressure, but that was it.
I felt completely fine. I went to a routine prenatal appointment and after three high BP readings I was sent to labor & delivery.
All of a sudden I had to process the fact that I was being put on hospital bed rest until I delivered a month later. The snowball of events continued. I couldn’t wait a month, I would need to be induced in a week or that day. Moments after we were told it would be next week, more results came in and it had to be that day. I was given magnesium sulfate to prevent seizures, steroid shots for my daughter’s lung development and the induction process began. A day of contractions and little progress, and I needed to have a csection and it had to be now. My BP still wasn’t stable and my daughter was in distress. I was given a spinal and my fiance was able to come into the OR.
Preeclampsia made my birth story hazy, but I am forever grateful for the moment I heard her cry and saw my daughter's face. Four and a half hours later, just as I was finally feeling okay to hold her, she was taken to the NICU for having trouble regulating her body temperature. I still needed the mag drip and couldn’t leave my bed to see her. After days of NICU life for my girl, and trying to get my blood pressure under control, we were finally able to take our baby home.
There’s so much that preeclampsia took away from me and some days, it’s hard to process. Even though I felt fine my health was not okay so I feel honored to share my story to spread awareness on preeclampsia and the importance of prenatal care. Had I missed that appointment, I might not be here to share my story. Thank you for reading and sharing.
