Peripartum Cardiomyopathy -- ever heard of it? If you haven't let me share my story. If I can help other pregnant moms to realize the symptoms it may save your life if you are expecting. I had my first baby at 20, about 2 weeks after I had her I had flu-like symptoms but quickly got over them. 14 years later we had our second daughter (after much trying and one miscarriage we thought this was it, no more kids). So about a week after I had her I once again had similar flu-like symptoms, feeling extremely tired, coughing...it too went away. A couple of years later we unexpectedly became pregnant again. During my pregnancy I experienced high blood pressure & coughing. The doctor said that the baby was pushing on my diaphram and that after I had him my blood pressure would return to normal and my coughing would stop. Well....one week after I had him I was admitted to the Cardiac unit, I was still coughing, water on my lungs. After spending a few days in the hospital they sent me home with pnuemonia (but it wasn't). The next couple of months I was on antibiotic after antibiotic and not getting better. I told my husband I felt like I was going to die. I made an appointment with a pulmonologist at the Cleveland Clinic. I thought if anyone could tell me why I'm not getting better it would be them. She looked at all my x-rays over the previous 3 months and said I dont think this is your lungs. Lets get your heart checked. So I went for an echocardiogram. That evening she called and said it was an emergency. She was calling me back in 5 minutes and please have my husband available. Here to find out, I was in Congestive Heart Failure. My heart was only pumping at 20%. I had an emergency appt the next day at the Heart Failure Center. It was pregnancy induced heart failure. I ended up having my tubes removed to prevent any future pregnancies. The doctor said it could kill me. So please, if you have alot of unproductive coughing accompanied by shortness of breath, high blood pressure, please ask your doctor to send you for an echocardiogram. It could save your life. The reason why I mentioned about not feeling well after my first two deliveries is because I may have had a heart weakness to begin with but never manifested itself until I was an "older mom" having my last baby at 38. He's almost 5 now and I am still on heart medicine. I did run my first half marathon in 2014. So I feel like I have accomplished alot, but still work on being healthy every day!