I came home from the hospital feeling swollen and exhausted, but I didn’t think much of it because everyone kept telling me these were normal postpartum signs. I had spent a day and a half with my baby, soaking in the newness of motherhood, before the headache hit me suddenly and fiercely with an unbearable pressure in my head, like it was about to explode. I get very few headaches, but many told me it was part of postpartum lack of sleep and hormones.

I took some Tylenol, following the advice of others. But deep down, I knew I needed help. Along with the headache, my hands, face, and legs became severely swollen far beyond normal postpartum swelling. It looked very abnormal, and I felt like my whole body was swelling up. I was nauseous, exhausted, foggy brained and just all around not at all myself. I kept thinking that there’s no way postpartum symptoms could be that bad.

I called a friend of mine who had experienced a spinal fluid loss from her epidural, giving her a horrible headache post childbirth. She convinced me to call my doctor who, after hearing my symptoms, immediately told me to go to hospital triage in labor and delivery.

Once there, they tested my blood and asked about my symptoms. The swelling was now far beyond typical postpartum. They checked my urine and found protein levels high, and my liver enzymes notably high. All of that and the headache was enough concern for the doctor to have me admitted back to the hospital and put immediately on a magnesium sulfate drip over 24 hours. My blood pressure monitored every hour and I was also given anti-nausea and pain medications. The magnesium felt like the worst hangover of my life exhausting and surreal.

After two days and nights, I was allowed to go home, though I still had a headache and high blood pressure. I was advised to monitor my BP at home. Unfortunately, my readings continued to climb, so I called my doctor. They prescribed me blood pressure medication.

It’s now about a month later and I finally I feel much better each day. I still have headaches once in a while and feel pressure in my head when I rush to do things like stand up too quickly. To this day I remain grateful for my friend’s support and the doctors quick medical intervention. This experience taught me how important it is to listen to your body postpartum and seek help immediately if something feels wrong because postpartum complications can escalate quickly and be life-threatening.