My husband and I were on vacation in San Antonio, Texas when I started to feel unwell. I was experiencing intense stomach pain, headaches that wouldn’t go away, and couldn’t take a deep breath. I brought a blood pressure cuff with me to start monitoring myself as we were entering the third trimester soon and I wanted to know my baseline. The readings were so high that I thought the cuff must be broken, except they were totally normal for my husband. I had never had any issues in my pregnancy so far and we were just at my OB office the day before leaving for our trip.

We called my doctor who instructed us to find the nearest Labor and Delivery. They found protein in my urine, and admitted me on magnesium. Less than 12 hours after arriving at the hospital we were told that I had HELLP Syndrome and needed to deliver right now.

I was alone in the OR as we didn’t have time for an epidural, I needed to be put under general anesthesia. Amelia Kay was born on 11/9/2023 weighing 1 lb 14 ounces. She was born at 26 weeks 5 days gestation. We stayed in Texas all throughout Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years and when she was 55 days old she was stable enough to transfer to a NICU closer to home. She flew on an air ambulance, and stayed at a hospital in Knoxville, TN for an additional 16 days. After 71 days in the hospital, we were able to bring Amelia home.

I’m grateful for Preeclampsia Foundation and their marketing campaigns because that’s how I knew that the blood pressure readings I was seeing were dangerous for my baby and I. This prompted us to get emergency help right away which saved my baby and I. I want to help educate other women of the warning signs and encourage them to seek care when things don’t feel right.