An Australian mum relived the harrowing moment when she thought she was going to die after losing 75 per cent of her body’s blood while giving birth.
Jessica Walker lost 3.6 litres of blood when she suffered a life-threatening postpartum hemorrhage after giving birth to her daughter Shiloh in November 2019.
‘After birthing her the midwives gave me a needle to bring out the placenta,’ Ms Walker told Daily Mail Australia.
As the placenta came out I started haemorrhaging and next minute there’s 30 people in the room.’
Gold Coast mum Jessica Walker suffered a life-threatening postpartum hemorrhage and lost 3.6 litres of blood after giving birth to her daughter (pictured, Ms Walker waited 10 hours to hold her daughter Shiloh for the first time)
Ms Walker said blood was pouring out of of her and a doctor had to sit on her stomach to stop her uterus contracting as they wheeled her to emergency.
After waking from her surgery, without her baby or wife by her side, the Gold Coast mum soon realised something was wrong when her room filled with doctors and nurses with ‘worried looks on their faces’.
‘Everyone was screaming category 1 and when they told me I needed surgery again because the bleeding hadn’t stopped, I 100 per cent thought I was going to die,’ Ms Walter said.
‘The surgeon went and got my wife to come and kiss me goodbye and I remember thinking ‘this is it, I’m going to die’.’
‘I have never been so terrified in my life … I cried to my doctor and said ‘please don’t let me die’. She promised me that I wouldn’t.’
After two emergency surgeries, five blood transfusions and four litres of fluid, doctors were able to stop Ms Walker’s bleeding (pictured, Ms Walker with her wife and daughter)
After five blood transfusions, four litres of fluid and 10 hours of waiting, Ms Walker finally got to hold her baby.
Ms Walker said many mothers have similar birthing experiences ‘where the best day of your life was also the worst day’.
The Gold Coast mum volunteers for the Australian Birth Trauma Association (ABTA) and is helping to arrange the Walk N Support fundraiser event at Broadwater Parklands on Sunday.
Although Ms Walker has rebounded from the physical pain, she said her emotional trauma is long-lasting and is often overcome by anxiety when her daughter, who is now two-years-old, is away from her for too long.
Ms Walker was unable to return to full-time work and had to swap her ‘high-flying’ 50-hour-a-week corporate job with a casual role.
‘t took me a long time to talk about it and even now it still upsets me when I share the story but I do it because I want to spread awareness, start the conversation… because trauma in labour happens,’ Ms Walker said.
‘The after-birth trauma really impacted me. I don’t think I remember anything about the first year of my daughter’s life.
‘For those early weeks and months that are supposed to be crucial bonding time with my baby. All I can remember is the bad.’
Ms Walker said her physical pain has healed but the emotional and mental trauma caused by the harrowing child birth experience remains
Australasian Birth Trauma Association Founder Amy Dawes said birth-related trauma is still taboo and as a result not enough people are getting the support they require.
‘We want to let mums, birthing people and families who are suffering know that birth-related trauma is real, your feelings are valid and support is available,’ Ms Dawes said.
‘We encourage women and support partners to reach out to us to find out more about birth-related trauma, or reach out to their healthcare provider. There is no shame in seeking help.’
National Birth Trauma Awareness Week takes place from July 17 to July 24, and culminates in a fundraising Walk N Support event on Sunday in Brisbane, Sydney, Wagga Wagga, Melbourne and Canberra.
Ms Walker hopes to raise money for the Australasian Birth Trauma Association by joining the Walk n Support for those impacted by birth trauma.
‘One in 3 Australian women identify their birth as traumatic and research suggests that 10 to 20 per cent of first-time mothers may suffer major irreversible physical birth trauma,’ Ms Walker wrote on her fundraiser page.
‘For too long women and families have suffered in silence, but the power is in sharing our stories and using our voices so other people don’t need to walk this journey alone.’
Ms Walker volunteers for the Australasian Birth Trauma Association and has joined the Walk n Support fundraiser to raise awareness for those impacted by birth trauma
So far, Ms Walker’s Walk N Support fundraiser event has raised more than $1,000.
Ms Walker wants other mothers who have experienced child birth trauma to know that they are not alone.
‘If any other mums go through anything like this or any trauma in child birth, please reach out to the support group who hear you, see you and understand you,’ Ms Walker said.
‘It’s ok to feel sad or robbed of this magical experience you thought you would have.
‘It’s a lot and no one should have to suffer alone.’