The first day home with a new baby can be overwhelming under normal circumstances, and we thought that would be the case for us. But when Peter was just four days old, less than 24 hours after we came home, I was readmitted to the hospital for postpartum preeclampsia with severe features after an alarmingly high home blood pressure reading and other symptoms. Preeclampsia is a life-threatening hypertensive disorder experienced during pregnancy and sometimes the postpartum period that can lead to stroke, seizure, and organ failure. The exact cause for postpartum preeclampsia is unknown but rates are increasing. According to the Preeclampsia Foundation, “the rate of preeclampsia in the US has increased 25% in the last two decades and is a leading cause of maternal and infant illness and death.”

I am participating in the 140 Over 90 Run because becoming a parent is hard enough and we deserve the tools and knowledge for our health and wellbeing. Proceeds from 140 Over 90 support the Cuff Project which provides high-risk mothers with blood pressure monitors and tools to seek help.

A donation of any size would be greatly appreciated! You can also get involved by:

• Learning more about preeclampsia at https://www.preeclampsia.org/ 

• Watching Aftershock on Hulu for a deep, heartbreaking look into the maternal mortality crisis 

• Encouraging a pregnant or recent postpartum friend to check their blood pressure 

• Following my running progress on Strava or joining me for a run or run/walk over the next 90 days