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Fall 2018
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pregnancy
, the condition required an earlier birth; my second pregnancy at 33 weeks and the third at 32,? she shares. the preeclampsia
foundation reports that high blood pressure disorders during pregnancy are the leading cause of maternal and infant illness or death. a conservative estimate indicates preeclampsia and hypertensive-related disorders are responsible for 76,000 maternal and 500,000 infant deaths each year. a shocking statistic for many mothers, including amy, ?looking back now, i really don?t think my husband or i truly grasped the seriousness of the condition with my first pregnancy,? she explains. preeclampsia after birth the centers for disease control and prevention reports that preeclampsia can occur after childbirth, too. while rare, postpartum preeclampsia is typically diagnosed within 48 hours of childbirth, but onset can happen within the weeks to follow. local mom, jennifer
normand knows this experience all too well. while recovering from the birth of her third child, jennifer noticed she was having more and more painful headaches and had trouble sleeping. ?i was used to recovery from giving birth twice before and didn?t expect anything new with this one,? she reports. however, like many new mothers, jennifer was more concerned with caring for her newborn than herself and didn?t get checked. during a newborn well check, the focus quickly changed from her newborn to her health. a nurse, whom jennifer credits for saving her life, asked specifically how she was feeling. ?i told her about the splitting headaches i was having and she told me to call my ob immediately.? when checked, jennifer?s blood pressure was 183/103, and she was admitted to the hospital and started on a magnesium drip. she was released from the hospital on blood pressure medication and had to monitor her pressure at home. her blood pressure eventually returned to normal, however the experience certainly affected her. understanding the severity of this condition has made a powerful impact on jennifer as well. ?i?ve heard reports of how many women die in childbirth or shortly after, and i could completely relate. i can?t believe how lucky i am to be alive.? while having preeclampsia is the number one risk factor of having it again with subsequent pregnancies, dr. whitaker shares the following factors that raise the risk for diagnosis. ? first time pregnancy ? having a history of preexisting hypertension ? pregnant at age 40 or older ? carrying multiples ? obesity ? pregnant via in vitro fertilization while the risk factors are clear, dr. whitaker further explains that there is still uncertainty as to the exact cause of preeclampsia. whether risk factors are present or not, it is important to remember that every woman and every pregnancy is unique. if new symptoms develop, or if something changes during a pregnancy, listen to your body and contact your doctor. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? f a l l 2 0 1 8 | p i n k ? b l u e 2 5
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