MamaWatch Association

24/07/2026

Two families arrive at the hospital on the same day.

Both are excited.

Both are praying.

Both are waiting to welcome a new life.

Hours later…

One family celebrates.

The other is left in tears.

Sometimes it is a mother who is lost.
Sometimes it is the baby.
Sometimes, heartbreakingly, it is both.

No family prepares for that phone call.
No child should grow up without a mother because of a preventable pregnancy complication.

That is why MamaWatch is building communities that are safe for mothers.

We are educating families, correcting harmful myths, encouraging antenatal care, and helping communities recognize danger signs early.

Because no family should carry this burden alone.

Protecting Mothers. Saving Futures. 💙

24/07/2026

There are two kinds of mothers who leave the maternity ward.

One leaves with a baby in her arms.

The other leaves with a broken heart.

Both carried a pregnancy.
Both gave birth.
Both dreamed of taking their babies home.

But only one gets to.

Every year, more than 500,000 babies are stillborn around the world. Behind each number is a mother carrying a pain that words cannot fully describe. Many of these losses are linked to pregnancy complications that could have been detected and managed earlier, including preeclampsia.

At MamaWatch, our vision is simple:

Every mother should go home with her baby.

That is why we educate communities, empower mothers, and promote early recognition of danger signs. Because protecting mothers also means protecting the futures they carry.

No family should have to leave a maternity ward with empty arms.

Protecting Mothers. Saving Futures. 💙

16/07/2026

One room. One conversation. Many mothers now know what could save their lives. ❤️

This morning, I had the privilege of delivering my first preeclampsia awareness session to pregnant women during Antenatal Care (ANC) at the Bamenda Regional Hospital.

I began with a simple question:

“Who has heard of preeclampsia before?”

To my surprise, many hands went up.

Then I asked another question:

“What is preeclampsia?”

The common answer was:

“High blood pressure during pregnancy.”

That was a good start, but it wasn’t the full picture.

Together, we explored what preeclampsia really is—a serious pregnancy complication that doesn’t stop at high blood pressure. We discussed how it can affect vital organs, the warning signs every pregnant woman should know, why early diagnosis matters, and when to seek urgent medical care.

The mothers listened attentively from beginning to end. Before leaving, I gave them a short interactive test to assess what they had learned. I left encouraged, knowing that the women in that room now have a much deeper understanding of preeclampsia, eclampsia, and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

This is exactly why MamaWatch exists.

One informed mother can recognize danger signs earlier.
One informed mother can seek care sooner.
One informed mother can save two lives.

The journey continues tomorrow.

Protecting Mothers. Saving Futures. 💙

14/07/2026

13/07/2026

12/07/2026

Today’s conversation with a pregnant woman reminded me of three realities we continue to encounter everywhere we go.

1. The awareness gap is real.

A woman can be over seven months pregnant and still have never heard of preeclampsia.

2. Dangerous symptoms have become normal.

Many pregnant women—and even those around them—see severe swelling, headaches, blurred vision, or vomiting and simply think,
“Pregnancy is hard.”

Sometimes, those are warning signs of a medical emergency.

3. Every pregnant woman deserves this knowledge.

Before we ended our conversation, she asked me something I will never forget:

“Please come and teach the women during our antenatal clinic. Every pregnant woman needs to know this.”

That is exactly why MamaWatch exists.

Knowledge should not wait until an emergency.

Over the next few days, I will print copies of our MamaWatch Preeclampsia Guide and make sure she receives one to share with others.

Because awareness should reach women before complications do.

12/07/2026

Today, I wasn’t in a hospital.
I wasn’t at an outreach.
I wasn’t at a workshop.

I was simply at a neighboring apartment where I’m staying during the holidays in Bamenda.

For the past 4 days, I had noticed a pregnant woman living nearby. This evening, I finally decided to introduce myself and ask her a simple question:

“Have you ever heard of preeclampsia or eclampsia?”

She looked at me and replied,
“No.”
I tried mentioning the signs and symptoms to be sure it’s not just the name she’s unfamiliar with .
Maybe she might know these symptoms but her answer remained “No”

She is over 7 months pregnant.
It is her first pregnancy.
She has been attending antenatal care since about 20 weeks.

Yet she had never heard of one of the leading causes of maternal and newborn deaths.

We spent time talking about what preeclampsia is, the warning signs, the risk factors, and when to seek urgent medical care and the importance of regular ANC .

She was shocked.

She kept saying, “Something this dangerous, and I didn’t know? Meanwhile any pregnant woman can have it.

Then she said something that stayed with me.

She told me she regularly sees pregnant women at ANC with swollen faces and swollen feet. She had always assumed it was just part of pregnancy. She even mentioned one woman who is constantly swollen.

To her, those signs were normal.

That conversation reminded me why MamaWatch exists.

Awareness is not a luxury.
It is a lifesaving intervention.

One conversation can change how a woman responds to symptoms.
One conversation can encourage an earlier hospital visit.
One conversation can save two lives.

Sometimes changing maternal health begins with simply asking,
“Have you ever heard of preeclampsia?”

11/07/2026

With how critical the role of mothers is in detecting preeclampsia early, we must start teaching women what is normal in pregnancy and what is NOT.

Not every symptom should be endured.

At MamaWatch, we are working to stop the culture of normalizing danger signs simply because “pregnancy is hard.”

Yes, pregnancy comes with discomforts.
But severe headaches, sudden swelling, blurry vision, severe abdominal pain, reduced baby movement, convulsions, and persistent vomiting should never be ignored.

Sometimes women endure dangerous symptoms because everyone around them keeps saying:
“It’s normal.”
“Pregnancy is like that.”
“Just be strong.”

And sadly, some do not survive because of that silence and delay.

Let us build communities where pregnant women feel safe to speak up, ask questions, and seek medical care early.

Awareness saves lives.
Listening saves lives.
Speaking up saves lives.

11/07/2026

One thing about preeclampsia is this:

If we truly want to reduce preventable maternal deaths caused by preeclampsia and eclampsia, mothers themselves have a very important role to play.

She carries the baby.
She feels most of the symptoms first.

The severe headache.
The blurry vision.
The reduced baby movements.
The pain under the ribs.
The unusual fatigue.

Many of these symptoms cannot be seen by other people unless she speaks up.

Even swelling may not look alarming to others unless she says,
“Last week I wasn’t like this.”

At MamaWatch, one thing we constantly encourage women to do is SPEAK UP during antenatal care.

Do not hide symptoms.
Do not minimize symptoms.
Do not endure symptoms silently.

Write them down if possible.
When did it start?
How often is it happening?
Is it getting worse?
What changed?

These details matter.

Early diagnosis often begins with a woman recognizing that something is not normal and communicating it clearly.

10/07/2026

July is Postpartum Changes Awareness Month.

Your pregnancy journey doesn't stop at childbirth. As a preeclampsia, eclampsia or HELLP syndrome survivor, you have health risks beyond pregnancy. Women who have had preeclampsia have three to four times the risk of high blood pressure and double the risk for heart disease and stroke. They also have an increased risk of developing diabetes. For women who had preeclampsia and delivered preterm, had low-birthweight babies, or suffered from severe preeclampsia more than once, the risk of heart disease can be even higher.

Knowing these risks can feel scary, but knowledge is power. 💪 You are your best advocate. While you can't change the fact that you experienced preeclampsia in your pregnancy, you can adopt a heart-healthy lifestyle to significantly reduce your risk.

Visit our Beyond Pregnancy to get a free downloadable worksheet to bring to your provider to speak about your long-term health: https://www.preeclampsia.org/beyondpregnancy