Dr. Moore Shares Her Shocking Near-Death Experience with Preeclampsia as a Black Woman

Dr. Shawana Moore, a women’s health nurse practitioner, faced a pregnancy complicated by preeclampsia, a serious condition marked by high blood pressure, and the challenge of being dismissed by her healthcare providers. 

Unfortunately, Dr. Moore’s experience is far too common. As a Black woman, she is two to three times more at risk for pregnancy-related death in the United States than a white woman.

"Being a Black woman, being an educated Black woman, I’m still placed at a higher risk for an adverse pregnancy outcome."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 50,000 women in the United States experience pregnancy complications each year, with Black women being at least three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes compared to White women. The CDC attributes the disparity to chronic conditions, structural racism and implicit bias.

Going into her pregnancy, Dr. Moore was highly aware of the staggering statistics that she might face but her experience still took her by surprise. 

Early Pregnancy and the Onset of Preeclampsia Symptoms

Dr. Moore’s journey to conception was straightforward. After discussing with her husband, they decided to try for a baby and conceived quickly. "It was on Thanksgiving Day. I took the pregnancy test, and it was positive. So, it was Thanksgiving news."

The early part of her pregnancy was relatively smooth. "The first part of my pregnancy was peaceful. I wasn’t overly sick at all." However, as her pregnancy progressed into the latter half of the second trimester, Dr. Moore noticed significant physical changes.

 "I knew it wasn’t based on nutrition."

 One major concern was the rapid and excessive weight gain. "I had an 11-pound weight gain in one week. So for me, being a healthcare provider, I thought, that has to be water weight. That’s fluid being placed on my body, which is not normal for that to happen in pregnancy."

Despite her concerns, her healthcare providers did not take her seriously. They attributed the weight gain to typical pregnancy-related factors, even offering her a consultation with a nutritionist, which she declined. "I knew it wasn’t based on nutrition."

Dismissed Symptoms and Medical Gaslighting

As her symptoms worsened, Dr. Moore sought medical support, but the responses from her healthcare team were inadequate. "When I saw my providers or called for support, everything was just shifted to like homeopathic things that needed to be done on my end versus 'come in, let’s be evaluated, let’s see what’s actually happening.'"

"I don’t think people took me seriously."

Dr. Moore felt dismissed throughout much of her pregnancy. "I don’t think people took me seriously." She experienced a clear lack of proper medical intervention despite showing signs of a potentially serious condition. It wasn't until a routine prenatal visit that her concerns were validated. "I went in and told the provider I didn’t feel well. Of course, after the intake, she was like, ‘Yeah, you don’t.’ This is your blood pressure, your protein in urine—I’m sending you straight over to OB triage to deliver."

Diagnosis and Delivery

At her routine visit, Dr. Moore was diagnosed with severe preeclampsia, a condition that can be life-threatening for both the mother and baby. Preeclampsia is marked by high blood pressure and the presence of protein in the urine, indicating that the kidneys are under stress. "I was finally heard. Not that I wanted to deliver, but finally somebody understood that I really didn’t feel well."

Dr. Moore delivered her son via C-section at 38 weeks. He was born weighing nine pounds, two ounces. The delivery itself went smoothly, but complications arose during the postpartum period.

Ignored While in Postpartum Care

After the delivery, Dr. Moore’s health continued to present challenges. She describes a frightening moment shortly after being taken to her postpartum room. "As soon as I got to the unit, I was just flushed, a whole bunch of sweat, just broken out of sweat. My husband looked terrified. Then all these alarms started going off, but nobody came for a while."

Eventually, a nurse who was not assigned to Dr. Moore’s care rushed in - shocked that nobody else had arrived to help. The nurse adjusted her position, which stabilized her blood pressure. "She flipped me into the position and helped bring my blood pressure up."

In addition to this, Dr. Moore’s plan to breastfeed was also mishandled. "I’ll never forget the nurse that was caring for me. She gave my baby formula without offering me the hospital-grade breast pump first." This was despite the clear plan for Dr. Moore to nurse her child. "That should have happened before the formula."

As she attempted to breastfeed, Dr. Moore began to experience excruciating pain from her c-section and asked the nurse for help. Somehow, the pain medication prescription had been removed from her chart. Dr. Moore was forced to wait in extreme pain while the nurse called to get the medication put back on her order.

The Role of Bias in Maternal Care

Dr. Moore’s experience is a reminder of the disparities in maternal healthcare that Black women often face. "Being a Black woman, being an educated Black woman, I’m still placed at a higher risk for an adverse pregnancy outcome," she explains, pointing to systemic racism and implicit bias as key factors in why she wasn’t listened to sooner.

"I think it's patients and healthcare partnering together to ensure the best healthcare outcomes."

Dr. Moore reflects on the broader implications of her experience, noting that many women like her, particularly from Black and Brown communities, don’t receive adequate care or timely intervention. "You can have access to the best care and still not get the best care."

To find good healthcare, Dr. Moore encourages patients to take the initiative. " You're in a healthcare team that you don't feel supported by, it's your job then to try to find another team that allows you to feel supported," She says. It's bi-directional, right? It's not just healthcare. I think it's patients and healthcare partnering together to ensure the best healthcare outcomes."