In 2005, I was pregnant with a baby girl. I was not prepared for what I would experience during this pregnancy. I recall always feeling exhausted, uncomfortable, and in pain during this pregnancy. I didn't realize, at the time, that this was not normal. I never really complained or mentioned it because I assumed that this was just how pregnancy would be for me. One day, when I visited my mother, I noticed her entire facial expression changed as I walked up the driveway to greet her. She commented about how swollen my hands and legs were. She told me I did not look well and should call my doctor right away. I told her I felt fine -- or like I had felt for most of my pregnancy, and that I would be okay until my next doctor's appointment in two weeks. She told me that was too long to wait and I needed to contact the doctor now. Despite the visible worry on her face, I told her that I was okay and dismissed her concern as an overreaction.

Two weeks later, when I arrived at my doctor's appointment, I learned that my mother was, in fact, correct. My doctor told me that I had preeclampsia and that I needed to be admitted to the hospital immediately. I was blindsided and caught off guard by this diagnosis. What did this mean? What was happening? I frantically called my mother to tell her what was happening as I overheard the office staff making arrangements for me to be admitted to the hospital. When I arrived, I was told that the only way to alleviate this was to deliver the baby as soon as possible. My fiancé and I were both in shock as I was only 24 weeks along. Sadly, my baby girl Kadyn did not survive, but my life was ultimately saved. After learning more about this condition, I began to take my health more seriously and lost 50 lbs.

Soon after, I found out I was pregnant again. Although this pregnancy was night and day from the previous in regard to how I felt overall, I was eventually put on bed rest around 7 months and attended weekly doctor's visits to monitor the health of both myself and the baby. As the months got closer, there was concern about fetal distress, so my doctor decided to deliver my baby girl 4 weeks early, given my previous history. Thankfully, this was a healthy delivery for us both, and my daughter only spent a week in the NICU. She's been on the move ever since and will turn 19 next month in June. Since that time, I now have a 20-month-old daughter that I carried full-term and delivered with no complications. I am so grateful for the Preeclampsia Foundation for furthering the mission to increase awareness and improve outcomes for mothers and babies around the world, like me and my daughters!