Lizzy
During the birth of her second child, Lizzy developed high blood pressure that was difficult to manage at first, but it has since returned to normal.
Lizzy is a 34-year-old Black African woman living with her two children (aged 7 and 3) in a refuge for women affected by domestic violence. She has applied for a visa to remain in the UK.
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Lizzy developed high blood pressure during labour with her second child. Although it came down briefly after she had an epidural, it soon rose again and remained high after the birth. She was started on medication and stayed in hospital for five days. Her doctors wanted her to remain in hospital for longer, but Lizzy chose to go home so she could care for her older child and because she found the hospital environment very stressful. She stopped taking her blood pressure medication after a couple of weeks and has not had any follow-up specifically for her blood pressure since. Looking back, Lizzy says she has not thought much about it, as most of her energy has gone into caring for her children and coping with the demands of everyday life. She was never told about the long-term health risks associated with high blood pressure in pregnancy.
When Lizzy came home after giving birth, she had some help from her mother-in-law, but didn’t want to rely on her too much because she had health problems herself. Her caesarean incision was quite painful and she admits she pushed herself too hard at first, but she felt confident caring for her baby since it was her second child. She breast- and bottle-fed her baby and had no problems with breastfeeding. Lizzy was offered counselling, but felt it would be too difficult to attend because of transportation, childcare issues and her other day-to-day responsibilities.
Lizzy experienced physical, emotional and financial abuse from her husband. Although the physical violence stopped during her pregnancy and for a short time after the birth, it began when their second child was five months old. He also controlled her movements, preventing her from going out or seeing other people. During her antenatal appointments, healthcare professionals asked whether she was experiencing abuse, but Lizzy felt too frightened to tell them what was happening. At the time, she had no job, no money, no support network and nowhere else to go. She says the turning point came when she saw the impact the abuse was having on her children. Her daughter stopped speaking, which Lizzy believes was a result of the trauma of living in such an unsafe and upsetting environment. Since leaving the relationship, she says she feels safer and more at peace.
Lizzy’s greatest source of stress right now is her uncertain immigration status, which overshadows every aspect of her life. She was recently granted a three-month visa extension due to the domestic abuse she experienced, but she finds the uncertainty around whether it will be renewed very stressful. Lizzy feels there is nothing for her to return to in her home country. She currently receives Universal Credit and, while money is tight, she says she manages with what she has and occasionally gets extra help from charities. She has no family in the UK and only one close friend for support. Her main priority is her children. Lizzy thinks she might be neglecting her own health but says she’s too overwhelmed to focus on herself. Lizzy says she’s always been the one looking after others and, because people see her as strong, they don’t realise she needs help too.
Lizzy wishes she had been given more information about the long-term effects of having high blood pressure during pregnancy. She believes it’s important for women to speak up and ask for help, even though she knows how hard that can be. While she hasn’t always been able to do this herself, she feels that recognising the need for support is a step in the right direction.