Allyson Felix and Severe Preeclampsia: A Hear Her Story

Allyson's story

Allyson Felix, an elite track and field athlete and Olympian, was diagnosed at 32 weeks pregnant with severe preeclampsia — a potentially life-threatening complication of pregnancy.

• A surprise: for all her fitness and training, a routine prenatal visit found protein in her urine and high blood pressure.
• Fast action: her doctor admitted her to the hospital for monitoring and tests, then sent her for an emergency C-section. Those quick decisions may have saved her life.
• Prepared, and still at risk: she had a birth plan, went to her prenatal appointments, took birthing classes and kept training — and never imagined a serious problem, with two months still to go before her due date.
• Her daughter: Camryn was born weighing 3 pounds, 7 ounces and spent her first month in the neonatal intensive care unit. Today she is a healthy, growing child, and Allyson is a healthy mother and a champion for maternal health.

Not a rare story

Every year many women have severe, unexpected pregnancy-related health problems. Some face long-term consequences; some don't survive. Every such death is a tragedy — especially since 80 percent of pregnancy-related deaths could have been prevented.

Black women are 3 times as likely as White women to die from a pregnancy-related complication, and Felix works to raise awareness of that heavier burden in the hope of driving change.

Her message

Felix joined CDC's Hear Her campaign to help pregnant and postpartum women — and everyone who supports them — learn the urgent maternal warning signs. She wants women to know whether they're at risk, to have a plan, not to feel intimidated in the doctor's office, and to be heard: "To know the signs and be persistent about anything that does not feel normal."

Resources

• What is preeclampsia?
• Hear Her campaign videos and PSAs featuring Allyson Felix, with a transcript of her story.

Sources

Based on "Unexpected Pregnancy Complications: Allyson Felix's Story," Hear Her campaign, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, quoting Allyson Felix; a work of the United States government in the public domain.