My wife just died from eclampsia during childbirth. She was a lawyer and had just turned 25, this was our first child, and she was very healthy all through the pregnancy but in a few weeks before delivery, she started having swollen ankles, high blood pressure and protein in her urine.
The doctor and nurses had been monitoring her and told us to that it was advisable to schedule a c-section but my wife was scared and said she would rather have her baby vaginally.
Sadly a day before she was to be induced she started have seizures so we had to rush her to the hospital. She had a placental abruption in the process and she and our baby died. Let me be honest with you mothers, dying in child birth has to be one of the most horrible ways to die. For those who do not know what this is eclampsia is a serious complication of preeclampsia. It's characterized by one or more seizures during pregnancy or in the postpartum period. Eclampsia is usually treatable if it is well controlled.
But when left untreated, however, the seizures can result in coma, brain damage and potentially in maternal or infant death. Preeclampsia is more likely to occur during the first pregnancy. Some of the risk factors for preeclampsia include being pregnant with more than one baby, a history of chronic high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease or organ transplant, a family history of preeclampsia and obesity.
It is also most often seen in pregnant teenagers or pregnant women in their late 30s and 40s. The truth however is that the cause of preeclampsia is unknown. Often, women who have preeclampsia do not feel sick. In memory of my wife's death, I would want all pregnant women to be educated about the symptoms. Symptoms of pre-eclampsia can include, but aren't limited to:
- Swelling of the hands and face, or edema. Note some swelling is considered normal during pregnancy, but doctors specifically look for swelling in the face and behind the eyes.
- Sudden weight gain over one to two days -- more than 2kg a week
In severe cases:
- Headache that does not go away
- Abdominal pain on the right side, below the ribs, or also in the right shoulder
- Nausea and vomiting
- Vision changes: Temporary blindness, seeing flashing lights or spots, sensitivity to light, blurry vision
The only "cure" for preeclampsia is delivery. If preeclampsia is diagnosed before a baby is considered "term," or 37 weeks, bed rest, medication or even hospitalization may be required. Most women make a full recovery from the condition, but one in 50 dies like my wife and some are left with a disability.
Preeclampsia can also be present in the six weeks after a woman delivers her baby. It is something that pregnant women need to realize and some doctors miss it. Even after you have delivered, if you get a severe headache or dizziness or start seeing spots, or all of a sudden you get dramatic edema (swelling) in the legs, you need go to go quickly to a hospital.
Losing ones wife during pregnancy is torture, to be looking forward to your first child and growing your family, then the next minute being completely alone in the world and losing everything. Please share.
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