After having a baby, I experienced debilitating migraine symptoms. It took several doctor visits to find that I actually had an aneurysm.

• Meredith Staggers experienced severe migraine symptoms after giving birth.
• She was eventually given a diagnosis of an aneurysm.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Meredith Staggers. It has been edited for length and clarity.

During my pregnancy with my third daughter, Dottie, I started having migraines. They were miserable, and the pain seemed concentrated behind my left eye. But they weren't debilitating. I could still look after my other girls, who are 2 and 5. I had headaches during my middle pregnancy too, so I figured this was just how my body reacted to hormones.

Around 28 weeks, the migraines suddenly stopped. Unfortunately, I was put on bedrest because I had too much amniotic fluid. Once it was safe for Dottie to be delivered, I was induced. She weighed less than 6 pounds, much smaller than my other girls. But she checked out fine, and I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing mom and baby were both healthy.

Then, when Dottie was only 3 weeks old, my husband got COVID. I was worried Dottie had it too, so I took her to urgent care. She tested negative, but she had RSV and pneumonia. We went to the intensive-care unit. She was intubated, and her lung collapsed. Since we had been exposed to COVID, we were isolated in the hospital for 12 days. There were multiple times when we thought Dottie might not make it.

I thought the stress was taking a toll on me

A few weeks later I was driving, having what can only be described as a mental breakdown. I had experienced postpartum depression and anxiety with my first — now I could feel it creeping in, compounded by the stress of Dottie's hospitalization. I had panic attacks and was constantly hearing phantom beeps from hospital machines that had told me my baby was alive. Plus, my migraines were back.

As I drove that day, I noticed my lip was tingling. Soon I couldn't feel my hands or feet. I knew something was severely wrong, so I pulled over. I hung up with my mom and tried to dial my husband, but I couldn't make my hands do what I wanted them to. He told me later that when I got through, it sounded like I was speaking gibberish.

My husband found me and took me to the ER. I couldn't follow the simplest commands. The hospital did a CT scan, a chest X-ray, and blood work. They thought I was having a stroke, but everything came back normal. I tried to convince myself it was just a panic attack.

My symptoms continued to get worse

Still, my symptoms continued. I thought maybe I was on the wrong dose of my anxiety medication. An appointment with a psychologist was weeks away, so I went to see my OB-GYN, who had prescribed the medication.

When I got to the appointment, the symptoms flared again. I couldn't feel my hands, and I couldn't see more than a foot in front of me. Dottie was crying, but there was nothing I could do to help her.

The providers at the office told me I was having a panic attack. I'd been through a lot, they said, but now I was just getting myself worked up. My husband met me at that appointment, but he refused to believe these were symptoms of postpartum anxiety.

The next few days were terrible. I vomited and couldn't sleep. Each headache was the worst pain of my life — until the next one, which was somehow more severe.

My husband made a telehealth appointment, and the doctor ordered an MRI. As we were driving home from that appointment, my phone rang.

"We don't want you to panic," the provider said, "but we need you to pack a bag and get to the hospital. You have an aneurysm."

I had surgery the next day

I couldn't process what they were saying. For weeks everyone had been telling me I was fine. Now here was evidence that I clearly was not fine.

At the hospital, testing revealed a large aneurysm behind my left eye, right where my pain had been concentrated. My doctor, Joseph Cochran, said that it had been leaking, which likely explained my symptoms. The next day I underwent surgery to have it removed. Since the initial recovery, I haven't had any migraine symptoms.

After my operation, I learned that my grandfather had two aneurysms. The biggest risk factors are smoking, high blood pressure, and genetics; Dr. Cochran said my genes are likely to blame.

As a new mom, the postpartum period is so overwhelming. I was ready to brush my symptoms aside, and so were some of my providers. Luckily, my husband advocated for me. I hope what I went through can encourage people to go and get something checked out if it's wrong. I've learned it's better to be safe than sorry.