Serena Williams recently revealed to CNN.com that she “almost died” giving birth to her daughter despite the fact that the C-section surgery went smoothly.
According to Serena, the 24 hours after giving birth were “six days of uncertainty,” which included pulmonary embolism, a condition in which one or more arteries in the lungs becomes blocked by a blood clot.
The coughing from the embolism got so bad that her C-section wound actually re-opened and she required another surgery. Doctors then discovered a swelling of clotted blood in her abdomen which resulted in another trip to the operating room to prevent the clots from traveling to her lungs.
“First my C-section wound popped open due to the intense coughing I endured as a result of the embolism. I returned to surgery, where the doctors found a large hematoma, a swelling of clotted blood, in my abdomen. And then I returned to the operating room for a procedure that prevents clots from traveling to my lungs. When I finally made it home to my family, I had to spend the first six weeks of motherhood in bed.”
“I am so grateful I had access to such an incredible medical team of doctors and nurses at a hospital with state-of-the-art equipment. They knew exactly how to handle this complicated turn of events. If it weren’t for their professional care, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Serena says she considers herself lucky to be alive. The 36-year old superstar recently returned to the court in a Fed Cup doubles match with her sister Venus. It was Serena’s first match since winning the Australian Open in January 2017.
Serena Williams almost died after giving birth to her daughter. She writes for @CNNopinion about the mothers who don't get the treatment they need for pregnancy complications – and how we can help them https://t.co/0GlM2UFKhU
— CNN International (@cnni) February 20, 2018
