MOTHERLY – When Natallia Tarrien, a mom in her third trimester, felt an odd tightness in her jaw one night, she turned to ChatGPT for fun. The question was casual—“Why does my jaw feel tight?”—but what happened next was anything but.
The AI tool responded with a suggestion she hadn’t considered: check your blood pressure. She did—and found it dangerously high. Within 30 minutes, ChatGPT was urging her to call an ambulance.
At the hospital, her blood pressure had climbed to 200/146. Doctors rushed to deliver her baby, warning that if she had gone to sleep that night, she may not have woken up.
Both mom and baby are now safe—but the viral story with over 29M views has resonated deeply with parents, especially those who know how easy it is to second-guess symptoms during pregnancy. It also highlights a critical truth: sometimes, it’s the smallest sign that something’s off that ends up saving a life.
Understanding preeclampsia and high blood pressure in pregnancy
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Preeclampsia is one of the most serious—and often silent—complications of pregnancy. It’s a condition marked by high blood pressure, typically after the 20-week mark, and it can escalate quickly if left untreated. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), hypertensive disorders affect about 2–8% of all pregnancies and are a leading cause of maternal and infant complications worldwide.
What makes preeclampsia so dangerous is how deceptively mild the symptoms can seem.
While many people associate high blood pressure with headaches or dizziness, it can also show up in unexpected ways—like tightness in the jaw or neck, swelling in the hands or face, sudden vision changes, or even general feelings of unease. In the third trimester especially, when discomfort is common, these signs can be easy to brush off.
But preeclampsia isn’t something to wait out …