Throughout my second pregnancy, my blood pressure was entirely normal. Looking back, there were subtle signs: I gained 50 pounds and suffered from fluid retention so severe that only Birkenstocks fit my feet. But because my readings remained steady, preeclampsia wasn’t heavily on my radar, though I was advised to keep a cuff at home.

At 39 weeks, the day after a membrane sweep, my home readings crept into the 130s and I felt distinctly "off." Trusting my gut, I admitted myself to Labor & Delivery a day ahead of my scheduled induction. Protein was discovered in my urine, and I was diagnosed with preeclampsia.

What followed was a highly traumatic delivery. After a failed VBAC attempt, I developed uterine and fetal infections, a 104-degree fever, and suffered an arrest of labor. This culminated in an emergency C-section and severe hemorrhaging. My newborn son, Andy, spent two days in the NICU on a CPAP machine, while I required blood and iron transfusions. After four days, my blood pressure appeared to normalize, and we were discharged. I thought the worst was behind us. In reality, the true crisis was just beginning.

The Postpartum Cycle
Preeclampsia does not always end at delivery—a dangerous reality I learned firsthand over the next three weeks:

1 Day Post-Discharge: My first night home, my BP climbed into the 140s. The next morning, it hit the 150s. The on-call OB directed me back to L&D for IV antihypertensives and a new prescription.

The ICU Admission: Back home, despite medication, my BP spiked to 181/100. I was readmitted, diagnosed with severe postpartum preeclampsia, and placed on a brutal 24-hour magnesium sulfate drip. Because my pressures remained uncontrollable, I was transferred to the ICU. (A testament to the fluid retention: during this week-long stay, my body shed 35 pounds of fluid).

The Two-Week Spike: Two weeks postpartum, while my son was in the ER being admitted for a staph infection, the stress caused my BP to spike to a life-threatening 194/106, requiring a fourth visit to L&D.

The Six-Week Scare: Even at six weeks postpartum, during an echocardiogram, my BP suddenly spiked to 185/120 despite weeks of medication stability.

The Long Road to Healing

It took several months of a complex medication cocktail, exhausting dosing algorithms, endless doctor appointments, EKGs, echos, cardiac MRIs, and a 24-hour monitoring cuff before my system stabilized and I could wean off the medication.

While my physical biomarkers have recovered, the psychological impact remains. I survived the physical toll of severe preeclampsia, but I am left with medical anxiety and profound postpartum PTSD. To this day, the simple sound of a blood pressure cuff inflating is an immediate trigger.
Maternal health does not end the moment a baby is born. We need deeper awareness surrounding late-onset postpartum preeclampsia so that mothers know to keep checking their blood pressure at home, trust their instincts, and advocate fiercely for their lives.