A mom shares her story of how preeclampsia affected her after giving birth to her second child.
Jessica Rodriguez is the American Heart Association Executive Director in the Gulf Coast. But her most important job is being a mother of two.
Her second pregnancy began and ended as well as she could have hoped.
“Everything was great,” she said. “During pregnancy, my blood pressure was completely normal. I never had high blood pressure throughout pregnancy. I even got to leave the hospital a day early.”
However, 11 days after giving birth, issues began to arise.
“I woke up with a severe headache that wouldn't go away,” Rodriguez said. “I took some pain meds. I ate a good meal. I tried to sleep it off. It ultimately just became worse and worse, to the point where my vision was severely affected, and all I saw were spots.”
When she checked her blood pressure, it was dangerously high.
“It read 200 over 122. Normal blood pressure should be 120 over 80,” she said.
She knew something was not right.
“We immediately called 911,” she said. “I went to the emergency room, was diagnosed with postpartum preeclampsia, and ended up staying four days at Health Park.”
Lee Health Heart Institute chief physician executive Dr. Melissa Wood said it was a good thing Rodriguez listened to her body and sought help.
Jessica was diagnosed with preeclampsia.
“A condition that is the body's abnormal response to pregnancy,” Wood said. “Signals are sent from the placenta to the mother’s body, causing blood pressure to rise.”
Wood explained that pregnancy is a stress test on the body, and sometimes conditions like pre-eclampsia can occur during pregnancy or, as in Jessica’s case, after giving birth.
“Unfortunately, pre-eclampsia can cause very significant complications, including stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and even death,” Wood said.
Pre-eclampsia also acts as an early warning sign of potential future health risks.
“Having a history of preeclampsia can lead to an earlier onset of heart failure, heart attack, and stroke,” Wood said.
You can manage your risk by knowing your family history. Jessica has since completed her treatments, and her blood pressure has returned to normal.