My pregnancy with Sutton was smooth sailing, and she arrived after a long, but rather uneventful labor, on February 13, 2017. After that, my health began to decline. Over the next couple of days, my blood pressure steadily increased, I gained a massive amount of weight, and started to swell so much that I couldn't tie my shoes. I was prescribed blood pressure lowering medication and sent home from the hospital to start life as a new mom.

My first night home, I woke up in the middle of the night with chest pain, difficulty breathing, and a blood pressure of 160/90. I called the hospital and was told that everything I was experiencing was normal for a new mom. The next day at Sutton's first pediatrician appointment, I asked the doctor to take my blood pressure. It was now 170/100, ahd she suggested that I get in contact with my doctor immediately. Still, telling my doctor's office all of my symptoms, it was over 12 hours later that I was finally take seriously and admitted for treatment of severe postpartum preeclampsia. 

The next couple of days in the hospital are much of a blur to me as I had the worst headache of my life, felt like my body was on fire from the magnesium sulfate dripping into my veins for seizure prophylaxis, and I had zero desire to be around my newborn daughter. Slowly, I started to get better, and was released from the hospital a few days later.

While my blood pressure returned to normal within the next couple of months, the rest of my life started to take a tumble. Because of the trauma I experienced during my maternal near-miss, I suffered from postpartum PTSD and postpartum depression. 

Now, I am an outspoken supporter of the Promise Walk for Preeclampsia, helping women advocate for their own health. I am also a maternal mental health advocate, helping women to understand that you may not have a perfectly blissful journey into motherhood, and that it's okay to ask for help.