In November 2019, I was admitted to the hospital at 21 weeks pregnant after a routine prenatal visit showed high blood pressure and some concerning labs.  A week later we came home empty handed, as our daughter had to be delivered far too early and far too small, even for her gestational age.  

Since then, I've learned a lot about preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.  In my work at Epic, I'm lucky to work with our Saving Moms group and have created tools to screen every pregnant patient for the risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.  I have sent in my DNA for research studies.  I've advocated for women to make sure that they receive the same excellent care I received during my diagnosis, regardless of their background or education.  I've also been so lucky to welcome Elizabeth, our rainbow baby, this year preeclampsia free!

The money you donate goes to education and research.  A low dose of aspirin has been recommended for about a decade to prevent preeclampsia, but not all doctors will offer or prescribe it.  That needs to change.  There's still the (sometimes dangerous) idea that complete bedrest outside of the hospital can slow preeclampsia, which is wrong.  And all too often, the first time a woman understands what preeclampsia actually is, she's in an emergency situation.

Reasearch in obstetrics is hard, but we are very lucky to understand much more about preeclampsia than we did even just 15 years ago.  Money for research for an actual diagnostic test for preeclampsia, not just symptom screening, research for interventions like aspirin dosing, research on how to keep premeies safe and secure; all of this is incredibly important.  Thank you for your donation and for joining Team Swanson!