From NICU Mom to Stroke Patient: A Nurse’s Story of Recognition, Recovery and Resilience

Photo courtesy of Grace and Gold Photography.

The first sign was a headache, sudden and severe, as 27-year-old ICU nurse Halle Bunnell stepped out of the car in Forrest General’s Family Birthplace parking lot, just four days after delivering her twin daughters at 32 weeks.

“I told my husband, Cade, ‘This is the worst headache I’ve ever had,’” she said. “I get migraines, but this felt completely different.”

At first, she tried to push through it. The two made their way into the hospital, heading toward the NICU to visit their daughters, who had remained there since birth. But as they walked, something else began to feel off. Her eye felt strange, and she couldn’t quite explain why.

When they reached the area near Labor and Delivery, she paused in front of a mirror.

“I remember looking at myself and thinking, ‘Something’s not right. I don’t feel OK,’” she said.

Still, she continued toward the NICU. The room was dim and quiet as she and her husband received an update from the care team before she sat down on the couch beside her daughters’ beds. A text message from a friend prompted her to pull out her phone and open the camera.

This time, the difference was unmistakable.

“When I smiled, the right side of my face drooped,” she said.

She turned to her husband and asked him to look. His wide-eyed reaction confirmed what she already knew.

“I’m having a stroke,” she told him.

From Nurse to Patient

In that moment, instinct and training took over.

As an ICU nurse, she had performed stroke assessments countless times before, but now she found herself running through the process on her own body. With each passing second, the symptoms became harder to ignore.

“I could feel my right side getting weaker,” she said. “I knew what was happening.”

She walked to the doorway and called out to nearby staff, asking for a wheelchair and instructing them to call a Code Stroke. Within minutes, she was being taken to the emergency department – not as a nurse or a new mom, but as a patient.

A Pregnancy That Changed Overnight

Just days earlier, nothing had suggested how quickly her condition would escalate.

Her pregnancy had been largely uneventful until she developed preeclampsia with severe features, but without many of the typical warning signs. Aside from some swelling, there were few indications of what was developing. She never experienced the dangerously high blood pressure often associated with the condition.

Then, within a matter of days, everything changed.

She was placed on bedrest late in the week, and by the weekend, she began experiencing difficulty breathing. At barely 5 feet tall and carrying twins, Halle said she was “ginormous and all belly,” which she attributed the difficulty in breathing to. When she returned to the hospital, her lab values had more than doubled, revealing just how rapidly her condition had progressed.

On January 12, an emergency C-section followed at 32 weeks and five days.

Her daughters, Amelia Joan and Scarlett Mae, were born just two minutes apart, weighing 4 lbs. 10 ozs. and 4 lbs. 11 ozs. – small, but strong. Though they required care in the NICU, both were stable and doing well.

In the days after delivery, Halle began to feel like herself again.

“I had no pain, no issues,”’ she said. “I felt great. I thought everything was fine.”

Four days later on January 16, she had a stroke.

Searching for Answers

In the Emergency Department, the urgency of her symptoms was clear, but the answers were not.

Initial imaging, a CT and MRI, did not show evidence of a stroke, even as her symptoms continued to worsen. Because she had recently undergone a C-section, her care team faced a difficult decision. Administering clot-busting medication carried significant risks, and ultimately, they decided it was not a safe option.

Meanwhile, her condition continued to evolve.

The following day, her neurologist, Dr. Nathan Nowacki, took a closer look and recommended additional imaging – this time focusing on the brainstem.

That decision proved critical.

The new scan revealed what earlier tests had missed: a pontine stroke in her brainstem, a rare and potentially life-altering diagnosis.

“It hadn’t shown up at first because they weren’t imaging that area,” she said.

Ultimately, physicians determined the stroke was related to pregnancy and preeclampsia – conditions that can increase the risk of blood clots, even in young, otherwise healthy women.

“I had no prior health issues,” she said. “Nothing that would have made you think I was at risk.”

Learning to Function Again

As the diagnosis became clear, so did the reality of recovery.

She experienced weakness and partial paralysis on her right side, along with difficulties in speech, coordination, and spatial awareness. Tasks that once felt automatic now required focus and effort.

During a physical therapy evaluation in the hospital, she tripped while walking.

“I looked at them, these people who I worked with all the time, and said, ‘Why did you trip me?’” she said. “They replied, ‘We didn’t; you tripped yourself.’”

It was a disorienting realization.

“I didn’t know where my foot was,” she said. “I didn’t have awareness of my own body.”

Speech therapy followed as well, helping her work through word-finding difficulties, slowed thought processing, and occasional stuttering. Though she has made significant progress, she says some of those challenges still linger.

“Sometimes it just takes me a little longer to think through things,” Halle said.

Her recovery has required ongoing physical therapy three times a week, along with continued follow-up care across several specialties.

A Mom in Recovery

At the same time, she was navigating life as a new mother under circumstances she never could have anticipated.

Because of her condition, she was unable to see her daughters for more than 48 hours after her stroke. The separation only added to the emotional weight of recovery.

“I had this fear, what if I never get to hold my other baby?” she said, having only been able to hold one of them during a previous visit.

Even once she returned to the NICU, new challenges emerged. Facial paralysis left her feeling self-conscious during what she had always imagined would be a joyful, picture-filled time. Vision issues, caused in part by difficulty fully closing one eye, made daily routines more complicated. She was unable to drive and had to rely on others to help her get back and forth to the hospital.

“This is supposed to be such a happy time,” she said. “And I’m thinking, ‘Am I going to be able to hold my babies? Run in the yard with them one day?’”

After three weeks in the NICU, Amelia and Scarlett were finally able to go home.

That transition marked a turning point.

“When we got them home, everything started getting better,” she said. “A lot of the stress just lifted.”

Moving Forward

Today, Halle’s recovery continues, supported by a care team that includes neurology, cardiology, primary care, and her OB/GYN.

She will remain on medication for life and has been advised not to pursue future pregnancies due to the risk of another stroke.

She is also exploring her return to work, though her role will likely look different moving forward.

Despite everything, she says the experience has reshaped her perspective, both as a nurse and as a patient.

“I had never even heard of a pontine stroke,” she said. “And I definitely never thought it could happen to me, especially at 27.

A Message for Other Women

Now, she hopes her story can serve as a reminder, particularly for women during pregnancy and the postpartum period, that serious complications can arise quickly, even without obvious warning signs.

“Trust your body,” she said. “If something feels off, don’t ignore it.”

Her experience also reflects the importance of rapid recognition and response – something the Forrest Health stroke team is equipped to provide around the clock.

Looking back, she knows one thing made all the difference.

She recognized the signs. And she acted.

Just days after becoming a mother, that decision may have saved her life.

SIDEBAR

Know the Signs of Stroke: Act F.A.S.T.

Stroke can happen at any age. Recognizing the signs quickly can save a life.

Remember B.E. F.A.S.T.:

• B – Balance: Sudden loss of balance or coordination, dizziness or difficulty walking
• E – Eyes: Sudden vision changes, such as blurred vision, double vision, or loss of sight in one or both eyes
• F – Face drooping: Does one side of the face droop or feel numb?
• A – Arm weakness: Is one arm weak or numb?
• S – Speech difficulty: Is speech slurred or hard to understand?
• T – Time to call 911: If you notice any of these signs, seek emergency care immediately.

Don’t wait. Every second matters.

Stroke Risk During Pregnancy & Postpartum

While uncommon, stroke risk increases during pregnancy and in the weeks after delivery.

Risk factors may include:

• Preeclampsia or high blood pressure
• Blood clotting changes during pregnancy
• Recent delivery or C-section
• Severe headaches or sudden neurological symptoms

If something feels different or severe, especially compared to typical symptoms, seek care immediately.

Stroke Care at Forrest Health

• 24/7 stroke response team
• Rapid imaging and diagnosis
• Coordinated care from ER to recovery

Mississippi faces significant challenges with stroke and preeclampsia. The state has one of the highest stroke mortality rates in the United States, with approximately 1,500 stroke-related deaths annually. The Mississippi Healthcare Alliance has implemented a comprehensive Stroke System of Care to reduce stroke-related morbidity and mortality.

Preeclampsia, a dangerous spike in blood pressures that can occur in 1 in 25 pregnancies, is a leading cause of morbidity in mothers in Mississippi. Researchers are actively studying preeclampsia to find potential treatment targets and improve knowledge on its pathophysiology.

For more information: Read more