“Three years ago, Odilla got pregnant for the first time. She was fine until her last month of pregnancy, when she got very tired, had a hard time breathing, a severe headache, and was diagnosed with preeclampsia,” our medical partner in Guatemala, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK) tells us. Now, Odilla is 26 years old and pregnant with her second child.
Because Odilla had a high-risk first pregnancy, the team at WK has been monitoring her and noticed that “her blood pressure has started to rise. She and her husband are worried, and scared–they were so happy to finally get pregnant again.”
Odilla typically weaves traditional sashes to sell, but “she has not felt well enough recently to be able to weave, and money has been tight–especially since her husband doesn’t have a steady stream of income working as a day laborer,” WK adds.
For $377, Odilla will receive close medical attention to monitor and control her condition during her pregnancy. This money will also go towards creating a birth plan for Odilla and cover the cost of her hospitalization, if needed, should her condition worsen during labor. Funding will also “provide her with the social and linguistic support she needs to feel comfortable going to the hospital. This treatment will not only save her life, but help her baby to be born happy and healthy.”