Hey everyone! Welcome to my fundraiser. I developed severe Preeclampsia around 30 weeks pregnant and delivered my baby girl by c-section at 33 weeks. My daughter, Kynlee, went straight to the NICU. We were told from the beginning that we should expect her to be there for at least 6 weeks, but thankfully she was only there for exactly two weeks. For two weeks, we drove an hour ONE way just to visit our baby.. it seemed like endless hours in the car. To many people, two weeks is not a long time, but Preeclampsia survivors and NICU moms know that two weeks can seem like two years. Preeclampsia comes with traumatic births. While you're still processing what you as the mom just went through, you're trying to also process the fact that the baby you've protected in the womb for nearly a year is in the NICU being taken care of by tons of nurses and doctors. It is not the typical birth experience. Traumatic births due to PE can also lead to post partum depression. Its a lot to handle mentally when PE hits so unexpectedly.

For the longest time, I looked at our birth story and felt sad. Sad that I missed out on the initial skin to skin contact with my baby, sad that my husband and I couldn't spend that first hour after birth to just admire what we had created, sad that I didn't get to meet my baby and hold her until 14 hours after she was born due to my blood pressure. I felt like I had failed my body and I felt like the PE was MY fault. Unfortunately, PE just happens to many women and cannot be predicted. I've decided to look at our birth story in a whole new light. The outcomes could have been so different. I survived severe PE and my baby girl survived the NICU. We made it out together and I think the fathers who have to worry about the TWO most important people in their lives, do not receive enough credit for all they do for their families during PE births. I do not want sympathy for our birth story, I simply want to share in hopes that I can provide strength for others moms and babies going through the same thing I did. I'd love to be an advocate for PE, PPD, and NICU awareness. I'm not a doctor, I'm not a nurse, but I experienced PE first hand and I hope that sharing my story helps many mothers. 

Pregnant mamas- take care of yourselves! Stay happy and healthy ?