My Special Holdon Necklace

A few weeks ago I was perusing Pinterest and came across a necklace similar to this on my home screen. The necklace was highlighted for me because I follow the Preeclampsia Foundation and I had pinned a logo that was on one of their boards that was designed by Melissa Muir, preeclampsia survivor and Jewelry Designer. The logo was created for the Preeclampsia Survivor T-shirts, that are sold to raise public awareness about preeclampsia. Melissa is a 3-time preeclampsia survivor and had created a special necklace in honor of her daughter Kelsi. Kelsi was born at 24 weeks gestation and only lived for a couple of days. The wonderful and magical world of Pinterest, highlighted this necklace for me because of my previous pin of the logo. Seeing the image of her necklace had an immediate affect on me and I simply had to have one in honor of my son, Holdon. This began my connection to this amazing artist and the discovery of my preeclampsia sister, as she called us. Given our bond through this terrible condition of pregnancy, and the way she immediately opened her heart to me and shared her story, I realized we really are preeclampsia…Continue reading My Special Holdon Necklace

Preeclampsia Foundation News

Educational Conference Brought Controversies to the Forefront Preeclampsia is a complex disorder that often confounds even the most skilled clinicians, and there are very few postgraduate courses offered on this subject. One of the missions of the Preeclampsia Foundation is to fill this gap by facilitating healthcare provider education on the subject with the aim of improving health care practices. Almost every year since the inception of Saving Grace, the Foundation has sponsored a major continuing medical education event for healthcare providers in that region. Click to read more… (www.preeclampsia.org) Also check out: The Preeclampsia Registry (www.preeclampsiaregistry.org) The Preeclampsia Registry is a “Living Database” bringing together those affected, their family members, and researchers to advance knowledge and discover preventions and treatments for preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome, and related hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Preeclampsia Foundation Facebook Page © Preeclampsia Foundation 2013 | www.preeclampsia.org

Preeclampsia Foundation Introduces Illustrated Education Tool

On May 7th, 2013, the Preeclampsia Foundation introduced a new education tool to inform expectant mothers about the life-threatening disorder of pregnancy. This is a must read for anyone who is trying to become pregnant or currently pregnant. Preeclampsia Foundation Introduces Education Tool to Inform Expectant Mothers about Life-Threatening Disorder of Pregnancy Illustrated preeclampsia symptoms tear pad now available, already adopted by California healthcare initiative Melbourne, Fla. — May 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — The Preeclampsia Foundation today released the Illustrated Preeclampsia Symptoms Tear Pad, a patient education tool that was developed in collaboration with health services researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Ill. The tool effectively informs pregnant women, even those with potentially poor literacy, about preeclampsia. Because preeclampsia is a disorder that can have grave consequences for a mother and her unborn baby, the goal is for the tool to offer information in a way that allows women to assimilate and retain knowledge related to preeclampsia, leading them to promptly seek medical attention should they have symptoms related to preeclampsia… To read more… Click Here or Click Here to see Multimedia Version © Preeclampsia Foundation 2013 | www.preeclampsia.org

Creating an Awareness About Preeclampsia and HELLP Syndrome

With the anniversary of Holdon’s death last weekend, I have been thinking a lot about my first pregnancy and the events leading up to my emergency c-section at 28 weeks. I was told I had a variant of Preeclampsia, called HELLP Syndrome and that I needed to deliver immediately or I could die. I had very little warning that I had this serious pregnancy complication. My only early symptom was upper abdominal pain, which I mistook for heartburn for weeks before finding out at a doctor’s appointment that I was seriously ill and had to deliver right away. Holdon was born, 3 months early and due to severe growth restriction as a result of a problem with the placenta, he was only the size of a 24-week-old baby, measuring only 1 lb 8 oz at birth. Holdon fought incredibly hard for 3 ½ months in the NICU but in the end it was too much for him. The official report from the doctor on his death certificate, said the cause was Cardiorespiratory Arrest, Multiple Systems Failure, Sepsis, and all a result of Prematurity.  My doctor also believed the problem with the placenta is likely the cause of my Preeclampsia. We…Continue reading Creating an Awareness About Preeclampsia and HELLP Syndrome