Hi! I am participating in the 140 over 90 Run which is a virtual event starting on February 1^st where I will be walking/running 140 miles within 90 days (140/90 indicates Stage 2 high blood pressure). All proceeds go to the Preeclampsia Foundation. Preeclampsia is a serious medical complication of pregnancy and is the #1 cause of maternal and infant illness and death. Some symptoms include high blood pressure, swelling of the face and hands and/or high levels of protein in urine indicating kidney or other signs of organ damage. The main cause of preeclampsia is unknown and happens in 5-8% of pregnancies. As a preeclampsia survivor, I want to raise awareness while reducing my increased risk for high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. (“Large population studies have demonstrated that two of three preeclampsia survivors will die of heart disease” -Preeclampsia Foundation) More information can be found at: https://www.preeclampsia.org/ 

My story: At 30 weeks, I noticed swelling that seemed to get worse every day. I bought a BP cuff the last couple weeks (thanks to my sister for pushing me!) to check my blood pressure. I was getting numbers over 140 but didn't think much of anything, especially considering my doctors did not seem concerned. It wasn't until a day before one of my routine doctor appointments where I got a 184/108 reading and knew something might be wrong. However, as a first time mom, I was completely unaware of the risks and figured it could "wait until tomorrow". Luckily for me, nothing serious happened in that time span. The next day, I was finally admitted at 35+6 days due to severe preeclampsia and had an emergency c-section the following morning. Once admitted, I was hooked up on an IV of magnesium for 5 days. Magnesium is a medication to prevent seizures which completely knocks you out (double vision- hello!) Being on magnesium while recovering from a c-section was TOUGH to say the least. A few days after being separated from Vinny and not able to do much of anything, it finally hit me I had a baby. Little did I know, the journey does not end at the hospital. I had to be on BP medicine for 8 weeks after (just add that on the to-do list with having a newborn and c-section recovery!) and now have long term effects that I need to consider in all my decisions. It sure was not the birth experience I had envisioned but I feel so lucky how things turned out. Finally, a year later, life is starting to feel normal again. 

It is so important for me to raise awareness for preeclampsia as I see more and more friends and family get pregnant. If you feel off, please speak up and advocate for yourself. Preeclampsia can happen to anyone. I was told my swelling was “normal pregnancy swelling”, well it turns out it wasn’t! I knew it wasn’t normal during my one week follow-up appointment and the doctor told me I had lost 40 pounds... in a week (talk about major water retention). I am so lucky Vinny was a healthy 6 pound 8 oz baby and our story has a happy ending but that is not the case for everyone. As my risk for preeclampsia in future pregnancies is increased, it is so important to keep myself accountable to live a healthy lifestyle not only for me but for Vinny and my potential future babies. Your support means so much! Thank you!