Mercy
During her pregnancy, Mercy developed high blood pressure and needed to have a caesarean section at 33 weeks. Although her baby was premature, he was healthy at birth, though he has had frequent bouts of bronchitis since. Mercy’s blood pressure has remained high and she is taking medication to control it. The asylum process has been very stressful and disruptive, and made it more difficult for Mercy to manage her health. Clip read by an actor.
Mercy is a 43-year-old woman from Africa who is seeking asylum in the UK. She is single and lives with her son, who is nearly two, in shared accommodation.
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Mercy is currently studying for a qualification in health and social care. She had previously attended university back in her home country. Her immigration status prevents her from working and she sometimes has to rely on charities for food and other basic necessities.
During her pregnancy, Mercy was given a home blood pressure monitor by her healthcare team. At 29 weeks, she noticed her blood pressure was high. Around the same time, she developed numbness, nerve pain and blurred vision, which she found frightening. She was admitted to hospital, where one member of staff advised her to "relax". Mercy found this upsetting because it made her feel as though she was somehow to blame for her high blood pressure, when in reality she was scared and struggling to sleep. Her blood pressure proved difficult to control, requiring medication through a drip as well as tablets. Despite treatment, it remained high, and she underwent a caesarean section at 33 weeks. Her baby spent three days in the neonatal unit before joining her on the postnatal ward. While her baby recovered quickly, Mercy's blood pressure took longer to settle. Just over a week later, they were discharged from hospital and, soon afterwards, moved to a different city as part of the asylum process.
After leaving hospital, Mercy and her baby were visited by health visitors, but she said the focus was mostly on her baby’s health and Mercy was given little advice about her own recovery. Her blood pressure medication ran out after a month, but her new GP wouldn’t prescribe more because he had no record of her previous treatment. She also wasn’t able to keep the blood pressure monitor after giving birth, so she relied on how she felt to guess what her blood pressure was doing. If she had a headache or a strange sensation in her arm, she would assume her blood pressure was high. After her medication ran out, she tried using a home remedy of ginger, garlic, and lemon in hot water to resolve her symptoms. She eventually got a new prescription but believes the delay made her health worse. Her blood pressure still goes up and down, and she continues to take medication. Mercy eventually bought a blood pressure monitor, even though money is tight.
Mercy is currently under pressure from the Home Office to move again, but she does not want to leave the city where she has built a strong support network. She feels that another move would be bad for her mental health and unsettling for her son. The uncertainty of the asylum process and her unstable housing situation have added considerable stress on top of everything else she has experienced, and she takes antidepressants to help manage this. She also finds comfort and emotional support through online church services.
Although he was premature, Mercy’s son was healthy at birth, though she thinks his early birth may be why he is prone to frequent bouts of bronchitis. She initially breast- and bottle-fed him, but switched entirely to formula at nine months because he seemed to prefer the bottle. She felt well supported with breastfeeding and wasn’t upset about stopping. Mercy always makes sure her son has enough to eat, even if it means going without food herself. Cold weather seemed to make her son’s bronchitis worse, so Mercy stayed indoors more when her son was younger. This made her feel more isolated and made it harder to look after her own well-being.
Mercy hopes that women in similar situations will get better information and more consistent care after giving birth, especially for managing their blood pressure. She wishes she had been able to continue with the home blood pressure monitoring after having her baby. She would have also liked diet and exercise advice. Mercy hopes that she will be granted asylum in the UK, be able to stay in the city where she has put down roots, and continue her education so that she can provide a good life for her son.
Mercy, who was seeking asylum, was moved to another city shortly after giving birth. She was unable to get more blood-pressure medication because her new GP could not access her previous records (read by an actor).
Mercy, who was seeking asylum, was moved to another city shortly after giving birth. She was unable to get more blood-pressure medication because her new GP could not access her previous records (read by an actor).
So, I went to the... I went to the GP to get my medication and they told me it’s not in the record that you are having a... the medication, that high blood pressure medication. I said, “But my BP is high.” And this thing, I will be having it, I just finish with the one I have, and so over two weeks, three weeks now, I’m not having none and my BP is still going high. They said they didn’t see it in the system, and for that reason, they are not giving... giving it to me. That was how they left me. From that two month, my baby was two months plus, I stop taking the medication. But this thing was still in me. I can still feel my hand. I can still feel that BP in my blood... and everything and I keep going to my GP. I go, I do some check, I tell them it is high, they... they keep, like, telling me it’s not in the system. People should put it back on the system. If it’s not there, why don’t you just see that my BP is high so you can start with the medication. They didn’t actually do it. So, I started doing, like, home remedies for myself because I... I need a strength for my baby, since they are not understanding me.