Thank you for taking the time to check in on this page and read my story. Sharing such personal experiences can be challenging, but I understand that when we do, it creates a sense of connection and allows others to share their own stories. In doing so, we often realize that we are not alone in our struggles. Fortunately, this particular incident did not result in my death. However, it is important to acknowledge that this is a serious issue that affects many women and their babies. If you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or postpartum, please be aware that this story may be triggering.
I had gestational hypertension during the birth of my first and second baby, but not during the pregnancies for either. I had a healthy BP the whole time with both. But during my second pregnancy, I was labeled with “preeclampsia” in my medical record because I had gestational hypertension during labor with my first, although I never truly experienced it until after my second birth. I had postpartum preeclampsia following my second birth, which is rare and affects 0.3-27% of women.
Reasons as to why I may have had high BP during birth is I was borderline “advanced maternal age” being 30 and 34 for both of my pregnancies. I was 130 pounds at the start of both (healthy weight and BMI) but I gained 40 and 50 lbs separately for each pregnancy, but was able to return to pre birth weight following both. And I worked out during both, although they told me I was gaining too much weight…and I ate a strict diet with both, just had two 8 pound, healthy babies. But I mention all of this because they are potential causes, that we know of now, that could cause preeclampsia in any stage: while pregnant (which is worse for baby and mom), or after.
After Carmen was born, the doctor told me I had a 103 fever during the labor and pushing (2 hours ish) and they were going to give me antibiotics. They also had to give Carmen antibiotics just to be safe even though she didn’t have a fever. I also couldn’t save my placenta, which this time I arranged to keep and dry up. Alas, it was to be donated to science to learn more and was probably infected anyways.
Thankfully, Carmen and I recovered. She never got a fever and mine went away. They kept checking my BP as they do when they’re monitoring you and baby in recovery, which was staying high this time around even, after birth. They attributed it to the stress from birth and wanting to see my son. Finally, it leveled around 130/80 which was good enough to go home. Carmen was ready too, so they discharged us two days after she was born and scheduled the routine 24 hour check for her and a BP check for me 72 hours out. I didn’t have that after Antonio where my BP was staying relatively high, so I knew they were concerned.
Carmen was good at her 24 and I was feeling ok but they didn’t check me then. At home I felt dizzy but no pain in my right side or headache, all things they tell you to call a doctor for right away. I attributed it to the daze of recovery’s Andy had to go back to school in RI and my parents were with us for two weeks so they needed to return home too. My mother in law was coming and there was only a day gap but I knew I could handle it, but I just didn’t feel right.
When my mother in law came she checked my BP right away. 171/90. I never saw her worried before and this would be the time. She told me to take a shower and to sleep as much as I could and only take care of Carmen when she needed me. Carmen was nursing every 2-3 hours and only I could do that and I had zero stash of breast milk yet. But thankfully I rested and when we check my BP that morning it was 150/75. Still not great but better and I knew I would be admitted that day when they checked me, which was my BP check that they thankfully scheduled much to my dismay, so I packed my breast pump and a bag, hoping I wouldn’t be long but wanted to keep my supply going as I was determined to nurse and pump like I did with my first baby.
As soon as they checked me, the nurse read 180/90. She said I’m going to get a chair and we are wheeling you over to postpartum recovery for further evaluation. You’re going to be okay. I immediately started crying and all I wanted was to be home with my babies. And I immediately started to panic about Antonio and Carmen and also how I would give Carmen breastmilk since I left her with formula that they gave me from the hospital when we were discharged to have while I went to my appointment.
They immediately gave me a pill to bring my BP down which worked instantly. They were concerned about seizure, stroke and organ failure. They were going to monitor me and see if they could give me BP medicine but needed to figure out what that looked like. After the instantaneous pill, they checked again and my BP rose. They tried a slower dose, which brought it down but nothing was keeping it below 130, it was hovering in 160 range.
They decided I needed to stay. I was hysterical as I’ve only been home with both of my children for 3 days at this point and was figuring out how to parent two and my mother in law was at home with no car and no way to get Antonio from daycare. My friend Ashley saved me, picking him up and taking care of him for a night. My doula Sam brought my mother in law on base (navy hospital) and brought Carmen. I needed adult supervision during my stay if I wanted Carmen with me to breastfeed, which really scared me.
After a day of trying to figure out what dosage I needed and nothing stabilizing my BP, they decided I needed magnesium treatment. They said I wouldn’t be able to move for 24 hours while I got it through an IV. I would need a catheter because I wouldn’t be able to pee. And they preferred it because they needed to make sure I was getting enough fluids while on magnesium. This was to help me get rid of the excess fluid in my body which they suspected was elevating my BP and is standard treatment for women who have preeclampsia.
I said yes to magnesium but I wanted to be able to get up. So for that 24 hour period, 11 pm to 11 pm, I got up every hour to pee instead of having the catheter. Which I think was the best choice since it got me up even though I was peeing bedside. And my poor mother in law (bless her heart) helped me with a nurse to do that every hour AND she helped give me Carmen to nurse her whenever she needed me, every 2-3 hours. We didn’t sleep for those 24 hours.
After Ashley helped with Antonio for one night, my sister in law Kristina also came to the rescue to take care of Antonio and swap with my mother in law for a night so that she could finally sleep. After the magnesium, I was doing ok but they were still having a hard time stabilizing my BP. It wasn’t until 4 days after the magnesium (which felt like 4 months being stuck in prison) that something was working. And thank god because I was maxing out BP meds and the next step was going to be internal medicine to figure out what more I could take.
I was so scared. I thought I wasn’t going to be normal ever again. And all I could think was this is my last pregnancy. But thankfully, two a day of nifedipine (12 hours apart) and three doses of 3 labetalol (yes a total of 11 pills per day) kept me at or below 130. And I took all of that for four months until finally my BP was staying level on its own. Which I never had a follow up for, I just stopped taking it all because I was checking my BP multiple times a day and was told at my last postpartum appointment (6 weeks after birth) that I could take less and less labetalol with each dose first and then once a day for nifedipine and then hopefully none. That or I may have chronic high BP for life.
Six weeks after birth I was no longer considered postpartum. And I needed to follow up with my primary care provider, aka PCM (which if you’re in the navy you know that’s not really going to work because they have so many patients as is). My PCM wasn’t available to see me until January…. This was September when I was 6 weeks postpartum. I took BP medicine until November and my BP has been living in 130-120 range since (thank God).
Postpartum preeclampsia was a very traumatic experience for me but thankfully I was readmitted very quickly and got the care I needed and had phenomenal family and friend support while I was in the hospital for a whole week, which was no small feat. I’m also thankful it didn’t happen while I was pregnant and Carmen was not affected by it, it was just me. But the thought of my life ending and not being there for either of my children crossed my mind a bunch, especially when they couldn’t bring it down and were telling me the next step would be internal medicine.
And still there’s no explanation for why it all happened and I’m left with the feeling I shouldn’t have anymore children regardless. The chances of it happening again are 40%. And I felt so betrayed at my 6 week appointment, taking 11 pills a day to be told to follow up with my PCM, who wasn’t available until January, and could take my own BP (which I was already doing) and play around with my meds to see if I could take less and manage my BP. I’m not mad at navy medicine either because I know this is standard everywhere. And thankfully they did schedule a 72 hour check for me which caught all of this.
Maternal health overall is so misunderstood and the prevalence of gestational hypertension, eclampsia, preeclampsia and postpartum preeclampsia are high. I’m thankful I had the care I needed and familial support to get through it so I didn’t end up having a stroke or seizure. ?but we have a long way to go in improving maternal healthcare. We need to reconsider what “medically postpartum” means. I have military healthcare, which is not terrible but also not the best but what about everyone else who doesn’t have healthcare? This happens more than you know and the thought that many woman are treated like me at 6-8 weeks: you’re no longer “medically postpartum.” Meanwhile, it takes your body and mind and hormones 2 + years to regulate and feel somewhat normal again!
All in all, consider donating to the cause so we can understand these conditions, continue to care for mothers and create better care plans for all to help prevent these conditions. ?
