Allyson Felix pregnancy journey preeclampsia and low dose aspirin

‘We knew that I had preeclampsia before, I could very likely have it again-and it's scary. I want to be here to raise my children.’
The decision to have a second child isn’t taken lightly, particularly for those whose first pregnancy was marked by unexpected challenges-like for 11-time Olympic medalist, world-record holder, and mom Allyson Felix. For her, the road to motherhood was far from smooth, putting both her and her daughter’s lives at risk.
"I had what I thought was a really great pregnancy," Allyson recalls. "I was training throughout it, and I felt strong. But then I went to a routine doctor's appointment at 32 weeks, and I found out immediately that I was spilling protein." When excess protein is detected in urine during pregnancy, it may be a sign of anything from stress to fever to preeclampsia.
For Allyson the diagnosis was in fact preeclampsia, a serious condition that can cause high blood pressure and some of the pregnant person’s organs to not work properly. It can result in maternal and infant health problems or death, and the health problems can last their entire life.
When Allyson and her husband Kenneth found out they were pregnant again, they couldn’t shake the vivid recollection of her first pregnancy. "We knew that we wanted another child, we knew that we wanted Camryn to have a sibling," Felix shares. "But we knew the risks. We knew that I had preeclampsia before, I could very likely have it again-and it's scary. I want to be here to raise my children. I want to see my family grow.”
Allyson and Kenneth welcomed their second baby on April 10, 2024, a healthy boy named Kenneth Maurice Ferguson III.
Luckily, Allyson was able approach this pregnancy more confidently, as she had new knowledge: taking low dose aspirin as a way to reduce the risk of preeclampsia and preterm birth. "This time around, since I've had preeclampsia before, I was educated about low dose aspirin,” she says.
However, while pregnant with Camryn, doctors never mentioned preeclampsia as a possible risk, even though 1 in 25 pregnant people experience it-and Black people at higher risk due to environmental, social, and historical inequities. Black women also experience a preterm birth rate 55% higher than other women, with their babies 2.4 times more likely to die compared to White women.
"I remember sitting in that hospital bed when they came over and told me that, and I didn't even know what preeclampsia meant," Felix recounts. “It was a very scary situation. I didn't understand the severity of what was happening with my own health, but there was a lot happening and happening really quickly.” Allyson grappled with the fear of what lay ahead: the risk of having a stroke or losing her vision-or worse.
From there things spiraled downhill fast, and Allyson was rushed in for an emergency Cesarean delivery. Her daughter Camryn was born preterm at 32 weeks, weighing just 3 pounds, 7 ounces.
“You never imagine leaving the hospital without your baby,” Allyson shares. “You never imagine not being able to hold your child after they're born.”
Camryn spent the next month in the NICU, where Allyson began learning just how common adverse birth outcomes are in this country-especially for women of color. “I felt so blessed that we were able to leave as a family because what I learned is that that's not the reality for a lot of other families," Allyson shares, highlighting just how serious the maternal and infant crisis in the US has gotten.
Allyson is partnering with March of Dimes in support of our Low Dose, Big Benefits campaign to share this important knowledge to entire communities. Together we want to help those who are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant feel confident to ask healthcare professionals about their risk of developing preeclampsia. We also want to encourage healthcare professionals to screen for preeclampsia regularly and prescribe low dose aspirin to patients at risk.
“Partnering with March of Dimes is so important to me because I think back to my experience, and not only was I not aware from my doctor telling me, but in the conversations that I was having with my friends and with my family, preeclampsia didn't come up once,” Allyson asserts. “And I know that if I wasn't having those conversations, there's a lot of other women who aren't as well.”
March of Dimes is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of parents-to-be and their babies. That’s why we’re spreading the word about taking low dose aspirin-because a low dose can have big benefits. As Allyson declares: "If something like taking a low dose aspirin every day can be preventative, then we need to be shouting that from the rooftops."