Five days after welcoming her second baby, Lauren Lowrey expected to be sleep-deprived and a bit sore. But she woke up with shortness of breath and a strange pain between her shoulder blades. She got a sinking feeling that something just wasn’t right.
"I couldn't take a deep breath, and every time I would lie down to take a nap or sleep, I would wake up gasping for air," she explains.
As the day went on, she began to worry about her health. She put on her Apple Watch to track her heart rate, and at one point, it dipped to 30% lower than what she knew was her usual rate. Even her Apple Watch gave her a low heart rate notification.
“My husband, Blake, went to the store and got a blood pressure cuff, thinking my blood pressure might be off," she explains. "We started taking my blood pressure readings and watched as my numbers began to climb."
Lowrey’s numbers started at 130 over 90, then jumped to 140 over 95 as the day went on — normal blood pressure is around 120 over 80.[1] Her gut told her something serious was happening.
What she didn't know at the time was that her lungs were filling with fluid, almost as if she were drowning. Her intuition and confidence to speak up are, in part, what saved her life.
The hospital was going to send her home, but she refused
Lowrey called her doctor, who told her to come to the emergency room immediately.
“She explained she wanted to see me, lay eyes on me and check me for a blood clot,” Lowrey says. Luckily, Lowrey's mom was in town, so she could watch her 2-year-old while they set off with the baby for the hospital.
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When they got to the hospital, the nurses started running tests immediately. "They ran a protein urine test, checked my reflexes and ran lots of blood tests," she says. "But every single test they did came back negative. 'We can't find anything wrong with you. All the tests are showing within the normal range,' the nurse said. 'Your blood pressure is still okay and so is your heart rate.'"
But Lowrey was certain that something was terribly wrong. After enduring five hours of hospital tests, Lowrey mustered all the courage she had.
"I looked my doctor straight in the eyes and said, 'But I feel like I'm dying. I don't know what tests you have to order or what calls you have to make, but you have to figure out what's wrong.'"
Lowery didn’t have a white coat, but she had something just as powerful: a fierce, unshakable sense that her body was in trouble — and she refused to be sent home.
The doctor said there was one more test they could do — a CT scan. Lowrey was wheeled to the CT scanning room.
"I was sobbing,” she says. “The machine started whirring around me and I thought, 'God, please, I don't want there to be something. But please let this be the thing that shows us what's wrong.'"
And in the end, it did.
Lowrey had preeclampsia, and it was severe
The scan finally gave Lowrey answers: Her heart was working overtime and had enlarged from the extra effort, and her lungs were filling with fluid.
Her doctor explained that when preeclampsia starts affecting your organs — like your heart or lungs — it crosses into ‘severe’ territory, and the risks become much more serious.
Once they realized Lowrey was sick, she actually felt some relief. "They figured it out,” she says. “I finally felt safe and that I was going to be okay."
The doctors immediately gave Lowrey blood pressure medication to bring her numbers back down to what was normal for her, and then started her on a magnesium drip to help prevent seizures, which is a serious side effect of preeclampsia.
For three days, she was monitored while receiving treatment. "My body responded really, really well to the medications, and I was able to go home well before the five days they initially estimated," she says.
Once she was home, she continued to take blood pressure medication for weeks afterward and spoke with a nurse on the phone every few days until her blood pressure and fluid levels returned to normal.
Advocating for herself may have saved her life.
When Lauren woke up five days after delivering her second child, she knew something was wrong with her body before anyone else did.
"I feel very strongly that women are deeply connected to intuition," she explains. "And for me, becoming a mother connected me with that. …The only reason I didn't die is because I listened to what I felt. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here."
Because Lowrey is comfortable speaking in front of others, thanks to her day job as a primetime television news anchor, she was confident advocating for herself in the hospital in this way. Now she wants others to know they can speak up too.
"If something doesn't feel right, say it,” she urges. “Be confident in it. Don't let someone else tell you what you feel.”
Signs of postpartum preeclampsia to be aware of
Knowing about certain signs and symptoms during and after pregnancy can help you get the medical help you need as soon as possible. Call your provider if you have any of these postpartum preeclampsia symptoms:
Blood pressure at or above 140 over 90
Stomach pain
Feeling nauseous
Severe headaches
Seeing spots or other vision changes
Swelling in your hands or feet
Head to the ER right away if:
Your blood pressure is at or above 160 over 110
You feel like you can't catch your breath
You're seeing spots or you're experiencing seizures
If you want to learn more about postpartum preeclampsia, here are some free resources:
Lowrey’s story is a powerful reminder that a gut feeling that something’s wrong isn’t ‘just in your head.’ If something doesn’t feel right, say so — again and again, if you have to. Because your voice can be your greatest protector, and it might just save your life.
Join What to Expect on July 23 for #BumpDay to show your support for pregnancy and postpartum care that supports every mom, everywhere. Post a baby bump pic — yours or one you love, past or present — or simply share a message of solidarity with the hashtag #BumpDay.
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