Skip to main content

Kentucky woman says Apple Watch helped save her – and her baby’s – life

A new report from Fox19 this week shares the story of a Northern Kentucky woman who credits the Apple Watch with helping save her – and her baby’s – life. Veronica Williams says that, while pregnant, she received a high heart rate notification on her Apple Watch that prompted her to seek help from her doctor.

Williams says that she received multiple high heart rate alerts on her Apple Watch, and noticed that she was “starting to feel short of breath.” She then called her doctor, who told her to go to the emergency room.

“Next thing I knew, they came in saying, ‘We need to do an emergency c-section. Is that okay?’ And I was wheeled out of my room and woke up at [University of Cincinnati],” Williams recounts.

Her doctors were able to deliver the baby, but Williams herself was still struggling. Her doctor diagnosed her with a rare form of myocarditis.

“Essentially what happened is her immune system got fooled into attacking her own heart as something that was external,” Williams’ surgeon Dr. Louis Benson Louis IV explained. Williams went on to spend a month in the hospital and received continued care from Dr. Louis. Now, both she and her baby are doing great.

How Apple Watch heart rate notifications work

In a support document, Apple explains how these types of Apple Watch heart rate notifications work. If your heart rate remains above or below a chosen beats per minute (BPM), your Apple Watch can notify you,” Apple says. “These notifications are available only on Apple Watch Series 1 or later for ages 13 and up.”

You can manage the settings for these notifications by following these steps:

  1. On your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app.
  2. Tap the My Watch tab, then tap Heart.
  3. Tap High Heart Rate, then choose a BPM. 
  4. Tap Low Heart Rate, then choose a BPM.

You can learn more about how to view detailed heart rate history in our dedicated guide.

Follow ChanceThreadsTwitterInstagram, and Mastodon.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

Author

Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is the editor-in-chief of 9to5Mac, overseeing the entire site’s operations. He also hosts the 9to5Mac Daily and 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcasts.

You can send tips, questions, and typos to chance@9to5mac.com.

Manage push notifications

notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications
notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications