Like most new Moms, getting pregnant with my first was exciting but also scary. I always knew I was meant to be a Mom but there was so much I didn’t know about pregnancy and about having a baby. Throughout my pregnancy, I tried my best to be prepared… I took all of the classes available to me and tried to read articles and books. About 20 weeks in, I went in for my routine checkup and something was different this time. My blood pressure was a little elevated, not crazy but it was abnormal for me. I always had perfect blood pressure my entire life so this was unusual however, my Doctors didn’t seem concerned so I didn’t think anything of it. My blood pressure continued to be elevated every visit following. Although the nurses seemed to be a little worried again, my Doctors weren’t. At this point, I had joined a January 2019 Babies Facebook Group and started seeing people post about them having high blood pressure and how they were going to be induced early however, some of their blood pressures were lower than mine. I decided to buy a blood pressure cuff and started to take my blood pressure daily. I usually ranged between 140-155/90-130.

I remember it like it was yesterday, Tuesday, January 8th 2AM (39 weeks), I woke up and was having pain in my upper abdomen under my rib cage and a slight headache. I took my blood pressure and it was very high like 175/120 and I had a low-grade fever. I decided to jump in the shower and let the warm water hit me. Could this be contractions, I thought. I always heard contractions were lower. While in the shower my mouth started bleeding out of nowhere, like seriously non-stop bleeding. I got out of the shower and looked at my mouth in the mirror and part of my gums were black, now I am freaking the hell out. I woke my husband up and didn’t know what to do. I thought… I am not ready to go to the hospital tonight, we have dogs that need to go somewhere and I don’t want to be there by myself. So I decided to email my Doctor, take an ibuprofen and go back to sleep. The next morning, the Doctor called me and asked me to come in so they could check on me. My fever was gone and my blood pressure had gone back to its usual elevated range however they decided to send me to the hospital for a 2-hour blood pressure observation. They were checking my blood pressure every 20 minutes and testing my blood every 30-40 minutes. I remembering asking my husband where we were going to eat because my blood pressure was going down and I was starving. My body however had other plans, although my blood pressure was going down my blood work wasn’t looking good. I officially had HELLP Syndrome (Hemolysis, Elevated Liver Enzymes and Low Platelets). What the heck is that? In all my classes and reading, I had never heard of such a thing. I was immediately admitted and put on an anti-seizure medicine drip, had a catheter put in, IPC device on my legs (pressure cuffs to avoid blood clots), and was continuing to get my blood pressure taken every 20 minutes and blood tested every hour or so. They wanted to let my daughter come when she was ready but by the time Thursday night rolled around they decided that I needed to quickly be induced because of my condition. Generally, once the baby is born HELLP Syndrome goes away but for me, it took about a full day after for it to take a turn for the better. Thankfully it did otherwise, I would have needed to get a blood transfusion. HELLP Syndrome and Preeclampsia can be very serious so below are 5 Warning Signs During Pregnancy That You Should Never Ignore.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. Any advice you receive from this post is strictly just that, advice based on my own experiences.

#1 Your Blood Pressure

If your blood pressure is elevated and this is not normal for you, do not let the doctors brush it off. Express your concerns, assure them that this is not normal for you. Now, don’t freak out but just make sure you are aware and communicating with your Doctor on the next steps because it could be a sign of Preeclampsia which could turn into HELLP Syndrome.

#2 Swollen Feet

Now most people during pregnancy experience swollen feet, this is totally normal. However, if you are experiencing this in conjunction with high or elevated blood pressure, make sure you bring this up to your Doctor.

#3 Upper Abdomen Pain

There may be other reasons you are having upper abdomen pain, but again if you are experiencing this with other Preeclampsia symptoms, then please bring this up to your Doctor. The reason I was having this pain is that that is where the liver is and part of HELLP Syndrome is having elevated liver enzymes.

#4 Blurred Vision

Blurred vision is another possible symptom of Preeclampsia. This can occur as a result of high blood pressure.

#5 Headache

As mentioned in the above symptoms, a headache can be totally normal during pregnancy. Sometimes it’s simply dehydration or something totally unrelated but again this can be a symptom that is associated with high or elevated blood pressure.