Pregnancy

I developed my first blood clot at 16 years old, a massive deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in my left leg, extending from the middle of my shin to my belly button. Unfortunately, this clot resulted in multiple pulmonary emboli (PE), both caused by oral contraceptives.   I developed another DVT at eight weeks pregnant, even…

On November 24, 2022, I went to the ER for an emergency C-section due to my high-risk pregnancy. During my whole pregnancy, I was told about the “uncommon” issues a woman can experience, and I got almost everything “uncommon” that I was warned about.    My pregnancy was far from what I dreamed of. After having…

I’m sharing my sister Lauren’s story. She passed away from a pulmonary embolism at 39 weeks pregnant in October of 2021.   She was days from her due date when she began to feel short of breath. She talked to her doctor and they were not concerned because she had no family history and no risk…

When I was eight months pregnant, my grandmother passed away. My blood pressure began to spike, and I was diagnosed with gestational hypertension.     I ended up being induced at 37 weeks in order to keep the baby safe. The night I delivered my daughter, my dad went into cardiac arrest. He passed away a week…

At 31 weeks pregnant, I was getting ready for the arrival of my baby when I started experiencing extreme pain in my left leg. I remember going to my baby shower and barely being able to walk. This was very concerning, so after the baby shower, I called my OB/GYN and explained the symptoms I…

In 2011, I became pregnant with my fourth child and went in for what I thought would be a normal 8–12-week doctor’s visit, but instead they told me that I was having a miscarriage. This was confusing and devastating news that was challenging to process. I could not understand why I was having a miscarriage…

During my first pregnancy at 15 years old, I started to have intense burning and numbness on my left side groin and hip region that my OB/GYN stated was normal pregnancy pain. After giving birth, I followed up with my primary doctor and neurologist. All of my doctor’s visits concluded with no diagnosis. My second…

In March of 2016, I was 28 years old and pregnant with my second child. Being nine weeks along, I had severe morning sickness, but other than that, everything seemed normal. One morning, I noticed a dull pain on my right side along my ribcage. I assumed I must have slept funny. As the day…

In 2016, life was normal. I was balancing a full-time desk job, motherhood, and the excitement of a second pregnancy. However, around 32 weeks into my pregnancy, things started to take a turn for the worse when I developed pain in my left hip. Worried, I went to the doctor, who, without fully examining me,…

My two pregnancies were marked by dangerous blood clots – the first time when I was 23 weeks pregnant and the second time when I was 27 weeks pregnant. These were my first blood clots, which started in my leg as a deep vein thrombosis or DVT and moved from my ankle to my groin.…