Too Hot To Handle star Emily Miller's emotional pregnancy post has doctors urging women to watch out for these symptoms
An emotional pregnancy update shared by reality TV star Emily Faye Miller has prompted doctors to issue an urgent health warning.
The Too Hot To Handle bombshell announced back in February that she and former co-star Cam Holmes - with whom she already shares her one-year-old son, Reggie - were expecting twins.
The couple shared the news in a sweet Instagram video at the time, in which Reggie is asked, 'What's in mummy's tummy?', to which he replies, 'Baby'. Miller then questions, 'How many?', with the tot exclaiming, 'Two!'
Since then, she and Holmes have shared frequent updates on their pregnancy journey on social media, including this week, when Miller confirmed she was dealt a brutal blow during her latest doctor's visit.
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"Ok so 36 week pregnancy update," she captioned a snap of herself in a hospital bed. "I had my weekly scan and consultant appointment yesterday to be told I now have preeclampsia.
What did Miller say about her diagnosis?
"Tbh I'm surprised I didn’t get diagnosed sooner as I’ve had all the symptoms for a couple weeks now."
The 32year-old explained: "Sooo given now that’s my liver (ICP) and kidneys are both f**ked and according to the blood flow from my scan it’s indicating that baby girl is going into survival mode, where blood is only going to her heart and brain as supposed to anywhere else like her stomach.
"She has now gone down to 1st centile, which isn’t great."
Preeclampsia is a serious pregnancy complication which is defined by high blood pressure in the mother, as well as signs of damage to organs like the kidneys or liver, which usually kick in after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
It's a condition that, if left untreated, can prove fatal for both mum and baby, with elevated blood pressure possibly triggering a stroke, seizures (eclampsia), or organ failure.
Miller went on to reveal she's since been booked in for a caesarean section after her medical team found it to be the 'safest option for all of us'.
"I’ve been very overwhelmed this last trimester, and I’ve really tried to push through all the pain and sleepless nights, but I do agree I think it’s time, especially as babygirl is struggling too," the Netflix star continued.
"It’s just upsetting that giving birth how I would have liked has been taken out of my hands once again."
Miller added: "You probs won’t know when I go in for my section… but there will be signs.
"I’ve had my pre-ops and dreading the epidural as how horribly wrong it went last time. But tbf I’ve never heard of a bad experience from a planned c section, and hopefully they can sort out my old bodged scar. (Silver lining right?)"
The mother-of-one's unexpected update has since raised questions regarding the nature of preeclampsia, which, thankfully, Dr Susanna Unsworth, a women's health expert for Intimina, has attempted to answer.
What causes preeclampsia, and what symptoms should we look out for?
Speaking to Tyla, she began by explaining that preeclampsia is a condition that medics, to this day, don't fully understand.
"It is thought to begin with abnormal development of the placenta, which can affect the mother's blood vessels, leading to high blood pressure and, in some cases, damage to organs such as the kidneys and liver," Dr Unsworth went on.
She detailed several key indicators of the condition, including persistent headaches that don't improve with simple pain relief, blurred vision, pain beneath the ribs, sudden swelling of the face or hands, nausea or vomiting later in pregnancy, or feeling generally unwell.
"Some women also notice reduced movements from their baby," she continued, adding: "However, many women have no obvious symptoms at all, which is why routine blood pressure and urine checks at antenatal appointments are so important."
Why might Miller have received her diagnosis 'late'?
Asked why doctors may have allegedly struggled to diagnose Miller's condition, Dr Unsworth noted that this is something of a rarity.
In the UK, maternity care is specifically designed to detect it through regular blood pressure monitoring and urine testing, and awareness among healthcare professionals is high," she explained.
"The challenge is that many of the early symptoms, such as headaches, swelling and tiredness, are also common in healthy pregnancies.
"Doctors therefore rely on blood pressure and test results, as well as symptoms, and sometimes these changes develop gradually rather than all at once."
Asked what the important takeaway is from Miller's comments, Dr Unsworth emphasised: "If symptoms persist, worsen or simply don't feel right, women should seek reassessment, even if previous checks have been reassuring.
"The only definitive treatment is delivery of the baby and placenta. Sometimes that means recommending an induction or Caesarean section earlier than planned because continuing the pregnancy poses a greater risk to mother or baby."
Topics: Too Hot To Handle, Celebrity, Reality TV, Pregnancy
Rhianna Benson