Globally, every 6 minutes a woman dies as a result of Pre-Eclampsia.

It is the leading cause of death of mothers during childbirth, and the cause of approx 1 in 5 of premature births, and responsible for the complications that can follow, including learning difficulties, epilepsy and cerebral palsy.

In pre-eclampsia, the mothers body is systematically damaged, with high blood pressure and damage to organs including the liver and kidneys. Severe cases can result in blindness, heart failure and fluid buildup in the lungs. Preeclampsia can progress to Eclampsia, which causes seizures that can also lead to stroke and coma.

At the moment, there is no treatment, or indication as to why this happens, although it is believed to be due to issues with early formation of the placenta. The only current way preeclampsia is currently treated is with the termination of the pregnancy. 

It is one nasty disease! And then there is HELLP syndrome - an even more severe variant of pre-eclampsia, which in addition to the pre-eclampsia damage, also causes the red blood cells to break down. It is a life-threatening emergency, with a mortality rate of up to 30%.

With 5 weeks before Chloe's due date we found ourselves on our way to Preston hospital at 4am with Chloe in severe pain, where she was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia which progressed to HELLP syndrome, resulting in an emergency C-section and Sophia's premature birth. 

I was told by medics that they were not sure who was going to come back through the door from surgery, and that they would do their very best to save both lives, which really kicked in the severity of the situation we were in.

Thankfully, the amazing team at Preston Hospital managed to deliver a healthy (and tiny!) baby Sophia weighing a little over 3lbs and saved Chloe's life..... I'm forever indebted to them. 

Having never heard of pre-eclampsia before or its horrific affects worldwide, we made a vow to help spread awareness of the condition. 

I am running the London Marathon on behalf of APEC (Action on Pre-Eclampsia) who a UK charity running a helpline and providing information on Pre-eclampsia. They run study days for midwives and health professionals and spread awareness of the condition. Please visit their website for more info (https://action-on-pre-eclampsia.org.uk/).

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