Jennifer Tavares, a nurse practitioner from New Jersey, experienced a severe case of preeclampsia during her pregnancy, leading to the early delivery of her son and ongoing health challenges. This article explores Tavares' harrowing experience, the challenges of managing preeclampsia, and the long-term health risks associated with the condition.
A mother of two from New Jersey was 31 weeks pregnant when she woke with a headache - but what was initially thought to be a common symptom would ultimately lead to her giving birth nine weeks early. Jennifer Tavares was still working her regular hours as a nurse practitioner at a New Jersey Hospital and headaches as a working mom weren't abnormal. But when she discovered swelling in her body, she ordered herself a blood pressure cuff for same-day delivery.
'I started to put the pieces together that this wasn't something that was normal for me, and it wasn't something that was necessarily normal for pregnancy,' Tavares told CBS News. As her headache worsened, she suspected she had preeclampsia, a persistent high blood pressure condition that develops during pregnancy or the postpartum period. Most women go on to deliver healthy babies and fully recover, but in cases like Tavares' the condition can worsen and become life-threatening to both the mother and baby, according to Preeclampsia Foundation. When the cuff arrived, Tavares checked her blood pressure and found the numbers were high and only increasing. Jennifer Tavares was 31 weeks pregnant when she woke with a headache, but what was a common symptom would lead to a preeclampsia diagnosis and giving birth nine weeks early. As her headache worsened she suspected she had preeclampsia, a persistent high blood pressure condition that develops during pregnancy or the postpartum period 'You go through this period of,'Is this really happening? Is this not happening?' and it was happening,' Tavares said. She and her husband went to Morristown Medical Center, the very hospital she worked at, and it was there she was diagnosed with preeclampsia. For three days her medical team worked to stabilize her condition. But eventually, the decision to deliver her son nine weeks early was made due to the risk preeclampsia posed. The raised blood pressure cause by her condition can result in serious damage to organs as well as seizures or even death. Tavares had been diagnosed with severe features, which means her extremely elevated blood pressured poses an increased risk for major complications. 'In some women after delivery, blood pressure can improve and normalize,' Dr Amy Ahnert, Tavares' cardiologist and the director of the Women's Heart Program at Morristown Medical center, told the outlet. 'Unfortunately, with Jen it, was the opposite.' Tavares' symptoms kept worsening, and she was moved to the cardiac floor from the obstetric floor. Dr. Amy Ahnert, Tavares' cardiologist and the director of the Women's Heart Program at Morristown Medical center, said that preeclampsia cases have doubled since 2014. 'I was very fortunate that I had a little bit of knowledge to be able to help myself,' Tavares said. 'There's so much education that we need to do for the maternal population, for the provider population, just for everyone' Preeclampsia symptoms can resolve during the postpartum period, according to Ahnert, but some patients such as Tavares may experience symptoms for months. 'I was hopeful that my situation would chance after delivery, and it was hard when it didn't,' Tavares said. 'Nothing was normal anymore.' Her diagnosis would mean Tavares would need blood pressure medication and regular follow-ups. 'There were times when we would taper down, and then we would have to go back up because my blood pressure would go back up. Blood pressure up and down, meds up and down, emotions up and down,' Tavares said, describing the experience as a 'roller coaster.' Preeclampsia diagnoses, according to Ahnert, have doubled since 2014. However, it remains a mystery why rates of the condition are increasing, said Dr Anais Hausvater, the co-director of NYU Langone's Cardio-Obstetrics program. Hausvater said more pregnancies occurring later in life and more pre-existing cardiac conditions could contribute to the increase. Doctors have also become more pro-active in monitoring for preeclampsia, which she said leads to more diagnoses but overall, there 'is still something unexplained about why we're seeing so much of it.' Yet, the condition is not confined to the time during or immediately after birth. Patients who have been diagnosed with any kind of preeclampsia have a risk of developing chronic hypotension up to 25 times higher, Hausvater said. Seven months after her son was born, Tavares is still dealing with the effects of her diagnosis. She is still on medication and has regular follow-up appointments but has made peace with her diagnosis She said that those diagnosed with preeclampsia also have a higher risk of developing premature atherosclerosis, a chronic disease which causes the arteries to harden, as well as experiencing heart attacks, strokes and heart failure even decades after giving birth. 'It's a lifelong risk factor,' Hausvater added. Seven months after her son was born, Tavares is still dealing with the effects of her diagnosis
Preeclampsia Pregnancy Complications Maternal Health Cardiovascular Health Long-Term Health Risks
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Preeclampsia Leads to Early Delivery for New Jersey Nurse PractitionerJennifer Tavares, a nurse practitioner from New Jersey, experienced severe preeclampsia during her pregnancy, leading to the early delivery of her son. Her story highlights the risks associated with this condition and the need for increased awareness and education.
Read more »
Existing preeclampsia risk models show deteriorating performance over timeThe existing prediction models for severe complications of preeclampsia are most accurate only in the two days after hospital admission, with deteriorating performance over time, according to a new study published February 4th in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Henk Groen of University of Groningen, the Netherlands, and colleagues.
Read more »
Tucker Carlson reveals shocking 'source of mysterious drones in New Jersey'President-elect Donald Trump makes bold prediction about mysterious New Jersey drone cover-up and vows to release report on Day One during briefing with Republican governors in Palm Beach.
Read more »
New Jersey Teacher Accused of Sexually Assaulting Student for Four Years, Fathering ChildA former elementary school teacher in New Jersey, Laura Caron, has been arrested and charged with sexually assaulting one of her students for four years. The victim, who was 11 when the abuse began, and Caron had a sexual relationship resulting in the birth of a child when the victim was 13.
Read more »
New Jersey Teacher Accused of Sexual Assault and Fathering Child With 13-Year-Old StudentLaura Caron, a 34-year-old fifth-grade teacher from New Jersey, has been arrested and charged with aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, and endangering the welfare of a child. Authorities allege that Caron sexually assaulted one of her students for four years, beginning when the victim was 11 years old and resulting in the birth of Caron's five-year-old child. The victim was 13 years old at the time of the child's birth, while Caron was 28.
Read more »
New Jersey Elementary School Teacher Arrested for Sexual Assault of Student Over Four YearsLaura Caron, a fifth-grade teacher in New Jersey, has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a student over a four-year period. The investigation began after the alleged victim's father expressed concerns about the resemblance between Caron's child and his son.
Read more »