I had little education when it came to my first born in regard to preeclampsia. I apparently had protein in my urine during delivery with my son- signifying preeclampsia. Soon after delivery, my BP was still high and I was put on temporary medication. Although it leveled out, it scared the heck out of me. High blood pressure DOES run on my mothers' side of the family but this was a new reality check. Three years later, I had my beautiful daughter. Going into this pregnancy, I was automatically titled "high risk" due to my sons' journey. I hated that label. I saw it on every chart, every check-up, etc. I was put in baby aspirin and low dose Labetalol for the majority of my pregnancy. Lots of routine blood work, urine samples, etc. Towards the final month, I had to go into the Dr.’s office 2X a week for fetal heart monitoring. I couldn't even wrap my head around how I’d go about this with my full time job and being a mom to a toddler. Week 36 came and I was feeling good. I went to have my checkup at the start of week 37 and my BP was 160s over/high 90s….. The nurse thought the cuff was off, but after multiple re-checks, she told me that I had to go to Triage and they'd most likely induce. While induction was always the plan, I didn't expect it to be through the emergency room as a gateway.... which made my anxiety and BP spike. The good news is, I didn't need magnesium like the first pregnancy (which makes you feel very blah).

My cervix was bleeding, which was scary. So I immediately had to go into Labor & Delivery. We tried pitocin, I got an epidural- things were back on track until my baby girls’ heart started getting strange. All of a sudden, I was being rushed to a STAT C-Section and that broke me. I really didn’t think it’d come down to that. I was crying, vomiting, worrying - but knew this would be the safest exit plan for her. After the surgery, I was exhausted, hungry and terrified about the shock that just occurred to my body.

Leaving the hospital, my BP came down to 130/80’s- not bad, but not great. I was home for only two days before my next postpartum BP check and it was exactly back to the 160s/90s. I couldn’t believe it. I had to go back into the hospital and I ended up being there for 4 days and 3 more nights….. Pumping for my baby, holding her during visits, but ultimately becoming more depressed. Thank goodness for my last PM nurse. She offered support in so many ways, including prescribing a low-dose anxiety medication as well which helped me cope through this nightmare. I was on a lot of blood pressure medication upon discharge and am happy to say that now, almost 4 months after the fact, I am on one medication- Lisinopril, once a day, and my numbers are leveling to a new “normal”- way better than before. It has impacted my #’s a lot more than labetalol which I also found out, is only most effective when taken 3X a day.

Yes, I have to now be on medication for good most likely and yes, I will not be having another child due to this trauma. But I learned a lot and health is #1. I will continue to check my numbers, take my medication and attend all appointments. After all, those routine procedures will save your life. Be curious, still ask questions and know that there is not one solution to every scary situation- sometimes it takes time to find your own, personal “cure”.