Most of the time preeclampsia happens during pregnancy but it can happen postpartum as well and that is what happened to me….TWICE!
When I got pregnant for the first time in August of 2020 I never knew about preeclampsia. My pregnancy was easy and smooth sailing for the most part. Around 27 weeks I had 3 seizures back to back and was transported to [the hospital] where I was then air lifted to [a different hospital]. They discovered that I had a benign brain tumor (Cavernoma) in my left frontal lobe. They prepped to deliver my daughter and gave me a steroid shot but luckily I was able to carry out until 39 weeks. I had to have a cesarean to prevent brain hemorrhaging. My BP was great the entire time. Delivery was smooth.

We were discharged after 2 days and then approximately 6 days PP is when it hit. I woke up with a TERRIBLE headache like I never experienced before. I just sat over the bassinet and cried. I had pain around my chest and back (bra line). My husband asked if I wanted to go to the hospital because it was a Sunday and no offices were open. I agreed to go because I thought the headache had to do with my tumor. Not once did I have preeclampsia on my mind. As soon as we arrived in triage my BP was around the 170s and we told them I just delivered and they said get her to L&D now. Within approximately 5 minutes my BP spiked to high 190s and I was admitted immediately and placed on a 24hr magnesium drip. They said if I didn’t come in when I did, I could have had a seizure or a stroke. They were able to get everything under control and I was released the next day and prescribed two different BP meds. I had to record my BP multiple times a day every day and communicate with my OB so they could determine how much to wean me until I was off completely and in the clear. Eventually, I was weaned off completely and I was okay. When my daughter was 5 months old I opted to have a craniotomy to remove the tumor. I recovered well and came off of all my medications within due time.

Fast forward to 2024. I found out May 17, 2024 I was pregnant. Again, everything was okay until 17 weeks. I had early preeclampsia testing done and my protein level was over 1,500 (should be around 300 or less). I was freaking out and panicking thinking it was preeclampsia until I found out it doesn’t happen until at least 20 weeks. I had to be referred to a specialist (nephrologist). That’s another story. Anyways, I kept going with the pregnancy and everything was fine as the weeks passed. BP readings were decent and I felt great. Towards the end I was getting tired but it was good overall until delivery. In the OR my BP had dropped so they gave me medicine and here I reacted to it and my BP spiked to around 170. Instantly my head hurt SO BAD within seconds from the spike. Doctors got it under control but I was in tears as they were performing the C-section from the headache and just being hormonal. I was nauseous and kept vomiting. I could barely do bonding time afterward because I kept getting sick and felt awful. I had a CT done just to make sure everything was okay due to my history and all checked out. I was put in High Risk right after delivery and then once I was stable I was transferred to Mother Baby.

On January 15th we welcomed our son into this crazy world we live in. This time around was different and more severe compared to my first pregnancy. I was hospitalized for 1 week and ended up being diagnosed with severe postpartum preeclampsia. At first, there was nothing alarming or any signs of me having preeclampsia. I was supposed to be discharged 3 days postpartum but that’s when things took a turn and my blood pressure started to climb. It started climbing around 1:00am on 1/19/25 from 140s to 160s and eventually once the readings surpassed the “critical” point which is 160/100 that’s when I was diagnosed with it. I had headaches constantly for days after that felt like throbbing and pressure. That was the only symptom I experienced.

I was transported back to High Risk and was placed on a 24hr magnesium drip. This helps prevent seizures from occurring. My blood pressure kept fluctuating but eventually we started to get decent readings. The mag drip was removed after 24hrs (2:15am) on Monday morning (1/20/25). Then at 5:45am spiked to around 175. I was on BP meds but they kept making adjustments to try and stabilize my BP. I had bloodwork done MULTIPLE times to test all my levels and everytime they were good. I eventually went back to Mother Baby and then from there the doctors had to experiment with the dosages of medication. At times my BP would be good and I had hopes of going home and then it would spike again and I got let down. This repetitively happened over the course of multiple days. Eventually, I just had to have it in my head that I’m not leaving because I was tired of getting my hopes up just to get let down. At one point my BP reached 203. There were so many emotions and I was so over it. I broke down in tears one night and just had to let it all out. I was tired, I missed my daughter, my hormones were all over, and I just wanted to be home. I knew I was in the right place and they were taking care of me but it was just getting harder day by day. By midweek my BP had consistent readings over a period of time that they were happy with so I got the GREAT news that I was finally able to be discharged on the night of 1/22/25. I ended up being heavily medicated with 3 different BP meds 3x/day. I am still currently on them but they are weaning me slowly. We are all adjusting and doing better day by day despite symptoms I experience from weaning my meds such as getting light headed and being nauseous. 

Im just happy to be alive and home with my babies. Pregnancy is a beautiful yet scary thing. You know your body best and if something isn’t right then call a doctor. It could save your life.