I never imagined that my pregnancy story would include the words preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome, or intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Like many mothers, I went into pregnancy expecting the usual challenges — morning sickness, fatigue, excitement, and anticipation. I trusted that my body and my medical team would guide me safely to meeting my baby.
But preeclampsia doesn’t always announce itself loudly at first.

As my pregnancy progressed, subtle concerns began to appear. My baby was measuring small, and I learned she had developed intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Hearing that your baby isn’t growing as expected is something no parent is prepared for. Suddenly, appointments became more frequent, ultrasounds more serious, and every scan carried both hope and anxiety.
IUGR meant my baby depended even more on my body — and my placenta — to provide everything she needed to grow. What I didn’t yet understand was that preeclampsia was already affecting that lifeline.

Not long after, my pregnancy changed rapidly. Symptoms that seemed easy to dismiss were actually warning signs. My diagnosis came quickly: preeclampsia with severe features and HELLP syndrome, a life-threatening complication affecting both mother and baby.

In an instant, my pregnancy shifted from routine to urgent.

I was induced while trying to process fear, uncertainty, and the overwhelming instinct to protect my baby. Knowing she was already small made every decision feel heavier, every moment more emotional. Labor progressed incredibly fast. Shortly after receiving my epidural, my body took over. My water broke, I felt the sudden urge to push, and before there was time to fully understand what was happening, my baby was arriving.

Despite the chaos, despite a body under immense stress, my baby was born safely — small but strong.
In those first moments, relief washed over me. After weeks of worry about her growth and a delivery shaped by severe preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome, hearing her cry felt like everything at once: gratitude, exhaustion, disbelief, and overwhelming love.

Recovery was more than physical healing. I had to process how quickly pregnancy can change, how conditions like preeclampsia and IUGR are deeply connected, and how many families walk into pregnancy unaware of the risks hypertensive disorders can carry.

Today, I share my story not from fear, but from purpose.

I am a preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome survivor, and the mother of an IUGR warrior.

My experience taught me that preeclampsia can happen to anyone — healthy mothers, first pregnancies, people doing everything “right.” Awareness matters. Monitoring growth matters. Listening to your body matters. Speaking up when something feels off can save lives.

If my story helps even one parent recognize symptoms sooner, advocate for additional monitoring, or feel less alone in a high-risk pregnancy, then sharing it is worth it.

Preeclampsia changed my birth story, but it also gave me a deeper appreciation for maternal health awareness, early intervention, and the strength mothers and babies carry together.

I am here. My baby is here. And that is everything to me.