It's that time of year again. The time in which I roll out the red carpet for preeclampsia awareness. In reality, I do that all year long; however there is always a highlight that happens in May. May is designated as Preeclampsia Awareness Month (#PreAM) and also happens to be the month in both my preeclampsia babies were born.
Quick recap....
Baby 1 - HELLP Syndrome (class I) at 34w5d; Ariana is born weighing 4lbs and spends 18 days in the hospital.
Baby 2 - Gestational hypertension at 32 weeks, induced at 37 weeks with a preeclampsia diagnosis. My BP upon check-in that morning was 200/100. Phoenix was born weighing 5lb6oz and got to come home with us two days later.
I've been involved with the Preeclampsia Foundation since late 2003 and volunteering for over 10 years now. In that time, I've had the honor and priviledge of meeting some incredible individuals who make a difference each day in the lives of moms & babies and individuals who have lost their loved ones (sometimes a baby, sometimes a mom, sometimes babies, sometimes mom & baby).
So, don't know what I'm talking about? You didn't know moms could get really sick during pregnancy? Need to know more? Be sure to check out www.preeclampsia.org.
Do it. Right now. You can come back here later and visit.
