I never imagined that the day my daughter was born would also be the day I almost lost my life.
At 40 weeks and 4 days pregnant, my baby suddenly flipped into a breech position. My doctor scheduled a C-section for the next morning. I was nervous, but I kept reminding myself that this was routine and that everything would be okay.
During the surgery, I heard my daughter’s first cry—a moment I had been waiting for. But almost immediately afterward, everything changed. I suddenly couldn’t breathe. As my husband and baby were being taken out of the operating room, I went into cardiac arrest.
Doctors rushed me back in, trying to understand what was happening. Then I began bleeding uncontrollably. I had developed DIC, a life-threatening condition where the blood is unable to clot. Over the next 48 hours, I underwent four surgeries, including a hysterectomy, just to stop the bleeding and save my life. My abdomen had to be left open with a special machine to drain the blood.
Later I learned that all of this happened because of a rare and dangerous complication called an amniotic fluid embolism—something that occurs in only about 1 in 40,000 pregnancies. As if that wasn’t enough, I also suffered a stroke. I needed 37 units of blood, so many that the hospital was nearly out of supply.
After about 10 days in the hospital, I was finally able to go home, only to be readmitted for another two days because of more bleeding.
Today, I am overwhelmingly grateful to be alive. The doctors warned my family that I would likely have permanent damage, but I survived without any lasting complications. I’m thankful every day—for my life, for my daughter, and for the chance to tell this story.
0 Comments