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Tackling Toxemia

Toxemia is a Common Pregnancy Disorder

By Katherine Bontrager

Thirteen years ago, Liz Ontiveroz from Laramie, Wyo., was busy with work, taking care of her two children and pregnant with her third child. Like most pregnant women, she was tired and sore. But Ontiveroz's belly wasn't the only part of her body that was expanding – her neck also was painfully swollen.

"I went to my doctor because my neck hurt so badly," Ontiveroz says. "The doctor found traces of protein in my urine, but nothing else."

Finding no diagnosis or treatment from her doctor, she went to the chiropractor. "I was crying because the pain was so intense," Ontiveroz says. "They took my blood pressure, but the machine couldn't get a reading, so they assumed it was broken. I had my neck adjusted, but afterward it still hurt terribly."

What Ontiveroz didn't know was that her blood pressure was off the charts – so high the chiropractor couldn't obtain a reading. She should have been raced to the emergency room, but instead this mom returned home for the weekend not knowing how serious things were. On Saturday she began bleeding and was rushed to the hospital. It was there Ontiveroz's blood pressure was finally correctly taken. The number had skyrocketed: This mother was suffering from toxemia.

Ontiveroz's small hospital wasn't prepared to handle her condition or her son's pending premature birth, so she was airlifted to a larger hospital in Montana. There she was given steroids to help develop her son's lungs and pitocin to jumpstart her labor. While her baby's heartbeat was steady, he was beginning to show signs of distress, so Ontiveroz underwent an emergency C-section. Austin, delivered seven weeks premature, weighed just 3 pounds, 2 ounces.

"It was terrifying," Ontiveroz says. "This was my third baby, and toxemia is most prevalent in first pregnancies, so I never thought it could happen to me. I was dumbfounded."

Her husband, Milton, was told by doctors that his wife and son were close to being lost during delivery. Thankfully Ontiveroz and her son ended up being just fine. Mom's swelling subsided almost immediately, though her blood pressure took three weeks to return to normal. And Austin is excelling at school and sports – this former preemie now towers over his classmates.

Want to see more?

• Nutrition is Key: Prevent Complications and Give Birth to a Healthy Baby
• Managing Preeclampsia
• The Value of Doula Support: Caring, Comforting and Empowering
• Talk about it!