Miss Diagnosed
Meet Kayla
At 26, Kayla’s symptoms during her second pregnancy were dismissed as normal pregnancy discomfort. Within 10 days of giving birth, she developed severe breathing difficulties, chest pain, and dizziness and was diagnosed with full-blown congestive heart failure caused by peripartum cardiomyopathy. She now advocates for earlier recognition and treatment of pregnancy-related heart disease.
Patient Story Misdiagnosed
Concerning symptoms during second pregnancy
After giving birth: struggles to breathe while laying down, chest pains, and dizziness
Normal new-mom stuff—or peripartum cardiomyopathy?
Kayla’s Story
Hello, my name is Kayla, and I was 26 when I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure caused by my physician failing to diagnose and treat peripartum cardiomyopathy.
This was during my second pregnancy. Early on, I started to experience symptoms that I had not experienced during my previous pregnancy.
I sought out a high-risk obstetrician and advocated for myself that something felt wrong, but for my entire pregnancy I was brushed off with comments like, “Pregnancy is hard,” and “You just need to try and relax.”
They even prescribed me muscle relaxers to try and bandaid the symptoms.
Not even 10 days after giving birth, I started exhibiting new symptoms, such as struggling to breathe while laying down, chest pains, and dizziness.
I went to my local emergency room in the middle of the night, only to be told once again that my symptoms were due to being recently postpartum and that, because I was such a young woman, I should bounce back quickly.
The Emergency
The next day, I had a follow-up with my primary care provider who, after reviewing my bloodwork and chest X-rays, told me to go to a different emergency room immediately because I was in full-blown congestive heart failure.
I was immediately admitted into the ICU and was told that if I had not come in that night, I—like so many other women with this condition—would have passed away, leaving my two children without a mother.
Since then, I have had to face many struggles, including chronic health conditions, lifesaving surgeries, copious amounts of medication, medical intervention, and hospital visits.
Since my diagnosis, I have come to learn that pregnancy-induced heart disease is the leading cause of maternal mortality, and that the United States alone has the highest rate of pregnancy- and postpartum-related deaths of any first-world country.
I am speaking out to advocate for those without a voice—those who are so young that we have lost to such a preventable condition.
Raising Awareness
I am speaking out in hopes of educating women and healthcare providers so they know the signs and symptoms and are able to easily save the lives of so many young mothers through early detection and treatment.
Thank you.