Keturah Greene

Most maternal and infant deaths are preventable with access to quality prenatal care, skilled support during childbirth, and careful monitoring after delivery. I know this because that care saved my life—and my daughter’s.

At 32 weeks and 2 days, I went to a routine prenatal appointment. I felt fine, aside from what I thought was normal pregnancy swelling in my legs and feet. But my blood pressure, usually 120/80, kept climbing. Within minutes it reached the 150s/90s. My OB sent me to triage “just to be safe.”

Forty-five minutes later, my blood pressure was 230/133.

I still had no idea how serious it was. The room shifted into urgency. Tests confirmed severe preeclampsia—protein in my urine, extreme hypertension, headaches, and swelling. I was told I would not be leaving the hospital pregnant. My new goal was to make it to 34 weeks so my baby would have a better chance.

I was admitted to the high-risk unit, placed on magnesium to prevent seizures, and given steroid shots to strengthen my baby’s lungs. After three days, my blood pressure became too unstable. Delivery was the only cure.

Five hours into induction, her heart rate dropped. An emergency C-section was called.

She was born weighing 3 pounds, 6 ounces—tiny, but strong. She breathed on her own, needed CPAP briefly, and spent just over three weeks in the NICU. We lived for kangaroo care, holding her skin-to-skin, praying over her incubator, watching her learn to feed and grow. She fought through every small setback like a champion.

My recovery was harder than I expected. I was back on magnesium after delivery and didn’t meet my daughter until the next day. Weeks later, I was diagnosed with chronic hypertension; my blood pressure never returned to normal without medication.

Later, I learned my grandmother may have experienced preeclampsia, and two of her children were born prematurely. That history might have been an early warning.

During my second pregnancy three years later, I was treated as high-risk from the start—on low-dose aspirin and blood pressure medication, monitored closely by Maternal Fetal Medicine. I carried to 38 weeks and 1 day. Though delivery again required an emergency C-section due to a dangerously thin uterus (uterine window), my baby arrived safely.

Today, my daughters and I are living proof that attentive maternal care saves lives. Being in the right place at the right time—and having consistent prenatal care—made all the difference.

If I could share anything with mothers and future mothers, it’s this: learn your family’s pregnancy history. Pay attention to your body. Don’t ignore symptoms that feel “normal” but worry you. And never skip prenatal appointments.

Awareness, advocacy, and proper care can change outcomes. They changed ours.

With preterm birth and maternal death rates continuing to rise, I’m committed to raising funds so that every family gets the best possible start. But I need your help. 

Please visit my fundraising page to make a donation. Together we’ll be part of a movement to make America a more equitable place and ensure that every mom and baby is healthy.