I was pregnant with son in 2023. I was 21 and so excited to have my baby. For the first few months I had a beautiful pregnancy but by the second trimester I started taking a turn for the worst. I was having extreme swelling in my face and feet, I was constantly fatigue, with horrible headaches 24/7, shortness of breath and I just felt in my gut that something was wrong and that I had preeclampsia. I constantly brought it up to my provider that I suspected preeclampsia and she continuously dismissed me appointment after appointment that it was just “anxiety” due to me being “ a young mother “ and she would laugh and tell me I was overreacting. Being so young and naive at the time I thought maybe she was right, she has medical experience and that I’m too young for it to happen to me. I was wrong.

I went into my last appointment being 40 weeks to see about me possibly getting induced. My blood pressure was sky high. I told them I felt anxious so they kept checking and it was getting worse. They sent me over to the hospital to monitor me. At the hospital, my blood pressure was getting higher. No amount of relaxing brought it down. They tested my urine and blood and preeclampsia with severe features was found. It was too late and I was right all along.

They induced me to reduce the risk of seizures and I was given multiple medications that I don’t even remember the name of. I don’t remember half of my experience at the hospital expect that it was a nightmare and I felt like I was going to die.

After failed induction I was rushed into an emergency c section the next morning. I was so drugged I couldn’t make out my partners face. I didn’t get to hold my baby or see my baby because my blood pressure still didn’t go down. I was sent to the ICU for a week. I slowly started to accept that I could possibly die.

Thankfully I’m one of the mothers who was able to recover and my baby was perfectly healthy. Not a lot of women are lucky and its heartbreaking. The team of doctors who took care of me told me I was the worse case of preeclampsia they have seen in their entire career and I was one of the “lucky ones”.

Due to preeclampsia I have suffered severe PTSD and postpartum depression. 2 years later I still struggle everyday knowing that the outcome for my baby and I could have been completely different. Not only that but I developed chronic hypertension controlled with medication , chronic migraine and fibromyalgia.

I hope one day there will be a cure for preeclampsia and that it doesn’t take the lives of so many women and babies. I want all expecting mothers to know the signs and symptoms and to always always advocate for themselves even if they’re dismissed. I eventually went on to have second baby in September of 2025. ( advocated for myself the entire time, got a new and amazing medical team, took aspirin and blood pressure medication) and ended up being preeclampsia free and I’m beyond happy that there was a better outcome for myself the second time around. It is possible to go on and have a preeclampsia free pregnancy and I want all preeclampsia survivors to have faith in that possibility as well !