They said my lungs had filled up with all of the fluid that my body had retained during my pregnancy, and that my heart had to pump extra hard to keep me alive. As a result, my heart became weak. They said it's a condition called peripartum cardiomyopathy , which is a rare form of heart failure that happens during pregnancy. This was not related to preeclampsia, although the symptoms are extremely similar. They told me I was very lucky: if I'd had a home birth, or if I was at a different hospital, I may not have survived. I couldn't believe my ears. I looked at my mother and my husband who were in the room with us and started crying. I just kept thinking about them, about my sister, about Kate, and what would happen to them if I had died.