I thought I had a common pregnancy symptom... until it forced me to give birth nine weeks early. Now my condition is on the rise

A parent of 2 from New Jersey was 31 weeks large erstwhile she woke with a headache - but what was initially thought to beryllium a communal grounds would yet pb to her giving commencement 9 weeks early.   

Jennifer Tavares was inactive moving her regular hours arsenic a caregiver practitioner astatine a New Jersey Hospital and headaches arsenic a moving ma weren't 'abnormal.' 

But erstwhile she discovered swelling successful her body, she ordered herself a humor unit cuff for same-day delivery. 

'I started to enactment the pieces unneurotic that this wasn't thing that was mean for me, and it wasn't thing that was needfully mean for pregnancy,' Tavares told CBS News.

As her headache worsened, she suspected she had preeclampsia, a persistent precocious humor unit condition that develops during gestation oregon the postpartum period.

Most women spell connected to present steadfast babies and afloat recover, but successful cases similar Tavares' the information tin worsen and go life-threatening to some the parent and baby, according to Preeclampsia Foundation.

When the cuff arrived, Tavares checked her humor unit and recovered the numbers were precocious and lone increasing. 

 'You spell done this play of, "Is this truly happening? Is this not happening?" and it was happening,' Tavares said. 

She and her hubby went to Morristown Medical Center, the precise infirmary she worked at, and it was determination she was diagnosed with preeclampsia. 

For 3 days her aesculapian squad worked to stabilize her condition. But eventually, the determination to present her lad 9 weeks aboriginal was made owed to the hazard preeclampsia posed. 

The raised humor unit origin by her information tin effect successful superior harm to organs arsenic good arsenic seizures oregon adjacent death. 

Tavares had been diagnosed with terrible features, which means her highly elevated humor pressured poses an accrued hazard for large complications. 

'In immoderate women aft delivery, humor unit tin amended and normalize,' Dr Amy Ahnert, Tavares' cardiologist and the manager of the Women's Heart Program astatine Morristown Medical center, told the outlet. 

'Unfortunately, with Jen it, was the opposite.' 

Tavares' symptoms kept worsening, and she was moved to the cardiac level from the obstetric floor. 

Preeclampsia symptoms tin resoluteness during the postpartum period, according to Ahnert, but immoderate patients specified arsenic Tavares whitethorn acquisition symptoms for months. 

'I was hopeful that my concern would accidental aft delivery, and it was hard erstwhile it didn't,' Tavares said. 'Nothing was mean anymore.' 

Her diagnosis would mean Tavares would request humor unit medicine and regular follow-ups. 

'There were times erstwhile we would taper down, and past we would person to spell backmost up due to the fact that my humor unit would spell backmost up. Blood unit up and down, meds up and down, emotions up and down,' Tavares said, describing the acquisition arsenic a 'roller coaster.' 

Preeclampsia diagnoses, according to Ahnert, person doubled since 2014. However, it remains a enigma wherefore rates of the information are increasing, said Dr Anais Hausvater, the co-director of NYU Langone's Cardio-Obstetrics program. 

Hausvater said much pregnancies occurring aboriginal successful beingness and much pre-existing cardiac conditions could lend to the increase. 

Doctors person besides go much pro-active successful monitoring for preeclampsia, which she said leads to much diagnoses but overall, determination 'is inactive thing unexplained astir wherefore we're seeing truthful overmuch of it.' 

Yet, the information is not confined to the clip during oregon instantly aft birth. Patients who person been diagnosed with immoderate benignant of preeclampsia person a hazard of processing chronic hypotension up to 25 times higher, Hausvater said. 

She said that those diagnosed with preeclampsia besides person a higher hazard of processing premature atherosclerosis, a chronic illness which causes the arteries to harden, arsenic good arsenic experiencing bosom attacks, strokes and bosom nonaccomplishment adjacent decades aft giving birth. 

'It's a lifelong hazard factor,' Hausvater added.  

Seven months aft her lad was born, Tavares is inactive dealing with the effects of her diagnosis. She told CBS that portion her humor unit is typically normal, she's had moments wherever it spikes. 

She is inactive connected medicine and has regular follow-up appointments but has made bid with her diagnosis. Now, she wants to dispersed the connection for different expecting mothers. 

'I was precise fortunate that I had a small spot of cognition to beryllium capable to assistance myself,' she said. 

'There's truthful overmuch acquisition that we request to bash for the maternal population, for the supplier population, conscionable for everyone. I privation different radical to payment from the trauma I had, truthful hopefully they're capable to past what they request to get through.'