Ashley Muteti

"My name is Ashley Muteti from Nairobi Kenya. I am a wife and Mom to two beautiful girls – Zuri Nzilani (Angel in Heaven) and Amani Mercy Muteti (My rainbow baby). I was diagnosed with preeclampsia in 2018, I didn’t know about the condition at all. I was admitted in hospital for a whole month, my major organs started failing and I was immediately delivered via C- Section at 30 weeks. My daughter Zuri was born at 1.2kgs. She suffered a myriad of issues caused by NEC, she succumbed to it after 49 days of life.

After the death of my child I wallowed into depression, I didn’t want to have a baby soon. So, I went ahead to have an IUD which backfired seriously!! Three months after my c-section I became pregnant. My pregnancy journey was full of anxiety, depression but amidst all this I still had some faith and hope that things will be better. Unfortunately, I had a placenta abruption that took me straight to theatre. I gave birth to baby Amani at 975 grams at 31 weeks.

Amani is turning 2 in January! She is my little ray of sunshine, such a ball of energy. Through my experience I started a foundation here in Kenya to create awareness on preeclampsia, prematurity and infant loss which is on the rise. I thank God for this group, I learned so much about what was happening to me and I got hope from the experiences shared on this platform. I am passionate about maternal and child health and I am grateful to be part of this community." Ashley is also a 2022 recipient of the Top 100 Kenyan's of the Year Award for her Preeclampsia Advocacy in Kenya.