AAPEC interview with Kate Gladman
What did you suffer from and at what gestation was your baby delivered?
I suffered from pre-eclampsia and my baby was delivered (stillborn) at 31 weeks.
Have any of your family members suffered from Pre-eclampsia?
To my knowledge, I am the only member of my family to have suffered from PE. However, my mother did have high blood pressure when she was pregnant with me and was induced early: she now thinks that she may have had mild PE.
Were you aware of Pre-eclampsia before you became pregnant?
I had never heard of PE before becoming pregnant. A few people told me about it while I was pregnant, but because the hospital gave me no information on the disease I had no idea what the symptoms or possible effects were.
Were you told about the signs and symptoms of Pre-eclampsia during your pregnancy?
No
Do you believe that women currently receive adequate information about Pre-eclampsia?
I sincerely believe that women are being put in danger because hospitals do not educate them about symptoms of PE. If I had known the symptoms I probably would have gone to the hospital two weeks before I did, and my life would not have been in such danger.
As a Big Brother housemate in 2007, you shared your own personal story about Pre-eclampsia, how important was it for you to share your experience on national television?
Sharing my story on television was a very difficult experience. Leaving aside the question of whether the Big Brother producers extracted the story from me in an unfair way, it allowed me to talk about pre-eclampsia before an audience of approximately 1 million people. It also generated a massive amount of press and, though most of it centred around Big Brother’s treatment of me, getting pre-eclampsia mentioned in the media was something I was proud of. Many people have contacted me to share their experiences with PE, and I am glad that telling my story on television created some awareness of PE and support for those who have been through it.
Do you see yourself playing a role in raising awareness of Pre-eclampsia in the future?
I would absolutely love to help raise awareness of PE. Currently I am planning a few media interviews as well as getting the Big Brother housemates to help me raise funds by selling BB memorabilia.
Having suffered from Pre-eclampsia yourself, what would you like to see happen in the future to protect other women and their daughters from this dangerous pregnancy condition?
Ultimately I would like to see a change in the way hospitals educate women about PE. I think it is essential that hospitals have a system in place where women can identify symptoms themselves. I also believe that greater government funding is required for this. The leaflet about Listeriosis that is circulated to pregnant women is a government-funded leaflet. I believe that the government needs to protect women and babies by funding PE education in hospitals.
