For most moms, being discharged after delivery means going back home and becoming accustomed to having a cute, new baby to take care of. Kristen Vicini, who had just delivered Harper — her second child — thought her first three days post-delivery would be getting used to having two little ones at home with her and her husband, Sean. Her transition into this next era of motherhood was complicated, however, on the first night back in her Canton home when Kristen woke up shaking uncontrollably.
“Sean called paramedics who came and checked my blood pressure. They suspected I had post-partum shakes and noted high blood pressure, but ultimately, they didn’t think I was having an emergency. I decided I would call my obstetrician in the morning for safe measure,” Kristen recalled.
Eased by the paramedics’ calmness, Kristen and Sean tried to go back to bed. The next morning, Sean ventured out on a father-son day with their older child, Caleb, and Kristen set out for Harper’s first pediatric visit, taking the drive there as an opportunity to check in with her OB/GYN clinic, North Georgia OB/GYN Specialists.
After hearing Kristen’s describe her symptoms, a nurse advised Kristen to stop what she was doing and go to the emergency room. With Sean out of reach, Kristen acted quickly and called her parents, who met Kristen at Harper’s pediatric clinic. Kristen’s mom took Harper, while Kristen’s dad drove her to the emergency room.
“The doctors in the ER told me I’d be out in a few hours after I arrived. Pretty quickly, though, they realized the gravity of what I was going through and recommended I return to the Women’s Center. Ultimately, I was happy to leave the ER and go back to the Women’s Center I’d just left because it gave me a chance to be with my daughter despite the scary situation I was in.”
Dr. Alyssa Liguori, who was the on-call doctor when Kristen was readmitted to the Women’s Center, explained to Kristen that she was experiencing postpartum preeclampsia.
“I’d heard about preeclampsia throughout my pregnancy and knew there were a lot of patient educational resources for new moms experiencing postpartum depression but had not heard of postpartum preeclampsia before and I imagine I’m not the only one.”
Postpartum preeclampsia, Kristen’s doctors explained, is a condition like preeclampsia that occurs when moms have high blood pressure and excess protein in their urine soon after childbirth. Most cases develop within 48 hours of childbirth, but postpartum preeclampsia can sometimes develop up to six weeks after delivery. The condition, which can develop suddenly and without warning, can lead to complications like seizures, stroke and organ damage if not treated promptly. The lack of awareness around postpartum preeclampsia amplifies these risks. The condition can also be cause for concern because women who have had preeclampsia during pregnancy have a higher risk post-delivery for developing blood pressure problems, high cholesterol or diabetes, and are at increased risk of stroke and heart disease.
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“What was frustrating to me as a patient is the lack of answers around postpartum preeclampsia. Doctors don’t know exactly what causes it and, while there are some factors that can make certain patients more susceptible to this condition, I didn’t really fall into any of those. It was a difficult to wrap my head around the mystery of “why?”
After her blood pressure went down and doctors felt confident Kristen was no longer in danger, she was discharged and given blood pressure medicine, which she was directed to take for a month, in addition to monitoring her blood pressure on her own.
“I tell all my friends who are pregnant to invest in a blood pressure monitor because you never know; it can happen so quickly and can be life threatening. I know most new moms are focused on taking care of a tiny human, but I encourage all moms to not let their health go by the wayside. Don’t go down a rabbit hole about things that could go wrong, but be aware and listen to your body,” Kristen advises.
Kristen also believes it’s important for moms to know that women who experienced preeclampsia during pregnancy are at nearly double the risk for heart disease or stroke in the subsequent five-to-15 years.
“A little more education can go a long way. When you’re expecting, you go to the OB a million times – letting other moms know this can happen to them too is important because postpartum preeclampsia doesn’t discriminate.”
Throughout her ordeal, Kristen’s family’s support and reassurance from nurses and clinicians allowed her to move into a positive headspace, despite the difficulty of the situation. Her team’s assurance they’d seen other moms through this condition calmed Kristen and made her confident Northside was the place to go.
“Northside’s Women’s Center staff is amazing. Both the obstetrician that delivered Harper, Dr. Najia Lawrence, and the obstetrician that treated my postpartum preeclampsia, Dr. Liguori, were incredibly kind and reassuring. The entire staff’s outpouring of love and support is so special and makes all the difference. It goes hand in hand with the way my family showed up for me through this difficult moment. Thankfully we can look back on it now and hopefully my story helps other new moms who are scared they might face something similar.”
Learn more about cardio-obstetrics at Northside.
