A pregnant mum thought she was just having a bad bout of the hiccups when suddenly she began to have seizures that put her life, and her unborn bub, in grave danger.
22-year-old Llyrus Baptista was delighted to become a mum and admits she wasn’t concerned when she started to have hiccups. But soon they became full on convulsions.
Explaining what happened in a Facebook post, Llryrus says: ‘[Shaun] kept asking me if I was ok and at one point laughed not realising what was happening. Until it got out of control.
‘I was fully conscious and aware of what was going on while I was seizing, I just couldn’t control it. I couldn’t talk or communicate in any way. I felt so helpless.’
The convulsions continued all the way to the hospital, and she passed out in the ambulance. Arriving at the hospital she was unresponsive, and doctors feared the worst for her and her baby.
‘It was on my way to CT that I woke up, it was a miracle. I was talking normally, I could see fine and Nicaea was totally fine,’ she says, referring to her little unborn girl.
‘But they had to act quick, they needed to get her out or I would keep having seizures, until I died.’
Llyrus was put under a general anesthetic, and Nicea was born via and emergency Caesarean – thankfully unaffected by the dramatic circumstances around her birth.
Doctors explained that Llyrus had experienced an atypical eclampsia. Usually pre-eclampsia is easily diagnosed through high blood pressure and high levels of protein in the urine. Llyrus was atypical because neither of these symptoms appeared.
Llyrus shared her story on Facebook to raise awareness among other mums of the importance of getting regular tests for these symptoms.
‘My point in all this is that those prenatal checks are so important, if you have any concerns or complaints tell your midwife/doctor/nurse/(insert medical professional here).
‘You are not inconveniencing them, that is what they are for!
‘If you feel like something is wrong, trust your instincts. Don’t be afraid to get a second or third or fourth opinion.’