Young mother experiences AFib during pregnancy

Sheila Z., 26, was pregnant with her second child when her heart began racing during her first trimester. The Nashville resident admits this pregnancy was different from her first. This time around, she had severe fatigue and morning sickness, but the heart symptoms that she started to experience at 10 weeks pregnant concerned her enough to go to the ER for care. Sheila describes her heart beating so fast that she could see her chest physically pumping. She knew something was wrong.

After the ER visit, Sheila made an appointment with her longtime OB-GYN, Stephen R. Clendenin, MD, at Ascension Saint Thomas. She shared her symptoms with Dr. Clendenin, who referred her to the Ascension Saint Thomas Heart Women’s Center, which provides comprehensive, multidisciplinary care led by heart specialists trained to understand how heart disease presents differently in women than in men.

It was that appointment where she met Hannah L. Fish-Trotter, MD, a cardiologist at Ascension Saint Thomas Heart who specializes in heart care for women. Dr. Fish-Trotter listened to her and used diagnostic tools to discover her heart condition. To Sheila’s surprise, she was diagnosed with AFib.

Sheila wasn’t fully aware of how heart disease shows up differently for women or for young people. She was surprised to be diagnosed with a heart condition. “Just because I'm young and healthy doesn't mean that you can't strain your body to the point where it gets tired,” she said.
Her pregnancy was making her heart work harder. It was taking a toll on her body. “Your baby is growing, so your heart also ends up working a lot more,” Sheila shared. “You're feeding a baby and growing a baby within our bodies, so it takes a toll.”

Sheila would monitor her racing heart with a smartwatch and report what was happening to Dr. Fish-Trotter, who would give her recommendations on what to try to calm the heartbeat. Sometimes that meant going to the ER. For weeks, she was in and out of the hospital until her care team figured out how to control it with the right medication.

She was thankful to have an OB-GYN and a cardiologist who worked together to help monitor and treat Sheila’s condition throughout her pregnancy. Having a cardiologist at Ascension Saint Thomas made it easier for her care team to communicate, ensuring she and her baby were okay. She felt cared for every step of the way. Dr. Fish-Trotter gave her full access to her when she needed it the most. She was able to text Dr. Fish-Trotter about her symptoms and for medication advice in the middle of the night.

“You can hear her little kids in the background running around when I called. She took the time out of her day to attend to a patient, which she really didn't have to,” Sheila said. “You could see the heart and the care she has for her patients.”

After her diagnosis, Sheila knew that her treatment would need to be more than medication, but she would need to learn how to be more self-aware when her body wasn’t feeling well.  “After that, I had to learn to take better care of my body—eating better, monitoring myself, and paying attention to changes,” said Sheila.

To get through the remainder of her pregnancy and her postpartum, Sheila leaned on her partner, mother and church community. She credits her partner, who works from home, and her mother, who lives in Middle Tennessee, for their support with cooking, watching her firstborn, and other tasks that helped her rest and heal. Her faith is what kept her during a time of uncertainty and prayer and support from her church family held her together.

Her advice for other women experiencing heart issues during pregnancy is to keep up with your doctor, stay healthy, and eat right. “We shouldn't take those things for granted, because as we all know, it could happen to anybody,” she explained.

Since her AFib diagnosis, Sheila is making sure she is “living life to the fullest.” She’s spending her time with her family and making sure they have memories and that she and her partner meet their goals to set their family up for success in the future.

Learn more about women’s heart care at Ascension Saint Thomas Heart and schedule an appointment by visiting our Women’s Heart Center page.