Local doula emphasizes education during National Preeclampsia Awareness Month

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Preeclampsia affects women all around the world, and a Mississippi doula shared the importance of raising awareness about the condition.

Kashuna Watts has been a doula for 12 years in Mississippi. She works to connect mothers with resources and provide support before, during and after their pregnancies.

Watts says symptoms include not only changes in blood pressure, but can also include headaches and swelling of extremities.

For Watts, preeclampsia awareness is not just a professional passion — it’s something she has experienced herself.

“Preeclampsia, I want to refer to it what it is — it’s a monster,” Watts said.

Watts says it’s important for mothers to know the signs and stay educated on preeclampsia.

“A lot of moms don’t even know what preeclampsia is until it actually happens to them,” Watts said. “Preeclampsia is something that just happens suddenly in pregnancy. You don’t have to have a history of hypertension or high blood pressure, pregnancy related. It happens.”

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