Lakeisha Faulkner Jenkins had been in labor for hours. She was exhausted and in pain, with a pounding headache.
Her doula looked for the nearest nurse and, for at least the third time, said, “I need you to write this down: She has a headache.”
A persistent headache during labor or pregnancy can be a sign of preeclampsia, a potentially deadly high blood pressure condition.
Hospital staff brushed off the pain as typical, so Jenkins pushed through.
Hours later, resting with her newborn son in her arms, Jenkins still wasn’t feeling well. In addition to her headache, she was dizzy, her vision was unfocused, and her ankles were swollen. All normal after birth, the nurses assured her and sent her on her way.
But within 24 hours after she settled in at her Drexel Hill home, Jenkins’ legs were so swollen she could hardly walk, she was out of breath, and her head felt like it might explode from the pressure.