I had a relatively easy pregnancy in the beginning. No crazy morning sickness, no weird cravings, some days I forgot I was pregnant. I started to notice swelling in my ankles around 24 weeks, but I wrote it off as normal. I mentioned it at my obgyn appointment that week and my doctor was not concerned yet, but said to I wear compression socks to help keep the swelling at bay. The swelling started to get worse, my shoes were starting to not fit anymore. I mentioned it again at my 28 week appointment and this time there was genuine concern. I got sent home with a 24 hour urine collection on a Thursday, but was told I could wait until the weekend to complete it. I turned in my sample and did bloodwork at 8 am Monday morning and by 4 pm I was getting the call to go to labor and delivery for observation. My protein levels was at 32.9 milligrams, almost three times the normal range.

I was observed in the antepartum wing for 24 hours - getting a few elevated blood pressure readings that I really thought were due to anxiety. After being discharged from the hospital, I was referred to MFM for a few things. The protein, the blood pressure, and our son's IUGR. That first meeting was so scary. Nobody had ever told me what preeclampsia was. To go from a normal pregnancy to being told "you could both die" if things didn't go right was one of the scariest things. I was now going to my regular prenatal appointment once a week, mfm for ultrasounds once a week, and back to the obgyn for an NST once a week. At 30 weeks the mfm doctor wanted to redo my 24 hour urine sample after my blood pressure kept creeping up. This time, my protein level came back at over 100 milligrams. I remember being on the phone with my mom when the test results came back and crying. I waited for the dreaded call to go back to the hospital but it didn't come. Instead, I went to my mfm appointment the next day at 8 am and never left the hospital. I was admitted on July 1st, 2025 and wouldn't leave the hospital for almost a month.

After being admitted at 30 weeks, I spent 24 hours in the labor and delivery wing on the mag drip. I felt like I was repeatedly run over by a truck. After the mag drip, I was moved back to the same antepartum room I had been in only a few weeks prior. By this point, my swelling so was bad I could only wear slippers and I had constant elevated blood pressues. I wasn't allowed to leave my room unless I was being wheeled to the mfm clinic within the hospital. I was scared, confused, and so upset. I spent the day that was supposed to be my baby shower staring at the same four walls. While in antepartum, I redid my 24 hour urine sample two more times. The highest reading came back at over 3 grams. That paired with my amniotic fluid levels dropping lead to a rushed csection at 32 weeks and 4 days. At the time of delivery, I was on two different blood pressure medications and a blood thinner. Our son was born 3 pounds 4 ounces on July 17th and spent 17 days in the NICU. Immediately after delivery, I was put back on the mag drip. The second round was worse than the first. I was already sleep deprived and I was incredibly itchy. I didn't see our son up close for over a day after he was born. For being born eight weeks early, he flew throw his milestones in the NICU and as soon as he hit 4 pounds we were discharged.

Now, I tell everyone who is expecting to watch for the signs. I had no risk factors leading up to developing preeclampsia other than being my first pregnancy. I was a healthy 25 year old. I would encourage everyone to know what preeclampsia is and what to look for early in pregnancy because it can happen to anyone.