On September 18th, I went into labor with our second daughter and headed to the hospital. Labor progressed throughout the night and the next day around 10 am I received an epidural and decided to take a nap. I woke up around lunch wondering where my husband was so...
"You have the shortest chart I've ever seen." I remember those words like it was yesterday. My OB was joking about how healthy I was during my pregnancy, how everything my daughter and I were going through was "textbook on time." I was getting extra tests since I...
I am 45 years old, Chinese, and I live in Germany. I have two daughters, one was born naturally in Egypt in 2000, and the other was born dramatically on 22.10.2014 in Hamburg, Germany. I have no memory of the day my daughter was born, and her...
February 7, 2018Butler Memorial Hospital, Butler, Pennsylvania It was 7:30 in the morning. I was scheduled for a repeat c-section. I work for my OB/Gyn, so I knew the surgeon and the physician assistant personally. The PA, Liz, was with me while they were...
I was exactly 29 weeks pregnant and at work around 10am when I suddenly started bleeding profusely. I started panicking that I had a miscarriage and lost our baby. One of my coworkers rushed me to the hospital where my husband met us at the door. I had a placental...
It was Sunday, July 22, 2018 and I was 40.2 weeks and admitted to begin what was expected to be a typical process to induce labor. The next morning, I received an epidural and all was going well. At 5 cm I began to feel nauseated, which of itself is not usually a...
In October 2017, Amniotic Fluid Embolism (AFE) survivor, Kristy Keating suffered an AFE during the birth of her daughter Vivien. Kristy is a cheer coach, and at 33 weeks, she began to bleed while at a cheer competition for her older daughter. She ended up having an...
Every year on June 14th people around the globe celebrate World Blood Donor Day to thank the millions who selflessly give the gift of life through blood donation. Severe blood loss due to disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a hallmark symptom of an...
Many have heard the term self care. It's in magazines, self help books, and even in the beloved motherhood bible, "What to Expect When Expecting". There is no doubt that self care is important. Most especially after surviving an unexpected traumatic birth. In this...
I was in pushing phase of labor and was suddenly nauseous. I told my husband I was going to be sick, and he turned to get the little pink tub. When he turned back around, I was gone. My heart had stopped. It took three hits from the defibrillator and six minutes to...
