Preeclampsia: A Personal Reflection
My c-section scar…. that’s what triggered it. And in way, it sort of saved my life. What started as a headache soon became a 4 day stay in the hospital 2 weeks after I delivered my daughter. I thought headaches were a natural sign of sleep deprivation. Being a new Mom, sleep deprivation was a normal thing, and I had never been so tired in my life. I was averaging at best 3 hours of sleep a night in between feedings, diaper changes and a lot of crying. The headache wasn’t what brought me into the hospital, my c-section scar did. They were unrelated to each other, but I would soon find out that both needed treatment.
Let me backtrack. I was 44 years old when I delivered my daughter, Lena. Being over 40 and pregnant presented several risks. But I consider myself a healthy person, someone who goes to the gym 5 days/week and eats clean. The only real health issue I’ve ever had was being anemic, which is usually solved by taking Iron supplements. As an athlete growing up, and even today, my blood pressure has always been on the low side of normal. But my OBGYN recommended I take baby aspirin to make sure my blood pressure never got high during my pregnancy. And it didn’t, at least not while I was pregnant.
I had a planned c-section because my doctor said this was the safest way for me to deliver. About 2 weeks after my c-section, I noticed my incision started to bleed. I called my doctor, sent, pictures of my scar, and was told to come in and get checked out. This was the Saturday before Super Bowl Sunday around 4 in the afternoon. I didn’t want to leave my husband alone with our baby because it was a lot even for two people to handle, so naturally I worried. Since I was not allowed to drive, I Ubered myself to the hospital assuming this would be a quick in and out visit.
Before the care team examined my c-section scar, they took my blood pressure as I was in a half-daze while secretly enjoying the silence for those moments and not having to take care of a crying baby. 3 more doctors or nurses came in during this time, and I thought wow we’ll get this bleeding incision figured out today! But this wasn’t the case, they gave me 2 pills to take right away. I had no idea why they were handing me this medication. So I asked, and nurse said my blood pressure was 190/100, we need to get it back down or you could have a stroke or seizure, and we need to start an IV for magnesium drip. The drip runs for 12 hours. Wait what?! I had postpartum preeclampsia. The only symptom I had was a bad headache. My ears turned numb in disbelief. Another IV? I hated needles. This meant I needed to spend the night, away from my husband, away from my baby. I broke down in tears. I was so tired and my head was throbbing. And this still didn’t solve the incision bleeding problem. The doctors seemed to think this scar was still healing so not to worry. My dad, who had been visiting, from Maryland, just got on a plane earlier that day. My mother, who I would normally call in a situation like this, passed away 4 months prior. So I immediately felt so isolated, defeated, and exhausted.
My c-section scar brought me to the hospital, but Preeclampsia kept me there. What’s worse is, what started as one night soon became two, then three, and then four. My blood pressure was never fully under control. After the Magnesium drip, it went down to the 160’s then hit 180’s, and it would continue to yo-yo like this for hours. I was on several different blood pressure medications. None of it seemed to fully work. We didn’t want to bring Lena back to the hospital, so I couldn’t breastfeed. Instead I pumped to build up my supply and tried to rest.
On Superbowl Sunday, my blood pressure got high again in the 180’s. And it wasn’t coming down with the medication. They were contemplating putting me back on the magnesium drip. I remember asking my husband to bring Lena because I missed her and at this point was really starting to worry that maybe I wouldn’t get better. But after 4 days of various blood pressure medications, and yes another surgery to remove a blood clot from my c-section, I was released and not totally out of the woods yet. I had to wait another 4 weeks until I was completely clear of Preeclampsia and any risks associated with it.
I knew very little about Preeclampsia before this 2nd visit to the hospital. I wish this was something I could have prepared for. According to the CDC, its responsible for 70,000 maternal and 500,000 fetal deaths worldwide. And in the US, the rate of Preeclampsia is 60% higher in black women. My case was rare that it happened 2 weeks after I delivered. Typically you run the risk while pregnant or at delivery. Headaches were the only symptom I experienced, but I confused it with sleep deprivation.
Signs of Preeclampsia:
Headaches
Blurred vision
Nausea
Swelling of Extremities
I think most people experience Preeclampsia during pregnancy or while delivering, which is also very dangerous. Once out of the hospital I talked to other friends and colleagues who experienced something similar. In most cases it added a day or two to their hospital stay after delivering. In another case, one friend had to stay in the hospital 3 weeks before delivering because her symptoms were so bad.
I immediately found community in sharing these stories, but I also wondered, why don’t we talk about this more? The signs of Preeclampsia aren’t always obvious, but if untreated can be very dangerous. And it's more common than I realize, especially amongst Black women. As I reflect back on the experience, I remember it being a terrifying ordeal, but I’m grateful that I was able to catch it before it became worse. I think its really important for new moms, to advocate for your health. If something feels off, go with your instincts—they’re usually right. In sharing my story, I wanted to raise awareness so no one feels unprepared like I once did. I’m completely healthy now and enjoying the highs and lows of being a new mom.
