Book on the impact of pregnancy complications: 'Queen of Hearts, the power of vulnerability'
On Monday 26 October, Prof. Dr. Rianne Letschert, Rector Magnificus of UM, received the first copy of the book 'Queen of Hearts, the power of vulnerability'. Chahinda Ghossein-Doha, trainee cardiologist at MUMC+, and Janou Boosten-Lamkin, manager at Rabobank, have published this book to increase awareness and understanding of the impact of pregnancy complications on women's lives.
In the book, six powerful, successful women tell their personal stories. Stories about pain, doubts, but also about regained strength and zest for life. Journalist and TV presenter Eva Jinek also tells frankly about her pregnancy and the problems she has experienced. Rianne Letschert wrote the foreword to the book and underlines how important it is for employers to be aware of the problem of pregnancy complications.
Complications and impact
In 10% of pregnancies, women develop serious complications that put both mother and child at risk. In the Netherlands, that is 17,000 women per year. If action is taken on time, fortunately things often end well. Unfortunately, the impact of pregnancy complications does not end after childbirth. Unfortunately, the impact of pregnancy complications does not end after childbirth. Preeclampsia, for example, leads to an eight times higher risk of a brain or heart attack. In addition, a quarter of women suffer from the psychological impact such as concentration and memory problems and a large proportion of women doubt their strength as women, mothers and employees and may experience feelings of guilt towards the child(ren).
Knowledge and understanding
Initiators Chahinda and Janou had problematic pregnancies. Chahinda lost her little daughter Rachelle after 11 days. After a tough, lonely struggle, the two women slowly recover and feel stronger than ever: "We want to inspire other women, give them strength and make them believe in themselves by understanding our struggles, our lows, but also our highs and our recovery. We also want to increase awareness and understanding among our environment and employers".
Research
Chahinda and her team at MUMC+ in the Queen of Hearts programme are investigating all facets of pregnancy complications. She focuses in particular on how to reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease, but also wants to increase social awareness of this theme. That is why the Queen of Hearts book will benefit research into pregnancy issues. The book is available via the Queen of Hearts website.
Visit www.umcrowd.nl if you wish to contribute to the research.
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