'GP ignored my pregnancy swelling, next my organs started failing'

A woman who was dismissed by her GP when she raised concerns about her pregnancy swelling later ended up having an emergency c-section when her organs started to fail. Frankie Harrison, a clinical psychiatrist, was pregnant with her son when she noticed swelling. After getting an appointment the GP told her to "stand in a different way' to see if that would help with the swelling. Many pregnant woman dismiss swelling as "normal retention", however, this can be a sign of something more serious. Frankie, who is a clinical psychiatrist, said: "I kind of pushed and then I went to my midwife. She took my blood pressure and my blood pressure was really very high. "So I went to the hospital, [they did] a series of tests, but I guess I didn't really know why they were doing the tests." Frankie was told she had preeclampsia, a serious pregnancy-related condition caused by high blood pressure, usually occurring after 20 weeks of gestation or postpartum. It often includes signs of organ damage, commonly to the kidneys or liver, and can lead to severe, life-threatening complications for both mother and baby if left untreated. She said: "I didn't know a huge amount about preeclampsia. I had protein in my urine and had these really intense headaches , which meant that my brain was swelling. I had a really intense feeling in my stomach. "It meant that just organs started to kind of fail basically. But they try and keep you in. For as long as possible because they want to keep the baby in for as long as possible. "So they kind of keep a really close eye on you to just kind of make that final call of like, when is it now not safe for you and we need to get the baby out." Frankie spoke about her experience on the CBeebies Parenting Helpline Podcast with hosts Holly Hagan-Blyth and Charlie Hedges. Frankie later gave birth to her son via emergency c-section at just 31 weeks pregnant and he went into the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Following her own experience being the mum of a baby in the NICU, she changed her specialty to supporting other parents following traumatic or NICU births. She said: "I think I just dissociated, like, I think I just kind of blanked. Yeah. It was too much information to take in. I think I just went completely numb. "I think for so many people, it isn't until you get home that it hits you, because you are in the hospital, and you are trying to look after this medically vulnerable baby, and you still have your own stuff going on. "There's this rollercoaster of what's going on for your baby and how well they are. So then it isn't until you get home. Maybe you are like a couple of months into that and even like years for some people down the line and you go, what was that? What have I just been through? "Like 80% of parents say that they struggle with their mental health after going through NICU. So it's a lot. And I think that the thing is, is that the support just really isn't there." Frankie explained that she asked a doctor for help with her mental health after giving birth, and she was told "you're a clinical psychologist. You, you don't need the support'. Frankie is now to co-founder of Miracle Moon, a charity that supports as many NICU families as they can by creating a strong community where parents can find comfort, support, and the psychological tools they need to heal and grow. They also offer group therapy sessions and personalised consultations for both parents and professionals, ensuring that their support meets people exactly where they are.