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ATTENTION NEW MOMS AND

FUTURE MOMS IN

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA!

Cardiovascular diseases are the
leading cause of death among first-
time mothers. The American Heart
Association, a global force dedicated
to prolonging life and health, is raising MY HEALTH
awareness about the importance of
monitoring and controlling blood
pressure for all pregnant mothers. is our health

Introducing the Campaign "My
Health is Our Health"
Locally sponsored by Lee Health, this
campaign encourages mothers to talk Take Control of Your Heart
to their doctors about prioritizing heart Health
health. The goal is to increase Heart disease is the leading cause of
awareness about the connection death among new moms. Women with
between cardiovascular diseases and one or more risk factors are advised to
pregnancy, both during and after measure their blood pressure at home
pregnancy, through multifaceted frequently and inform their healthcare
marketing and communication efforts. provider if their levels are consistently
Urgent Need to Focus on Personal Stories Highlight the above 120/80 mmHg, which the
Free Health Kits for New Moms Maternal and Child Health Importance of Awareness Association considers high blood
as Part of the Campaign Recent statistics in Southwest Florida "Throughout my pregnancy and pressure or elevated if it reaches
The Association is providing "new highlight the urgent need to focus on immediately after, my blood pressure 130/80 and above. Maintaining a
mom" kits to local obstetric clinics at maternal and child health. In 2024, a was perfect," said Jessaca Rodriguez, heart-healthy lifestyle, such as getting
Lee Health for high-risk populations. staggering 70% of all postpartum Executive Director of the American enough sleep, exercising regularly,
Each kit includes a blood pressure hospital readmissions were related to Heart Association. "It was 11 days after eating heart-healthy foods,
monitor and multilingual health hypertension, according to the giving birth, on my birthday, when I maintaining a healthy weight, and not
information to ensure women know Women's Health Center at Health Park experienced a severe headache that smoking, can significantly reduce the
how to monitor their blood pressure, Medical Center. This issue is wouldn't go away. Fortunately, risk of developing cardiovascular
recognize a hypertensive crisis, and compounded by the fact that working for the Association, I knew the diseases.
respond appropriately. hundreds of pregnant women in Lee symptoms of preeclampsia and
County suffer from hypertension, checked my blood pressure. I was For more information on maternal
Collaborative Efforts for Better either before or during pregnancy. shocked when it read 200/122 mmHg. health and managing blood pressure
Maternal Health We immediately called 9-1-1 for help. at all stages of pregnancy, visit the
The Association is also working with Addressing Disparities in Rural Knowing the symptoms of Maternal Health page at
the Maternal Health Task Force, a Communities preeclampsia and calling 9-1-1 saved www.heart.org/florida.
local group focused on identifying The rural community of Glades my life."
high-risk criteria for hypertension. County is disproportionately affected, "I often wonder how many other
Together, they are implementing a with a pre-pregnancy hypertension women ignore or try to dismiss the
Self-Monitoring Blood Pressure (SMBP) rate of 9.2%, emphasizing the need for symptoms simply because they don't Locally sponsored by
program, offering best practices in targeted health interventions in this know them. That's what 'My Health is
postpartum care, outreach, and area. Our Health' aims to change. Losing
tracking systems. even one woman to preeclampsia is
too many," said Rodriguez.

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