Postpartum preeclampsia was not a term Katie Rehberg had heard in a long time.

Most moms have heard of the dangerous pregnancy complication called preeclampsia which causes elevated blood pressure, protein in your urine, headaches, and potentially seizures, organ failure, and death. It is commonly said that the cure is to have your baby! Then everything is supposed to regulate back to normal. But postpartum preeclampsia can come out of the blue. I’d heard of it because of my occupation as a Physician Assistant but didn’t really know that much about it, ie. the cause, what puts you at risk, and what you can do to prevent it. However, neither does anyone else really. Which is the super scary part!

I had been home for about 2 days after my son Davis had been delivered late on a Thursday night. I was still in a fog on Monday but everything was going well. My husband, Blake, and I were hanging out on the couch watching a movie. I decided to check my blood pressure because I hadn’t checked it since I’d been home. Side note, I had prenatal hypertension during my pregnancy with my first son, Jack, and again with Davis. Overall I had felt fine since I had been home, slightly anxious (but what mom isn’t when coming home with a newborn) and something just didn’t feel right. However, no headaches, no blurry vision, no right upper abdomen pain…just hanging out on the couch after a long day of pumping and taking care of a newborn and a 5-year-old.

My blood pressure was 180/110 at 11 pm on Monday night.

So I’m a Physician Assistant (Dermatology) and, of course, realize that I’ve got a problem. But because of my profession, I know the long list of things that can potentially happen, too. My parents raced over to watch the boys while my husband and I headed to the emergency room at St. Joseph’s Hospital North. I had already contacted my OB and let her know what was going on. She said she would notify the women’s unit that I was on the way.

That night was a bit of a whirlwind, with an IV started and magnesium drip for 24 hours to prevent seizures and constant monitoring of my blood pressure. It didn’t go down and stay down like it should so I continued to have IV blood pressure medication. Thankfully the elevated pressure did not cause my liver enzymes to elevate, HELLP syndrome or any other complications.

I was so fortunate and had amazing support while I was in the hospital. With my blood pressure being taken every couple hours, I would become anxious just knowing it was almost time to take it. Between my amazing husband, parents, mother-in-law, and best friends they stayed positive and tried to distract me so I would relax. Finally, 6 days later my blood pressure was under control with two oral blood pressure medications taken multiple times a day, along with hydroxyzine which can be used for anxiety and sertraline for the actual anxiety.

Full Name: Maisyn and Madisyn Coccia
Birthdate: 02/02/2018
Gestational Age at Birth: 32 weeks
Hospital: Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital
Favorite Book or Toy: Penguins Can’t Fly

When my husband and I met, it was a type of love I can’t explain. We married and decided we wanted to expand our family. In August of 2017, our lives were changed forever when we found out we were pregnant with mono/mono twin girls. Mono/Mono twins are extremely rare. They share the same sac and placenta, which causes extreme concern for doctors and patients. There is a greater risk of cords tangling and the babies not equally sharing nutrients. For the next six months, we were in constant worry for our baby girls.

That October, I was at work and experienced an extremely high heart rate and blood pressure. I was sent to the ER, and I remember crying the entire way, not knowing what was happening. The doctors determined that the babies were not in danger. They placed me on modified bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy. I was overwhelmed with emotions.

We began seeing a high-risk doctor and learned that I would need to be inpatient in the hospital beginning at 24-28 weeks pregnant. If all continued well, we would be admitted at 27 weeks. Our baby girls were little rock stars and at each bi-weekly check up they continued to do great.

On January 1st, 2018, my husband and I left our 8 and 5-year-old daughters at home with their grandparents as we drove the hour from our home to St. Petersburg to begin our inpatient stay. My amazing husband stayed with me every night in the hospital on a pull-out chair for 33 days of inpatient monitoring. I was extremely nervous during this stay. I only saw my older girls a handful of times, because at any moment I feared I’d be rushed to labor and delivery. Some days I spent the entire day hooked up to monitors for the protection of our babies. We ended up making it to our scheduled C-section date on February 2, 2018. Mono/mono twins are required to be delivered at 32 weeks regardless. I remember walking myself into the operating room not believing we had made it to this day. Twenty minutes later, at 12:29 pm we heard our first cry from Maisyn Olivia Coccia (Baby A, 4.14lbs) and twenty seconds after that, from Madisyn Grace Coccia (Baby B, 4.12lbs). Watching not 1 but 5 nurses, doctors, and neonatologists around each of our girls was one of the scariest moments. Minutes later they were whisked away to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Nine hours after delivery, I officially met our twin girls for the first time. Seeing both girls hooked up to monitors and intubated was something you cannot prepare for. Our journey in the NICU was stressful with its ups and downs. I sat in the hospital bed three floors away in tears, with a feeling of hopelessness. We spent the entire next day in the NICU just staring and praying. There are terms we now know that we never thought we would need to know–ventilators, CPAP, PICC lines, bradycardia events, apnea events, etc. Each milestone was amazing, from getting to hold them, wearing a shirt, meeting their big sisters, getting their PICC lines removed, to breathing on their own. It is an incredible feeling that rolls over your body when your tiny little miracles make progress.

Our girls were in separate rooms for the first three weeks they were in the NICU. I could feel that Maisyn wasn’t doing as well as Madisyn and needed her sister to make progress. They moved them to the twin room and both girls made tremendous progress. At day 32, Madisyn Grace was able to come home. This was another hurdle we had to overcome, bringing one baby home without the other. Since it was flu season no siblings under five were allowed to visit the NICU. The rule prevented Madisyn from visiting Maisyn, which in turn prevented me from seeing Maisyn as often as I liked. Maisyn truly needed her sister there to continue progressing. After a few days of feeling terrible about not seeing Maisyn as often, my husband called the hospital and within two hours, we were walking through the NICU doors with Madisyn to visit her sister. They had been apart for eight days. When we arrived, Maisyn’s heart rate was very high and as we placed Madisyn in bed with her, it immediately slowed down as she turned towards Madisyn and calmed down. It was one of the most memorable moments of our NICU experience. Five days later, Maisyn Olivia came home! Madisyn spent 32 days in the NICU and Maisyn spent 45 days in the NICU.

Since having our family home together, our girls have been thriving and doing wonderfully. We are truly blessed to have our girls home as we begin the next chapter.

Adams Family

HRH Child: Perry James Adams
Parents: James and Jessica
Birthdate: March 1st, 2012 at 4:20pm
Gestational Age at Birth: 34 weeks

Jessica Adams did not plan to give birth early, but at 34 weeks she was going to have a c-section to give birth to her daughter. Jessica suffered from a pregnancy complication called Preeclampsia. Almost 6 years old now (Happy March Birthday!), Perry is a thriving, smart, fun, and independent little lady. Her parents say she is “petite, but mighty. When this girl puts her mind to something she makes it happen.”

When we asked Jessica about her support during this difficult time, she told us her husband, James, was her rock! “He totally stepped up and was there no matter what I needed.” But what is it like on the other side? To be the one to hold it all together at home when your journey to parenthood takes a turn you did not expect. We asked James a few questions in the hope to empower other family members that find themselves in a similar situation.

Do you have any advice you would like to pass along to other partners whose spouse is on bed rest or has a baby in the NICU?
If there’s one thing that I could pass along to others, it would be for them to be ready and more than willing to get involved. Also, be conscious of the role you play when it comes to not only the physical things but just as much to the emotional support. The partner needs to recognize the most natural experience for mankind (pregnancy) can also be the most stressful. But only if you let it. Lastly, let them know to see the big picture, relish in the experience and put momma and baby first.

What would you say surprised you most about your personal experience?
The most surprising thing that I recall is the overall physical toll this process can have on a woman. Bed rest is stressful but the anticipation keeps the excitement in the room. The recovery post-delivery was eye-opening to me. I believe living through this as a couple brought us closer. If there’s a NICU experience, there’s a great toll of pressure placed on moms to perform motherly duties in this environment. Again, I would go back to the statement that the partner needs to be willing and able to jump in and assist and put the mother’s needs first.

As a spouse, did you feel personally benefited from any of the items that were delivered in your partner’s HRH Bed Rest Basket and/or NICU Napsack?
I remember that just receiving a gift during this time brought joy to us. It was nice to be thought of and to know that there were strangers who cared about making sure our family got started on the right track. Lastly, it brought us closer to the experience but also reminds us that it takes people to give back to the next lucky person(s) so that they too can have the same great experience.

Jessica remembers how sweet it was to watch her husband step up as a new dad. He hadn’t spent much time with newborns and especially not a teeny tiny little 4-pound baby. He spent time with the NICU nurses and doctors to learn about Perry’s schedule, what to expect and asked all the right questions. The bond between Perry and him instantly grew strong and I was so proud of the amazing daddy that I knew he was! He would take sweet pictures and videos of her and bring them to me so I could see her. Then a LONG 36 hours after delivering her, he was able to take me to see her. I remember it was so late, close to 11:30 pm when he took me to the NICU. Seeing Perry and holding her for the first time was nothing short of amazing! It’s a moment that was so special and I will cherish forever! (good things are worth the wait!)

Courtney Robinson is an anchor for 10News This Evening on Tampa Bay’s CBS station. For the past few years she’s worked with High Risk Hope to bring awareness to its mission and support the various HRH events. She’s thrilled to join the board to continue to be an advocate for all of the work HRH does to help families experiencing high risk pregnancies. Courtney and her husband, Brad, have a two-year-old daughter, Harper.

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Sullivan Family
Full Name: Sophia Sullivan
Nickname: Pumpkin
Birthdate: October 31, 2016
Gestational Age at Birth: 30 weeks and 2 days
Favorite Book or Toy: Kick Piano

We tried for two years to become pregnant. We were elated when we finally found out that we were pregnant. It was a roller coaster pregnancy. At 15 weeks we learned that Sophia had Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome). Although we were shocked by the news it was not going to deter us, we were finally having a baby. At 26 weeks we went to our perinatologist for her fetal echocardiogram. We waited for over an hour to see the doctor to learn that he had been making arrangements for me to be admitted to St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital. It was at this time I was placed on bed rest due to reverse cord flow. Sophia was not receiving the nutrients she needed. The doctor informed us that with this condition, the majority of people deliver within a week. If this happened, Sophia would only have an 80% chance of survival. I was frantic. A few years prior, my best friend had a very similar condition. Her baby was born at 26 weeks and lived only 96 days. I was terrified this was happening to us.

I was monitored 3 times a day, some days were continual, and each day when we were wheeled down to ultrasound, we prayed we would stay pregnant one more day. We made it to 30 weeks and 2 days and delivered our beautiful Sophia Grace on Halloween. She’s our pumpkin princess. She was a tiny thing, weighing only 2.3 pounds, but a very strong little girl. Sophia
spent the first two and a half months of her life in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) surrounded by amazing doctors and nurses. Today she is a 1-year-old beauty who is full of life and personality. It was a long, stressful journey but I wouldn’t change the outcome for anything. Sophia is our life.

I knew of High Risk Hope through my best friend. We had attended the Tot Trot the previous year in honor of her daughter, Stella. While we were in the hospital the care bags meant the world to me. As much as we were at the hospital, each item came in handy. It was amazing to know we had this group who we could lean on.