Episode 10 | Preeclampsia | Sheridan Taylor Donahue, Preeclampsia Survivor & First-Time Mom

What Nobody Tells Us

My guest today is Sheridan Donahue, a 31 year-old, healthy, former volleyball player with no preexisting medical conditions. So when Sheridan got pregnant with her first child in 2022, she had no reason to expect anything other than a healthy pregnancy with your garden variety side effects, e.g. Weight gain, light swelling, hormone changes, etc.

All that changed one day when Sheridan was scrolling Instagram and came across a post from labor, delivery and post-partem nurse, @mackenzie.on.motherhood, outlining symptoms of preeclampsia: A deadly high blood pressure disorder that can strike pregnant women without warning and cause stroke, heart attack and death.

Sheridan wasn't familiar with preeclampsia, as her doctor had never mentioned it and no one in her family had experienced it. So began Sheridan's near-death experience with preeclampsia, which may have proven fatal had she not self-diagnosed and advocated hard for her own health. Thankfully, Sheridan listened to her body and didn't let anyone -- not even her own skeptical OB-GYN -- talk her out of her intuition.

Sheridan is opening up about her experience with preeclampsia to help other moms-to-be of all ages:

• Learn what preeclampsia is, the different types, and who it impacts
• Understand healthy pregnancy blood pressure ranges
• Understand preeclampsia risks and side effects
• Recognize preeclampsia symptoms
• Ask the right questions to your OB-GYN about preeclampsia
• Learn premature birth ranges for patients with preeclampsia
• Take control of your own health and listen to your body during pregnancy

References:

1. Sheridan first learned about preeclampsia symptoms from labor, delivery and post-partum nurse @mackenzie.on.motherhood's posts on Instagram
2. Time Magazine article on Tori Bowie, the Olympian who passed away from preeclampsia: https://time.com/6287392/tori-bowie-allyson-felix-black-maternal-health/