A mum from Australia has shared truly heartbreaking images of her stillborn son in a bid to raise awareness of the deadly condition doctors missed.
Kristy Watson, 20, shared the images on her Facebook page Kristy Watson - The Angel Mumma, where she's trying to raise awareness about the condition that caused her son's death.
They show her holding her stillborn son, Kaycen, who died because as a result of pre-eclampsia - which was not diagnosed during her pregnancy.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1768428443253058&set=pcb.1768429699919599&type=3&theater
In the post, the mum explained how she started suffering with swelling, headaches and blurry vision 26 weeks into her first pregnancy, but she was sent home from hospital every time she went in.
She was told she had pre-eclampsia six weeks after symptoms started, but it was too late as her 'angel baby' son Kaycen had died in her womb.
She wrote: 'I didn’t get told I had it until I had the nurse sit on the end of my bed at 32weeks and 5 days in front of my ultrasound to tell me my precious little Kaycen no longer had a heart beat.
'No words you ever want to hear, no words you ever imagine hearing so far into your pregnancy. I knew from 26 weeks something wasn’t right, from the horrible swelling in my feet hands and face, the headaches that lasted weeks on end, the blurry vision, my blood pressure going up and down I knew that this weren’t just normal ‘pregnancy symptoms’ but after numerous amounts of doctors visits, in and out of hospital, even trying to contact another hospital for a second opinion I was told it was just normal or I’d get ‘I’m actually not to sure’ and sent home or got told I couldn’t be looked at unless it was by my hospital I planned to have my baby at.
'For 6 weeks I was sent home after going in every time with the same thing an having every symptom of pre-eclampsia', she said.
Just three days before she was told her son had died, she was in hospital complaining of the symptoms again, but doctors sent her home with painkillers for her headaches, without having a blood test or an ultrasound done.
'Mine was left to late I had already lost my son before he got to chance to see the light of day. I felt stupid I felt like they were just thinking I was complaining about my pregnancy but in reality I knew something was just not right', she wrote.
'That was 3 days before I felt my son never move again. 3 days before I got told that I had serve pre-eclampsia and that my baby had no heartbeat. 3 days before I had to be induced and be in labour for 12 hours before I finally hold my breathless and lifeless son.'
Now Kristy wants more women to be aware of the condition, so they don't have to go through the same heartbreak she's experiencing.
She added: 'Please listen to your body’s, I know some people don’t have to go through the stress I had to go through weeks leading up to my sons death by the drama people were causing me or people even have to go through something worse but these little lives we create inside our wonderful bodies rely on us, we have to look after ourselves just as much and I couldn’t imagine any other mother having to feel like they failed there child like I’ve had too.
'I know my little Kaycen will live on through me and everyone’s hearts he touched.'
