“I kept hearing your voice in my head, talking about preeclampsia after birth, and making sure I speak up.”
35-year-old Sabrina Palmer had been home for just two days after delivering new baby, Scottie Rose by C-section. Sabrina awoke during the night with a terrible headache that just wouldn’t go away, and got progressively worse, despite Tylenol and rest. She took her blood pressure, which was a little elevated. When it wasn’t better by morning, she knew she needed to be checked out at the hospital.
One of the main topics we focus on during pregnancy home visits with our clients is learning about urgent maternal warning signs and what to do if you experience them. Nurses make sure that clients know these warning signs can happen even AFTER birth, up to a year postpartum. Using literature from Nurse-Family Partnership and from the CDC’s Hear Her® Campaign, Nurse Home Visitors engage clients in important conversations about preventing pregnancy-related complications and even death. Clients are empowered to trust their instincts and pregnancy education and advocate for themselves in healthcare settings where their concerns aren’t always heard. We also educate family members to watch for warning signs and listen to what their loved one is saying. Clients know their bodies best, and NFP nurses encourage them to speak up when they know something doesn’t feel right.
Sabrina was initially dismissed when she went to the Emergency Room. She and her family repeatedly told the staff that something was very wrong and that Sabrina wasn’t experiencing normal postpartum symptoms. She couldn’t even hold up her head due to the pain. Eventually, her signs and symptoms escalated, and Sabrina was diagnosed and treated for preeclampsia.
After talking with her NFP nurse, Sabrina now knows that since she’s had preeclampsia, she has a higher chance of having it again with any subsequent pregnancies and has a significantly higher chance of developing hypertension later in life. She knows to look out for this in the future and advocate for her health.