LetsTalk PPCM, Grand Prairie, TX (2026)

01/09/2026

Meet Jeniva Martinez:
By looking at her today, you may never know how close she came to losing her life after welcoming her third child.

Residing in Texas, Jeniva was eagerly anticipating the birth of her third and final baby. After raising two boys, she was finally preparing to welcome her baby girl. Her pregnancy was overall healthy, with gestational diabetes as her only complication, which was well managed. She was scheduled for a repeat C-section at 38 weeks in April 2024.

The night before surgery, she went into labor and began having strong, frequent contractions. She arrived at the hospital at 5:30 a.m. and delivered her daughter by 8:00 a.m. While preparing for discharge, her blood pressure was noted to be slightly elevated, prompting routine blood work. The results came back normal, and she was sent home.

Just one week later, she knew something wasn’t right. The swelling she experienced had not improved, she hadn’t lost any postpartum weight, and she developed extreme shortness of breath. Simple tasks like changing a diaper or walking to the bathroom left her struggling to breathe. She began wheezing, developed a small cough, and could no longer lie flat, needing to sleep sitting upright.

By day ten postpartum, she told her husband she did not feel safe being alone with the baby. He drove her to the emergency room, where she could not even say her name in a single breath. That day, she was diagnosed with Postpartum Cardiomyopathy (PPCM), a form of dilated cardiomyopathy that can strike during pregnancy or in the first year postpartum, often with life-threatening consequences if left undetected. Her ejection fraction was just 18%.

She spent eight days hospitalized, receiving aggressive treatment and undergoing extensive testing, including a cardiac MRI and a cardiac catheterization with angiogram. She wore a LifeVest for eight months before ultimately receiving a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD).

Today, Jeniva is still on her road to recovery. She believes that had a Pro-BNP blood test been performed before she was discharged, her recovery prognosis may have been significantly better.

Visit: https://letstalkppcm.org/share-your-story-1
to share your PPCM story and help raise awareness.

01/09/2026

We're READY!!!!🥺🍿🥤❤️‍🩹

01/06/2026

New Clinical Guidance on PPCM & Heart Health During and After Pregnancy ❤️‍🩹

We’re highlighting important updated clinical guidance that brings clarity and support to women, families, and care providers around Peripartum Cardiomyopathy (PPCM) and maternal heart health.

PPCM can be difficult to spot because some symptoms may seem like “normal” postpartum changes, such as fatigue, shortness of breath, or swelling. But for some women, these are signs of something serious.

The latest guidance emphasizes:

•Early recognition of symptoms

•Timely diagnostic testing (like BNP labs and echo)

•Collaborative care teams to support women during pregnancy and postpartum

•Continued monitoring for weeks and months after delivery

This new focus means that more women may be identified and treated earlier, improving outcomes and saving lives.

LetsTalkPPCM believes education and awareness empower families and care teams to act early and confidently. Knowledge is a powerful tool, not only for survivors, but for all women navigating pregnancy and beyond.

If you are pregnant, postpartum, or caring for someone who is, listen to your body, ask questions, and advocate for your heart health. You deserve to be heard.

To be clear:

• Maternal deaths should not be publicly attributed to PPCM without confirmed medical information

PPCM is a serious and often under diagnosed form of pregnancy-related heart failure. Education must remain factual, compassionate, and free from personal agendas or online hostility.

Learn more from trusted sources:

• The latest U.S. and international clinical guidance and peer-reviewed cardiology publications.

Visit: https://letstalkppcm.org/share-your-story-1 to share your PPCM story and help save lives.

01/02/2026

Meet Jenn Schappert:
Would you believe that in the photo above, she was in full-blown heart failure?

Residing in Canada, Jenn experienced serious warning signs throughout her twin pregnancy that were repeatedly dismissed. During her third trimester, the swelling became severe, extending up her back, hips, legs, ankles, feet, and even causing extreme swelling of her pelvic area. Because she is 4’10” and carrying twins, her symptoms were explained away as simply “a lot on a small body.”

She also suffered from intense, searing pain in her sternum, which was attributed to babies kicking or old scar tissue stretching from a surgery in infancy. Her overwhelming exhaustion was brushed off as normal pregnancy fatigue, and during the height of COVID, her shortness of breath was blamed on the virus rather than fully investigated.

A few days after her C-section, she was discharged home while her twins remained in the NICU. Despite the babies being born, the swelling and pain continued. Trusting her instincts, she returned to the hospital. Although testing was done, there was little urgency, until days later, when everything suddenly changed. She was rushed to the ICU, placed on strict bedrest, and treated as a critical patient, believing she was dangerously close to a heart attack.

Only then did she receive her diagnosis: Postpartum Cardiomyopathy (PPCM), a form of dilated cardiomyopathy that can strike during pregnancy or in the first year postpartum, often with life-threatening consequences if left undetected.

Today, Jenn is considered medically “recovered,” but she will remain on heart medication for life. She believes the BNP Blood Test should be mandated for all expecting and postpartum mothers at risk, to sooner detect PPCM.❤️‍🩹

Visit: https://letstalkppcm.org/share-your-story-1 to share your PPCM story and help save lives.

12/30/2025

PPCM can develop suddenly or gradually, and symptoms often appear days or weeks postpartum, after a mom has already been cleared to go home.

Some mothers experience rapid onset, even coding or becoming critically ill soon after delivery.
But the majority are sent home, and their symptoms quietly worsen over time.

When symptoms escalate, she often ends up in the Emergency Room, not knowing she’s experiencing heart failure.

📊 Here’s what the data shows:

• PPCM affects approximately 1 in 1,000–1,300 births in the U.S.

• About 75% of PPCM cases are diagnosed after delivery

• Nearly 45% are diagnosed within the first week postpartum

• Many diagnoses happen after hospital discharge, when symptoms worsen and moms return through the Emergency Room, not Labor & Delivery

💡 Why awareness matters:

PPCM symptoms are real, measurable, and life-threatening if missed, but early recognition saves lives.

Visit: https://letstalkppcm.org/share-your-story-1
to share your PPCM story and help raise awareness.

12/27/2025

While at the North Carolina AWHONN Convention, we had the pleasure of experiencing the Couplet Care Bassinet.🤱🏾

PPCM survivor and founder Brianna Henderson learned how to use the CoupletCare bassinet, a postpartum care model designed to support safer rooming-in while allowing healthcare teams to monitor both mother and baby. This innovative bassinet creates a meaningful bridge for mother–infant connection.

By keeping baby safely within reach, it supports infant feeding, safe sleep practices, and maternal healing, while promoting family-centered care and reducing unnecessary separation during the postpartum period.

Access like this matters. When mothers can safely rest, recover, and bond with their newborns, outcomes improve for both mom and baby.

To learn more about the CoupletCare Bassinet and how it supports postpartum care, visit https://www.coupletcare.com

12/23/2025

Meet Casey Gould:
By looking at the photo above, could you believe she was in full-blown heart failure?

Residing in Ohio, Casey and her husband conceived their son naturally after years of infertility and heartbreaking losses. Her pregnancy progressed normally, and at 40wks in November 2024, her water broke. After 36hrs of labor, she was finally ready to push. Suddenly, the room began to go dark and an overwhelming sense of impending doom washed over her. She grabbed her doctor and said, “I’m about to die.” Although her vital signs appeared stable, her baby’s heart rate suddenly dropped. An emergency was called, and the room filled with staff as she was rushed to the operating room.

Because her epidural was no longer effective, she was placed under anesthesia for an emergency C-section while her husband was escorted out. Minutes later, their son was born perfectly healthy. She began to hemorrhage severely, requiring multiple blood transfusions and placement of a Jada device to control the bleeding. Once stabilized, she was awakened and moved to post-op recovery. Shortly after, medical staff were unable to obtain her vital signs, no measurable heart rate, blood pressure, or oxygen saturation. She began struggling to breathe. Her physician documented concern for Peripartum Cardiomyopathy (PPCM) and urgently consulted cardiology. She was transferred to the ICU for breathing support while doctors worked to determine the cause.

On the way to the ICU, she coded. She required manual ventilation while being rushed through the hospital and aspirated during the emergency. Her heart had failed, and soon after, her lungs began to fail as well. In the ICU, cardiology confirmed her diagnosis of Peripartum Cardiomyopathy (PPCM), a form of dilated cardiomyopathy that can strike during pregnancy or in the first year postpartum, often with life-threatening consequences if left undetected. Her ejection fraction was just 13%.

The cardiologist made the critical decision to place an Impella heart pump, rather than transferring her to another hospital for transplant evaluation. She was placed in a medically induced coma for two days, allowing her heart to rest. The next day, her heart began showing signs of recovery. The Impella device was removed, and she was awakened surrounded by family and friends. Her husband placed their newborn son in her arms, meeting him for the very first time.

Today, Casey is considered fully recovered. Thanks to rapid medical intervention and early clinical suspicion. She believes the BNP Blood Test should be mandated for all expecting and postpartum mothers at risk, to sooner detect PPCM.❤️

Visit: https://letstalkppcm.org/share-your-story-1
to share your PPCM story and help raise awareness.

12/22/2025

🚨 NEW DATA. SAME URGENT MESSAGE.

This week, two major updates reinforced what maternal health advocates and survivors have been saying for years:

📊 CDC 2024 Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance Data: Cardiovascular conditions, including cardiomyopathy, remain the leading cause of pregnancy-related death in the U.S.

📘 The Lancet Seminar on Peripartum Cardiomyopathy (PPCM): Confirms PPCM as a major contributor to maternal mortality worldwide and highlights the “multiple-hit model” where genetics, pregnancy stress, inflammation, vascular dysfunction, and social factors collide.

Together, these findings tell one clear story:
➡️ PPCM is not rare
➡️ Symptoms are still being missed or dismissed
➡️ Early recognition and education save lives

For families, these are not just statistics, they are lived realities. Let’sTalkPPCM works to bridge research, clinical care, and community education so mothers are heard before it’s too late.

•Awareness must turn into action.
•Data must reach the bedside.
•Mothers must be believed.

🔗 Access the CDC data and Lancet article via links: cdc.gov/maternal-mortality https://share.google/raxkUy9AqEoTqAIBp

Visit: https://letstalkppcm.org/share-your-story-1
to share your PPCM story and help raise awareness.

12/17/2025

🫀 Signs & Symptoms to Know

Your body has ways of letting you know when something isn’t right.

Peripartum Cardiomyopathy (PPCM) can show up during late pregnancy or in the months after birth. Symptoms can be subtle at first and are often mistaken for normal postpartum changes.

✨ Common signs include:
• Shortness of breath
• Swelling in the legs, feet, or abdomen
• Fatigue that feels different or worsens
• Rapid or irregular heartbeat
• Trouble breathing when lying flat
• Sudden weight gain from fluid

💬 Heart sisters: if you experienced different or unusual symptoms that aren’t listed here, we invite you to share in the comments. Your experience may help someone else recognize the signs sooner.

We also want to gently remind our community: sometimes a BNP blood test alone does not tell the full story. BNP levels can be inaccurate or appear “normal” for some PPCM moms.

If symptoms persist or something doesn’t feel right, an echocardiogram can be lifesaving and is often needed to be sure.

Save • Share • Stay informed 🤍

Visit: https://letstalkppcm.org/share-your-story-1
to share your PPCM story and help raise awareness.

12/14/2025

Meet Jessica:
Would you believe that in the photo above, she was in full-blown heart failure.

At 34, Jessica, a North Carolina mother of three, was preparing to welcome her newest child while caring for her two daughters. Her pregnancy appeared routine until 35 weeks, when she developed preeclampsia along with critically low potassium levels. Within days, her blood pressure became dangerously high, prompting her OB to make the urgent decision to deliver.

Within days, her blood pressure escalated, and her OB made the urgent decision to deliver. Less than an hour after arriving at the hospital, her baby boy was born. Shortly after delivery, she suffered a severe postpartum hemorrhage, losing nearly two liters of blood. She required immediate intervention and close monitoring but was eventually stabilized.

After several days in the hospital, she was discharged home, exhausted but grateful to be alive, and focused on caring for her newborn and family. Within three days of being home, she noticed something wasn’t right. She became increasingly short of breath, struggled to lie flat, and experienced extreme fatigue far beyond typical postpartum recovery. As her symptoms worsened, she returned to the emergency room. That return saved her life.

Doctors then diagnosed her with Postpartum Cardiomyopathy (PPCM), a form of dilated cardiomyopathy that can strike during pregnancy or in the first year postpartum, often with life-threatening consequences if left undetected. Her heart function was measured at just 35–40% (normal is approximately 55%).

Today, Jessica is still on her road to recovery. She believes the BNP Blood Test should be mandated for all expecting and postpartum mothers at risk, to sooner detect PPCM.❤️‍🩹

Visit: https://letstalkppcm.org/share-your-story-1 to share your PPCM story and help raise awareness.

PPCM Workshops: https://letstalkppcm.org/ppcm-workshops

The MAGAZINE: https://letstalkppcm.org/magazine

Support BNP Blood Testing: https://letstalkppcm.org/ppcm-screening

12/10/2025

Peripartum Cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a form of heart failure that develops during the last month of pregnancy or up to five months after delivery in women with no previous heart disease. It occurs when the heart muscle becomes weak and enlarged, causing it to pump blood less effectively.

Without early detection, PPCM can lead to life-threatening complications — but with timely diagnosis and treatment, many outcomes can be improved.

While the exact cause is still being researched, PPCM is believed to be linked to:

•Hormonal changes during pregnancy

•Vascular stress and inflammation

•Genetic predisposition

•Autoimmune responses

•Elevated prolactin fragments shown to be toxic to the heart in some patients

Because symptoms often mimic normal pregnancy discomforts, PPCM is frequently dismissed or missed entirely, making education and screening crucial.

•Diagnosis must be made quickly using:

•Echocardiogram (ECHO) — measures heart function

•BNP/NT-proBNP blood test — detects cardiac stress

•EKG to check rhythm issues

•Chest X-ray for fluid overload

Let’sTalkPPCM actively promotes access to free or low-cost BNP testing, because this single test can identify heart failure early and save lives.

Because symptoms look like “normal pregnancy,” PPCM is commonly ignored until it becomes an emergency. Early BNP testing, proper postpartum monitoring, and community awareness can:

•Reduce severe complications

•Decrease maternal deaths

•Improve long-term heart recovery

•Allow women to advocate for themselves before it’s too late

Visit: https://letstalkppcm.org/share-your-story-1
to share your PPCM story and help raise awareness.

PPCM Workshops: https://letstalkppcm.org/ppcm-workshops

The MAGAZINE: https://letstalkppcm.org/magazine

Support BNP Blood Testing: https://letstalkppcm.org/ppcm-screening

12/05/2025

Meet Courtney Mitchell:
By looking at the photo above, could you believe she was in full-blown heart failure?

At 36wks pregnant, Courtney showed clear signs of preeclampsia but was dismissed and told to “come back Monday.” The next day her water broke, and her son was delivered via C-section. She was discharged just two days later followed by a series of eight desperate trips back to the hospital. On her eighth visit, she arrived coughing up blood, and unable to breathe. She was placed on a breathing machine and catheterized in front of her husband and children before her family was forced to leave. She spent the next 31hrs alone in a trauma bed, waiting for an ICU room that never opened.

At 23mths postpartum, she was still fighting for proper care while managing dizziness, fainting, and ongoing heart symptoms. She was diagnosed with Peripartum Cardiomyopathy (PPCM), a form of dilated cardiomyopathy that can strike during pregnancy or in the first year postpartum, often with life-threatening consequences if left undetected. She was given proper treatment and sent home after a 1wk stay. Her cardiologist later said her chest X-ray was one of the worst he’d seen in 30yrs, despite being dismissed seven times.

Her son was born severely and profoundly deaf. While the exact cause is unknown, she will forever wonder whether untreated preeclampsia and delayed recognition of heart failure contributed.

Today, Courtney is considered fully recovered. She believes the BNP Blood Test should be mandated for all expecting and postpartum mothers at risk, to sooner detect PPCM.❤️

Visit: https://letstalkppcm.org/share-your-story-1
to share your PPCM story and help raise awareness.

PPCM Workshops: https://letstalkppcm.org/ppcm-workshops

The MAGAZINE: https://letstalkppcm.org/magazine

Support BNP Blood Testing: https://letstalkppcm.org/ppcm-screening

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