Mom Felt ‘Exhausted’ During Her Third Pregnancy. Then, After Giving Birth, She Received ‘Frightening’ News (Exclusive)

YOU NEED TO KNOW

• A New Jersey mother expected her third pregnancy to require more from her, but she wasn’t prepared for the “scary” experience that came next.

• Sabrina B., a 38-year-old mother of three, tells PEOPLE that welcoming her third baby was the “hardest” experience she’s ever had, noting that she “immediately felt the difference.”

• Sabrina received “shocking and frightening” news after giving birth

A New Jersey mother expected her third pregnancy to require more from her, but she wasn’t prepared for the “scary” experience that came next.

Sabrina B., a 38-year-old mother of three, tells PEOPLE that welcoming her third baby was the “most difficult” experience she’s ever had, noting that she “immediately felt the difference.” Sabrina says she could sense from the beginning of her pregnancy that it “was going to require more from me, physically and emotionally,” and that it was proving to be “challenging.”

“The birth itself took 16 and a half hours, [which was] “It’s been my longest trip yet,” says Sabrina. “Beyond the length of the job, what made it particularly challenging was the overall weight of the season. I was pregnant, trying to balance motherhood, recovery, and daily life while raising a toddler and almost-teen. I felt like my body was exhausted. “I felt tense and weak, physically and emotionally.”

“Every pregnancy is different, but this one felt harder,” she adds. “I was older, more aware of my body, and more sensitive to feeling like something wasn’t right.”

A week after giving birth to baby Alijah, Sabrina had a home visit from a postpartum nurse sent through a government-funded program. Checking his vitals, the nurse noticed that his blood pressure was very high and continued to rise. Additionally, Sabrina says her ankles and feet are visibly swollen.

“Without hesitation, she pulled out her phone and called my OB-GYN directly,” she recalls, adding that her nurse’s concern prompted her to make a follow-up appointment with her doctor.

Before her appointment, Sabrina told PEOPLE that her symptoms were starting to intensify. In addition to her swollen ankles and feet, she also had high blood pressure and started having large blood clots. She remembers once, while taking a shower, her body suddenly felt “weird,” as if she was going to push the baby out again.

“I had a huge blood clot and started screaming and crying. This triggered the pregnancy losses I had experienced before, and at that moment I really thought I was dying,” Sabrina recalls. “The thing that scared me the most wasn’t death itself. It was the thought of leaving my daughters motherless.”

Sabrina told PEOPLE at her doctor’s appointment that she received the “shocking and frightening” news. postpartum preeclampsia. Since then, Sabrina has worked closely with her care team to regulate her condition. He explains that he takes blood pressure medication and has steroid injections to reduce inflammation.

“For the first two weeks postpartum, I could barely hold a pencil, let alone my baby,” she says, admitting that all the tests and studies her doctors did helped “stabilize things” for her over time. “It was a medical journey, one I never expected, but I am grateful it was diagnosed early.”

Sabrina, who is also mom to 2-year-old Kameryn and 12-year-old Kaydence, tells PEOPLE she’s grateful her daughter was born safely.

During this experience, Sabrina was also dealing with different nerve issues that left her unable to grasp things properly. She says it also causes tingling and numbness in her hands, making it “scary” to hold her baby.

“Most nights when she cried, my partner would pick her up, change her diaper and bring her to me to breastfeed because my body was weak and I literally couldn’t,” she says, adding that her partner Arnaldo, 38, really supported her in this difficult moment. “It took a lot of teamwork. It still does.”

“I am deeply grateful to her for her support throughout this entire experience,” she adds. “We really relied on each other as we raised our daughters, and I don’t take that partnership lightly.”

Sabrina shares her life, especially herself postpartum journeysIt has been publicly online for 11 years. But this time is different, he says, and he has to rely on the community he’s created.

“I shared it because I really wanted to know if other women were going through this,” she explains to PEOPLE. “I needed hope. I needed reassurance that things would get better and that there were answers [and] You are not alone.”

“I also wanted to raise awareness of heart disease among the communities I am a part of, particularly Black and Latinx women,” she continues. “Heart disease remains a leading cause of death in our societies. We often normalize stress, but stress affects our bodies in real ways. If sharing my story encourages even one woman to check her blood pressure, go to a postpartum appointment, get a second opinion, or listen to her intuition — then it’s worth it.”

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Looking back on her birth experience, Sabrina tells PEOPLE she’s grateful for her support system and access to quality healthcare.

“I am so grateful for my support system — my family, my best friend, my village — and access to doctors who listen and take me seriously,” she says. “Health care can be expensive and overwhelming, and many women neglect their health because of this.”

“I don’t assume I have the resources and support to defend myself,” Sabrina adds. “And I hope other women know they deserve it, too.”

Read the original article People