Beyonce’s trauma highlights danger of pre-eclampsia
BEYONCE is no stranger to breaking boundaries – now she’s made waves with her September cover of Vogue.
It’s rumoured she chose Tyler Mitchell to shoot the pictures, making it the first time in the mag’s history that a black photographer has done the cover.
To accompany the photos, Beyonce told her story in her own words, covering everything from body acceptance to her ancestry. The star rarely gives interviews, so it was surprising that she was so open about the difficulties during pregnancy.
She said: “I was 218 pounds (15st 8lb) the day I gave birth to Rumi and Sir.
“I was swollen from toxemia and had been on bed rest for over a month. My health and my babies’ health were in danger, so I had an emergency C-section.”
Toxemia is another term for pre-eclampsia here’s everything you need to know about the condition unique to pregnancy... The two earliest signs of pre-eclampsia are high blood pressure and protein in your urine. Obviously these aren’t exactly things you can diagnose on your own, but the NHS say they should be picked up during antenatal appointments. Further symptoms could include swelling of feet, ankles, face and hands, headaches, vision issues and rib pain. Pre-eclampsia normally BY PRUDENCE WADE occurs around the second half of the pregnancy, or just after the baby is delivered.
According to the NHS, it’s a condition that affects up to six per cent of pregnancies.
Chances of developing pre-eclampsia are heightened if you suffer from things like diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease or lupus. Chances are also increased if you’re expecting multiple babies – like Beyonce, who had twins. If you’re at risk, the NHS say you might be advised to take low-dose aspirin every day from your 12th week until the baby is born. Strangely, doctors don’t know the exact cause of pre-eclampsia but believe it is to do with something going wrong with the placenta.
It could be due to this lack of understanding around the condition that means it’s difficult to treat. For the majority of sufferers, toxemia is cured only when the baby is delivered.
Symptoms have to be closely monitored to ensure that they’re not worsening, and in many cases, labour is either induced or the woman has a C-section like Beyonce.
Another suggestion the NHS make is to take medication to lower blood pressure before giving birth. Most women with pre-eclampsia will deliver healthy babies and fully recovery. However, if it’s undiagnosed, it can lead to eclampsia, a condition that can be life-threatening to mother and baby.
If it’s not diagnosed, it can be lifethreatening to mum and baby