A mother from Australia relived the terrifying moment when she believed she was going to pass away after losing 75% of her body’s blood during childbirth.
After giving birth to her daughter Shiloh in November 2019, Jessica Walker experienced a life-threatening postpartum haemorrhage and lost 3.6 litres of blood.
The midwives offered me a needle to remove the placenta after giving birth to her, Ms. Walker told Daily Mail Australia.
“I started haemorrhaging as the placenta came out, and the next moment, there were 30 people in the room.”
As they took Ms. Walker to emergency, she said that blood was flowing out of her and that a doctor had to sit on her stomach to prevent her uterus from contracting.
The Gold Coast mother quickly realised something was awry after waking up from her surgery without her wife or child by her side when her room filled with physicians and nurses who had “worried looks on their faces.”
Everyone was screaming in category 1, and when Ms. Walter was told she required another surgery because the bleeding hadn’t stopped, she “absolutely believed” she was going to pass away.
“This is it, I’m going to die,” I recalled thinking as the surgeon went to call my wife to come and kiss me farewell.
“I have never in my life felt so afraid… I sobbed to my doctor, pleading with him not to let me pass away. She told me I wouldn’t, so I didn’t.
Ms. Walker was eventually able to hold her child after ten hours of waiting, four litres of fluid, and five blood transfusions.
According to Ms. Walker, giving birth is a common experience for moms “where the finest day of your life was simultaneously the saddest day.”
The Gold Coast mom organises the Walk N Support fundraising event at Broadwater Parklands on Sunday as a volunteer for the Australian Birth Trauma Association (ABTA).
Although Ms. Walker has recovered from the physical agony, she claims that the emotional trauma she experienced is still present.
She frequently experiences anxiety when her daughter, who is now two years old, is separated from her for an extended period of time.
Ms. Walker had to switch from her “high-flying,” 50-hour-per-week corporate job to a casual position because she was unable to return to full-time employment.
It took me a while to talk about it, and even now, sharing the experience still makes me uncomfortable, but I do it because I want to raise awareness and create a dialogue about labour trauma, Ms. Walker said.
“The postpartum trauma greatly affected me.” I don’t believe I can recall anything from my daughter’s first year of life.
For the first several weeks and months, which are meant to be a key period of bonding with my child. I only recall the negative things.
The founder of the Australasian Birth Trauma Association, Amy Dawes, claimed that because birth-related trauma is still stigmatised, not enough people are receiving the assistance they need.
We want to make mothers, people giving birth, and families who are struggling aware that birth trauma is real, that your feelings are genuine, and that support is accessible, said Ms. Dawes.
We invite women and their partners to get in touch with us or their healthcare provider to learn more about birth-related trauma. There is no shame in asking for assistance.
The culmination of National Birth Trauma Awareness Week, which runs from July 17 to July 24, will be a fundraising Walk N Support in Brisbane, Sydney, Wagga Wagga, Melbourne, and Canberra on Sunday.
By participating in the Walk n Support for individuals affected by birth trauma, Ms. Walker intends to collect money for the Australasian Birth Trauma Association.
According to research, 10 to 20% of first-time mothers may have substantial, irreparable physical birth trauma, Ms. Walker wrote on her fundraising page.
“One in three Australian women identify their birth as traumatic.”
“Women and families have suffered in silence for far too long, but sharing our stories and raising our voices empowers others to not have to travel this path alone.”
The Walk N Support fundraiser organised by Ms. Walker has so far raised more than $1,000.
Ms. Walker wants other mothers to know they are not alone if they have gone through traumatic childbirth.
Please speak out to the support group who can see, hear, and understand you if any other mothers experience trauma during childbirth or anything similar, Ms. Walker said.
It’s acceptable to feel disappointed or defrauded of the magical experience you anticipated.
Nobody should have to go through this alone because it’s a lot.