I am 29 years old and this is was my first pregnancy. Everything was going very well and I even had an OB call my baby "textbook perfect". I was high risk due to a history of a congenital heart defect so I was being very thoroughly looked after by OB, MFM and cardiology. At 33 weeks I woke up with swelling to my calves and feet. I thought nothing of it because pregnant women swell, right? Around this time I also started having abdominal cramping and tightening which I attributed to Braxton hicks contractions. When I saw my OB at 34 weeks, I mentioned my concerns and he wrote them off as normal. Since I was high risk he decided to do some blood work that day. I got my blood work done and was on my way. At 34 weeks and 3 days I woke up with shortness of breath. I checked my oxygen and blood pressure and both were fine. I chalked it up to baby pressing against my diaphragm and just running out of room to breathe. I tried my best to ignore it and continue pushing through.

On Tuesday I received a call from the OB on call in the birthing center, she was concerned with my blood work. My liver enzymes were elevated. After discussing with her a few of the symptoms I was experiencing she sent me to triage. After some monitoring and repeat blood draws, I was transferred to a bigger hospital with a NICU. I had been admitted to antepartum in the hospital for 2 days undergoing a multitude of tests when on the morning of April 18, 2025 I developed pulmonary edema. They diagnosed me with preeclampsia with severe features and told me I would be induced right away. My baby girl was born at 9:04pm on 4/18/25 and thankfully needed no NICU time. I recovered well and after 7 days in the hospital I was able to be discharged with my baby. I am extremely grateful for all the doctors who took care of me during this scary time in my life. I'm so glad I was in the right place when things took a turn for the worse. I wish I had listened to my body when I developed the shortness of breathe because I knew something wasn't right. I learned that day that things can go south very quickly with preeclampsia. It is so important to be aware of the signs and always trust your gut instincts when your body is telling you something is wrong.