\n<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve had a Fitbit for over ten years. I started with an Alta when my company offered a discount on health insurance to encourage people to make healthy lifestyle choices. One of those ways was through tracking and logging your steps. I\u2019m a biomedical engineer for a medical device company, and I really like data and statistics, so I was immediately interested in what the device could do. At the beginning of this year, I got the Charge 4 as a birthday present. I was in the middle of my first pregnancy, and as a pregnant mother-to-be it felt even more important to track my health.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019m generally pretty active, with an average resting heart rate of 54. Before my pregnancy, I would usually get 13,000 steps each day. I\u2019d also run a few days a week and do HIIT workouts and some weight lifting. Using the Charge 4 during the last months of my pregnancy, I noticed that my average resting heart rate fluctuated and crept up a bit. By the end of the pregnancy, it was around 58 but my doctors said that change was normal.<\/p>\n
When my husband and I came home from the hospital with our new daughter, things took a turn. I hadn\u2019t worn my Fitbit when I was in the maternity ward, but I immediately put it back on at home. I was really interested in what it would tell me about the length and quality of sleep I would be getting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The second day home, I noticed that my resting heart rate had dropped back to 53. That didn\u2019t concern me at first, but I began to feel just lousy and when I looked in the mirror, I looked pale. For a few hours, I chalked it up to being in recovery, but that night my heart rate dropped into the low 40s and I began to feel my heartbeat pounding in my chest. Something wasn\u2019t right.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The next day I didn\u2019t feel any better. I would go take care of my daughter and then sit on the couch and immediately I\u2019d feel my heart pounding very slowly. That\u2019s just a really off-putting feeling. We have a blood pressure cuff in our house and when we tested, my blood pressure was in the hypertension range. Then I noticed that there was some swelling in my ankles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019d only been home for two nights, and the last thing I wanted to do was go back to the hospital, so it took me a few hours to convince myself that that\u2019s where I needed to be. I couldn\u2019t ignore the data. My blood pressure just shouldn\u2019t have been that high, and my heart rate shouldn\u2019t have been that low.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So it was back to the hospital\u2014this time to the emergency room. When the doctors started the tests, they asked me what my symptoms were. I was able to pull up my Fitbit data and show them the heart rate numbers and how it had been dipping down to the low 40s. With that information and some of their own tests, they were able to quickly and definitively say that I had postpartum preeclampsia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Preeclampsia can be a precursor to seizures, strokes, or organ damage. A lot of women have preeclampsia when they are pregnant and it is often a reason to induce labor early. But it can also happen in the first week or so after pregnancy. There is not a lot of consensus on why preeclampsia occurs, but once it does happen, you definitely want to treat it immediately. I spent three days in the hospital, and it was difficult being away from my newborn daughter, but I knew I was in the right place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The doctors seemed impressed that I could show them the health data that I had collected on my own. Of course, they took their own tests and measurements and had the information from when I was in the hospital for my delivery. But the data I had collected myself filled in a critical gap. The data on my Fitbit helped persuade me to go in sooner than I might have. It also helped the doctors quickly determine what was going on, which allowed them to begin my treatment right away. All in all, it helped speed up the care I got for a serious condition.<\/p>\n
My numbers now are great. My resting heart rate is back in my normal range. My doctor said that once you have preeclampsia, the chance of it happening in subsequent pregnancies is slightly more elevated. The possibility of having blood pressure issues later in life is also elevated. It\u2019s just something I\u2019ll need to keep an eye on.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m still using my Charge 4 to monitor my overall well-being. My daughter has slept through the night once now. If she can do it once, I\u2019m sure she can do it again. My sleep scores are improving slowly. I also check my step count and my resting heart rate at least once a day. The information is a good way to better understand what is happening in my mind and body. If I\u2019m feeling run down, I can check to see if I had a terrible night\u2019s sleep or maybe I over exercised the day before. That information helps me make good decisions about my day.<\/p>\n
Every parent has a story about the birth of their child. Mine isn\u2019t the one I had expected. Someday I\u2019ll tell the story to my daughter of having to go back into the hospital just after giving birth. Fitbit will be part of that story. It helped me make a difficult decision and be a better health advocate for myself.<\/p>\n
As told to Ethan Watters<\/em><\/p>\n At Fitbit, our mission has always been to help people around the world get healthier. We strive to empower people to connect with their health\u2014and make healthier choices everyday\u2014with our data, inspiration, and guidance. Now, we\u2019re sharing the incredible stories of our community, with our community.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Has Fitbit helped you to change your health\u2014and your life? Interested in sharing your story and how you made progress on your goals? We want to hear it! <\/em>Go here to submit your Fitbit success story<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or condition. Always check with your doctor before changing your diet, altering your sleep habits, taking supplements, or starting a new fitness routine.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p><\/div>\n
\n