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The Duchess of Sussex has revealed she dealt with serious health complications after childbirth on her new podcast.
During Meghan Markle’s new podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, she revealed she had been diagnosed with post-partum pre-eclampsia after the birth of one of her children.
Describing the condition as ‘so rare and so scary’, Meghan realised she and her podcast guest, Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd, had both suffered with the condition.
The condition is similar to pre-eclampsia, which affects women during pregnancy – and involves high blood pressure.
And Meghan described trying to juggle the rest of her life while coping with the rest of the world not knowing about her medical issues.
‘It’s so rare. And its so scary,’ she said.
‘You’re still trying to juggle all these things and the world doesn’t know what is happening, quietly and in the quiet you are still trying to show up for people.
‘You’re still trying to show up, mostly for your children. But those things are huge medical scares.’
Meghan and Whitney didn’t know each other at the time, but they were
Whitney replied: ‘They’re life or death, truly.
‘I remember after you delivered Archie and the whole world was waiting for his debut.
‘I was just becoming a new mum and I was like, oh my god, how is this woman doing this.
‘How is this woman putting on heels and going and debuting a child in this beautiful outfit in front of the entire world?
What is pre-eclampsia?
The NHS says pre-eclampsia is a condition that affects some pregnant women, usually during the second half of pregnancy (from 20 weeks) or soon after their baby is delivered.
Early signs of pre-eclampsia include having high blood pressure and protein in your urine – signs which should be picked up during routine antenatal appointments.
Further symptoms can develop, including:
- severe headache
- vision problems, such as blurring or flashing
- pain just below the ribs
- vomiting
- sudden swelling of the face, hands or feet
Although many cases are mild, the condition can lead to serious complications for both mother and baby if it’s not monitored and treated, the NHS says.
The earlier it’s spotted, the better the outlook for mother and baby.
Although most cases of pre-eclampsia cause no problems and improve soon after the baby is delivered, there’s a risk of serious complications.
The mother could develop fits called ‘eclampsia’, which can be life threatening for the mother and baby.
‘I could barely face a doorbell delivery for takeout food. I was like, please don’t look at me.’
Confessions of a Female Founder is the latest of Meghan’s business ventures following her Netflix series With Love, Meghan and her new brand As Ever.
‘As Meghan, Duchess of Sussex builds out a business of her own, she’s getting advice and insights from a handful of amazing women who have scaled small ideas into successful companies,’ the podcast’s blurb reads.
‘These fly-on-the-wall conversations will no doubt inspire anyone who’s interested in turning their own entrepreneurial dreams into a reality and anyone else who just wants to hear what really happens behind the scenes.’
Her previous podcast, Archetypes, was dropped by Spotify after just one season.
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