"HELLP syndrome"

In July 2017 I contacted Nottingham city maternity due to having severe pain on my right side under my ribs and swelling in my feet. On being seen at the hospital it became apparent that my blood pressure was high and there was protein in my urine. The next morning I was rushed down to the labour ward where I was informed that I had HELLP syndrome and would need to have an emergency GA C-section within a matter of hours and have my daughter at 31 weeks. The experience was extremely traumatic and at the time I didn’t have time to process what was happening and just had to remain strong. I can’t thank every single member of staff that cared for me and my daughter during that time enough; The midwife that admitted me on the Saturday night and then came to see me on her next shift, the midwife that held my hand throughout and told me she would be there every step of the way. The anaesthetists, the amazing surgeons who were able to make me smile prior to being putting to sleep, informing what was happening every step of the way, the lady that cared for me in the recovery bay -  The care I received was second to none and as a result of doctors acting so quickly we are both here to share our story. I can’t thank the staff at Nottingham city maternity enough!

A year on, I am able to reflect on what happened and one thing that most certainly could have been better was the awareness of my symptoms from the midwife I contacted 3 days before going into hospital. I was told that the pain under my ribs and swelling was normal in pregnancy and nothing to be concerned about - this is really concerning as now knowing the signs of pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome, pain under the ribs on the right side is definitely a red flag. It would also be great to know what support/advice is available after suffering with HELLP syndrome and how to get advice on future pregnancies.