A husband recounts the devastating loss of both his wife and newborn after complications of pregnancy. The woman experienced symptoms such as swelling in the legs, headaches, and abdominal pain, which she dismissed as routine pregnancy discomforts. Medical review later indicated pre-eclampsia, a serious hypertensive disorder of pregnancy that, if undetected or untreated, can lead to fatal outcomes for mother and baby.
According to the reddit account, the woman's doctor had advised checkups, rest, and nutrition, but she downplayed her symptoms. She reportedly believed these were normal changes in pregnancy and avoided disclosure of her full discomfort, possibly due to upbringing and fear of burdening others. He shared that her parents had told her not to complain from childhood, and she grew up seeing asking for help as a weakness, which contributed to her not seeking timely medical care.
At the time of delivery, her condition rapidly worsened. Medical staff declared that her body “gave up.” Both she and the baby could not be saved. The husband reports that doctors later diagnosed pre-eclampsia and stated that earlier detection and intervention might have saved lives. He also urged people struggling with health issues not to ignore symptoms and to seek medical and mental health support, emphasizing that timely action can save lives.
Pre-eclampsia is a pregnancy complication characterized primarily by new-onset hypertension (high blood pressure) after 20 weeks of gestation, often accompanied by proteinuria (protein in the urine) or other signs of organ dysfunction. 1
In many cases, early symptoms may be subtle or absent and only identified during routine prenatal monitoring. When symptoms do appear, they can include:
Severe headaches
Vision changes (blurriness, light sensitivity)
Upper abdominal (epigastric) pain
Swelling (edema) in hands, face, or legs
Nausea or vomiting
Difficulty breathing (fluid in lung tissue)
Low urine output, elevated liver enzymes, or low platelets (in severe cases) 1
If unrecognized or unmanaged, pre-eclampsia can progress to eclampsia (seizures), HELLP syndrome (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelets), and multi-organ failure.
Globally, 11–14% of maternal deaths are attributed directly to severe pre-eclampsia/eclampsia. 2
In India and other low-resource settings, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy remain among the leading causes of maternal mortality. Studies estimate that 7–8% of pregnancies involve pre-eclampsia, and in Eastern India, eclampsia accounts for a large share of maternal deaths. 2
Prenatal care with regular monitoring of blood pressure and urinalysis helps detect early signs of pre-eclampsia. In many cases, asymptomatic hypertension or mild proteinuria might be the only clues. If flagged early, obstetricians may manage the condition with:
Close monitoring in hospital
Antihypertensive medications
Use of magnesium sulfate to prevent seizures
Timely delivery, if risks to mother or fetus increase
The only definitive cure is delivery of the baby, but timing is critical to balance risks to both mother and child. 1
Delays in treatment, especially in severe cases, can lead to obstetric emergencies and poor outcomes, as illustrated by the husband’s account.
References
World Health Organization. “Pre-eclampsia (Fact Sheet).” WHO Newsroom — Fact Sheets. Accessed September 2025. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/pre-eclampsia.
Das, Ratan, and Saumya Biswas. “Eclapmsia: The Major Cause of Maternal Mortality in Eastern India.” Ethiopian Journal of Health Sciences 25, no. 2 (April 2015): 111–16. https://doi.org/10.4314/ejhs.v25i2.2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4478261/.
(Rh/Eth/TL/MSM)