Some of you may or may not know that in my pregnancy with Mason, I was forced to deliver almost 10 weeks early because I developed a disease known as preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a disorder that occurs only during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Affecting at least 5-8% of all pregnancies, it is a rapidly progressive condition characterized by high blood pressure and the presence of protein in the urine. Swelling, sudden weight gain, headaches and changes in vision are important symptoms; however, some women with rapidly advancing disease report few symptoms.
I developed mild preeclampsia in my 24th week of pregnancy starting with symptoms of elevated blood pressure (140/90) and protein in urine. By my 28th week of pregnancy my blood pressure was dangerously high (160/100) and I was extremely swollen in my face, legs and feet. This swelling was different than typical pregnancy swelling. I gained a ton of weight fast. My largest weight gain was 11lbs in 5 days while I was on hospital bedrest.
There are a few misconceptions about preeclampsia. The biggest one is that it is something you can prevent. Sorry... it's not. There are women who are more likely to develop this disease because of various life style choices, but for the most part, it doesn't really matter who you are or how healthy you are... it's all about genetics. Somewhere in my make-up, I am predisposed to developing preeclampsia or some other cardiovascular disorder. It's in me and that's it. Doctors can try to work magic with various drugs and might be successful, but for the most part, it's just a guessing game as to whether or not or when I will get sick. Now that's not to say that you should go food crazy or lazy in your pregnancy because it doesn't really matter... there are a whole mess of other problems that can occur from that sort of lifestyle and those can also have complicated and horrid results....
The best course of action is to take the best care of yourself and your unborn child as humanly possible. Be active, eat healthy and seek quality medical care. Have doctors who are knowledgeable and caring. If your doctor won't discuss a concern with you, then he/she is probably someone you don't want caring for you. You should be able to ask tons of questions and get tons of answers. Feel free to visit two of three (or more in my case) doctors before settling down with someone you trust. Create a plan together, be flexible and have reasonable expectations.
My goal of this post was not to frighten any of my pregnant followers or to send any other horrifying message, only to educate. I did not really know anything about preeclampsia. I knew that it could happen later on in pregnancy and most of the time it went away after birth. I didn't know that it can be the cause of super premature births or that women and children have died from this disease. To me, it was absolutely NO big deal and the furthest thought from my brain. It wasn't until it completely wrecked my world that I realized the severity of this disease and the importance of speaking out about it. The more you know, the more you can take better care of yourself or help others. It's important... and I won't keep quiet about it because it's scary. The world is scary, get used to it and try your hardest to prevent stuff like this from happening. Being informed and prepared helps.
If you ever want more information on preeclampsia, you can always check out the website preeclampsia.org. All of the research information is updated on a regular basis and it even has lists of doctors who specialize in preeclamptic and high risk pregnancies.
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