Preeclampsia Awareness Month

WHEREAS, preeclampsia, including HELLP syndrome and eclampsia, is a dangerous condition of pregnancy that can, in its severest form, lead to maternal and/or infant mortality or premature birth with significant health risks for the mother and baby; and

WHEREAS, as many as 320,000 cases of preeclampsia are diagnosed in the United States each year with approximately 25 percent resulting in severe, life-threatening consequences to a pregnant woman and her baby; and

WHEREAS, public education as to the signs and symptoms of preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome and eclampsia can help women recognize the condition and seek appropriate medical care; and

WHEREAS, prenatal education should include recognition of those signs and symptoms: spikes in maternal blood pressure, sudden swelling of face and hands, severe upper abdominal pain, blurred vision, persistent headaches, breathlessness; and

WHEREAS, citizens across Alabama have partnered with the Preeclampsia Foundation to raise public awareness in order to minimize maternal and infant illness and death due to preeclampsia:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert Bentley, Governor of Alabama, do hereby proclaim the month of May 2013, as

Preeclampsia Awareness Month

in the state of Alabama.