Christine Lara, her husband Mark and their two children will serve as the Mission Family for the 2013 Promise Walk for Preeclampsia, at Gussie Field Watterworth Park in Farmers Branch, Tx, on Saturday, May 18, 2013. The festivities start at 10:30 a.m. and will include a family friendly 1 mile run, a 5K fun run, Silent Auction, Merchandise, Kid's Activity Zone and more. Registration is $20 for adults and $10 for children, which includes a t-shirt and goodie bag. Contact Walk Coordinator Nicole Purnell at Nicole.Purnell@preeclampsia.org to register, or go to Promisewalk.org/dallas.
When Christine was 29 weeks pregnant with her first child, she called her doctor after not feeling great for a few days. “I had an upset stomach, no appetite, and back pain,” she says, “but they told me to come in right away to see the nurse practitioner.” Her blood pressure was dangerously high, and she was admitted to the hospital with preeclampsia.
She remembers developing a headache, and then her son Christopher was born by C-section, weighing 3 lbs. 7 oz. 10 weeks and 2 days early. “I finally got to hold Christopher a week after he was born. It was the best and scariest moment of my life. He was so tiny, still only 3 lbs. But he was so strong…he would lift his head when he heard me talk to him.”
Christopher stayed in the NICU/Special Care Nursery for 49 days. When he was a healthy, almost 12-month-old, Christine found out she was pregnant again. “My doctor indicated there is a 30 percent chance of preeclampsia and slim to none that it would be severe. He told us to think of it as a 70 percent chance that everything will go well," said Christine. Everything did go well, until 32 weeks, when she began feeling bad again.
She was admitted to the hospital with another preeclampsia diagnosis. Christine remembers, “Every day, Dr. C. comes in and tells me we are holding on until 36 weeks. I feel like I’m going to go crazy in the hospital. My husband is trying to take care of Christopher at home and go to work with the help of everyone we can think of to ask.”
At 35 weeks her BP spiked, and she had another emergency C-section. This time the preeclampsia was worse after the baby was born. Katherine Grace was born on July 9, 2010, at 5 lbs. 7 oz., and she didn't need the NICU, but Christine’s blood pressure continued to go up — there were scary moments in the night, but eventually her blood pressure returned to normal and she had no after effects.
“It has been two-and-a-half years now,” says Christine. “Katie came home with us when I checked out of the hospital. She is thriving, as is Christopher. Neither of them have had any complications. I was lucky. Not everyone with preeclampsia has this kind of outcome. ”
Christine wants to make sure other moms-to-be know about preeclampsia and call their doctor if they have any symptoms.
Preeclampsia Symptoms
- High blood pressure with either the top systolic number getting to 140 or more and/or the bottom diastolic number getting to 90 or higher.
- Swelling in the hands, feet or face, especially around the eyes, if an indentation is left when applying thumb pressure, or if it has occurred rather suddenly.
- Headaches that just won’t go away, even after taking medications for them.
- Changes in vision, double vision, blurriness, flashing lights or auras that persist.
- Nausea or upper abdominal pain — Sometimes mistaken for indigestion, gallbladder pain or the flu; nausea late in pregnancy is generally not normal.
- Sudden weight gain of 2 pounds or more in one week.