I had the pleasure of providing care for a woman having her first baby with a strong family history of preeclampsia- her mother, sister and grandmother all developed it in their first pregnancies. When preeclampsia sets in, high blood pressure endangers the woman and her baby as seizures are bound to happen until the blood pressure is stabilized with a medication given by a doctor and the baby is delivered; the exact cause of which is still unknown.

Family history can be a big indicator in what a woman's pregnancy and birth will be like. I've seen it time and again when a woman's mother had gestational diabetes, went past her due date in her pregnancies or had her water break to start her labors and the woman's labors simply followed just as her mother's births.

This client of mine sustained normal blood pressure and health throughout her entire pregnancy. Diet? Exercise? A safe and low stress environment? Something more? I cant say what exact thing enabled this woman to overcome the odds of her family's history of this illness but I am so grateful for whatever it was!! She delivered a beautiful baby girl in her home this morning and I could not be more proud and in awe of the strength of this woman. I look forward to caring for her and her baby and for her babies in the future!