I didn’t have the most classic of symptoms with my preeclampsia. If I had not been in tune with my body and very cautious medically - my story would likely be different. Today I have a healthy 11-month old but the story of getting here was traumatic for me.

With my pregnancy, I began feeling “off” a few times at work.. I explained to a nurse I work with that my head was just “fuzzy” and I felt a bit nauseous. My BP that day was in the 150s systolic and I went to my OB immediately. Luckily it came down without intervention. This happened maybe 2 times within a month and at this point I was about 6 months pregnant.. still way too early for a Pre-E diagnosis. Since it came down without medication I wasn’t put on anything daily.

Fast forward to being 28 weeks along. On a Sunday I felt overly tired. Even after a 2 hour nap, when I woke up all I wanted to do was go back to sleep. I had some swelling at this point but it wasn’t enough to make me think it was more than normal at this point in pregnancy. I took my BP at home… 160s systolic so off to the OB ED we went. I was admitted overnight twice that week. I received a diagnosis of early preeclampsia. Wednesday of that same week I had the headache that wouldn’t go away with Tylenol. I listened to my body. Told my pups and the unfinished nursery goodbye, knowing that this time when I went to the hospital I’d be admitted until delivery.. not knowing if that could be 2 weeks or 2 months.

I was put on a mag drip for this admission. Things ramped up very fast. Friday night my body wasn’t responding to IV BP medications and I began seeing stars. The call was made to deliver my baby at 29 weeks exactly to save us both.

My c-section and recovery were unremarkable, thank God. But it wasn’t without other horrors. I didn’t get to see my baby until over 24hr after delivery. I didn’t get to touch my baby until he was 5 days old. I didn’t hold my baby until he was 11 days old. He stayed in the NICU for 47 days and not a day went by I wasn’t by his side from morning until late at night. I ended up being on 4 24-hr mag drops the nurses in antepartum hadn’t even seen that before. I had blood labs drawn 56 times from my hands while I was admitted and my hands were cracked and bleeding from the draws and the dry sterile air.

I am forever changed by this experience and the fear of this reoccurring terrifies me. I have turned my story into cautionary tales for other women I know. Listen to your body and those funny feelings. I didn’t see stars, have a headache, have extreme swelling, pain in my ribs, or shortness of breath until the night before my emergency c-section. If I didn’t listen to my body, neither of us might have made it to the other side.

I’m eternally grateful for the hospital staff for listening to me and prioritizing not only my baby’s health, but making mine an equal priority as well.

Today our baby boy is 11-months old and a whopping 20 pounds - healthy as can be.

I vowed 11 months ago to help women advocate for their own health in regards to preeclampsia and have since helped 4 women identify signs and symptoms and push them to get the medical care they deserve.

I wish nothing but prosperity for this foundation. Let’s find a hope and a cure for the sake of future women and generations to come.