30 year-old Mary Naanyu Kiruriti is a mother of one. She has had an interesting journey into motherhood, which has made her appreciate life. During her pregnancy, Mary suffered from a condition known as pre-eclampsia, which can be fatal to both mom and baby. Today, she shares her experience with us, and offers us vital pieces of advice which she urges us not to ignore. Read on…
“When I was 22 weeks pregnant, I went for my monthly check-up which involved peeing in a little cup and having it tested for protein. On that particular day, the test revealed that there was protein in my urine. I was also informed that my blood pressure was high, plus my feet were worryingly swollen. Things were not good. I was told that I had pre-eclampsia.
Let me take you back to the beginning. My pregnancy had started out with a threatened abortion at six weeks. Following that difficult phase, I engaged in some plenty of reading, with the knowledge (fear) at the back of my mind that anything could go wrong. It was then at 22 weeks pregnant I received the news that I had developed pre-eclampsia. This news left me feeling sad, confused and lost.
Also Read: “The Day I Almost Lost my Life” –Carline Gachii
However, the medics, aware of the dangers of preeclampsia, had immediately put me on a drug regimen -which was later increased because my blood pressure wasn’t going lower.
But even as I was taking the drugs, I would spend so much time thinking of how everything would go wrong and that I would lose my baby. It is these feelings that would always cause my blood pressure to rise, but hard as I tried, I just couldn’t stop worrying over my health. Whenever I would catch sight of my swollen legs, panic would set in and I would literally cry my eyes out! I would get so paranoid that I would take breaks from the office three to four times a day just to go have my blood pressure checked.
At 33 weeks pregnant, another scan indicated that my placenta showed calcification (ageing). The sound of that frightened me. What did it mean?
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