Despite her stunningmaternity announcement photothat instantly went viral after she shared it in February 2017 — four months before she and husbandJAY-Zwelcomed their twinsSir and Rumi—Beyoncé‘s pregnancy was far from picture-perfect.
In hernew Netflix documentary filmHomecoming, out now, the 37-year-old singer opens up about the struggles that she went through while carrying her two youngest children — explaining that she developed preeclampsia during what she dubbed “an extremely difficult pregnancy.”
“My body went through more than I knew it could,” Beyoncé admitted.
Kim Kardashianalso suffered from the conditionduring her pregnancywith her daughterNorth, 5½, as didReal Housewives of AtlantastarKenya Mooreduringher pregnancy withnow-5-month-old daughterBrooklyn Doris.
Netflix
JAY-Z and daughter Rumi.Netflix
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Preeclampsia typically develops suddenly in women who previously had normal blood pressure after the 20-week pregnancy mark, Mayo Clinic says. Besides sudden weight gain and swelling, symptoms may include severe headaches, shortness of breath, nausea, upper abdominal pain, blurred vision, impaired liver and kidney function and decreased urine output.
According to PEOPLE’s Health Squad pediatrician,Dr. Elizabeth Murray, preeclampsia “can be very serious” — and as such, “is something that obstetricians monitor for regularly” in their pregnant patients.
Silhouette of pregnant woman.
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While the condition is not one to be taken lightly, it’s not extremely common. As Dr. Murray explains, preeclampsia only affects about 3 percent of pregnancies — and it’s much likelier to occur duringa woman’s first pregnancy, aswell as in moms-to-be with a history of diabetes and/or high blood pressure.
“The good news,” Dr. Murray says, “isthat with regular prenatal care, it is usually caught early and steps can be taken to help prevent the dangerous side effects.”
“Medical problems such as preecclamspia are a good reminder about the importance of routine prenatal care, as most woman don’t feel any different at first so it’s not something that would make an expecting mom stop and say, ‘I need to have a checkup,’ ” she explains.
Pregnant woman.Getty
Beyoncé first learned she was expecting in late 2016. At the time, she was scheduled to headline the 2017 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival but ended up having to postpone.
She kept the surprises coming in February,dropping news of her babies-to-bein the now-iconic, dreamyphoto posted to her Instagramaccount.
By the time she gave birth in June 2017, she was 218 lbs., the singer revealed — and her delivery wasn’t easy, either. “In the womb, one of my babies’ hearts paused a few times so I hadto get an emergency C-section,” she said.
Homecomingisstreaming now on Netflix.
source: people.com
