Tennis star Serena Williams recently shared her frightening birth story with CNN, saying she almost died after delivering her daughter Olympia. 
The star said her child was born via emergency C-Section after the baby’s heartrate dropped dramatically during contractions. She said the surgery went well and she was able to hold her daughter following the procedure. However, everything that followed was messy.
Williams noted that she had suffered a pulmonary embolism and a slew of other health complications after the birth, including her surgical wound opening due to intense coughing. She eventually had to have an emergency procedure to prevent clots from traveling to her lungs.
Williams said she was grateful for her excellent care after she sustained complications following the birth. However, she made note of how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that black women in the US are three times more likely to die during childbirth than other women, implying that she felt blessed to get good emergency treatment.
“[T]his not just a challenge in the United States. Around the world, thousands of women struggle to give birth in the poorest countries,” Williams wrote to CNN. “When they have complications like mine, there are often no drugs, health facilities or doctors to save them. If they don’t want to give birth at home, they have to travel great distances at the height of pregnancy. Before they even bring a new life into this world, the cards are already stacked against them.”
To read her message, you can click on the source link below.
The U.S. Has Issues with Birth Injuries
As Williams noted, not just around the world, but in the U.S., too many women and newborns face delivery complications. In 2012, the World Health Organization ranked the U.S. 41st in terms of newborn survival, compared to its rank of 28 in 1990.
Before delivering your child, it may be in your best interest to:
- Check the qualifications of your obstetrician
- Seek prenatal care early
- Take and supplements vitamins
- Seek medical advice if you become ill
- Check with your healthcare provider before taking any medications
- Track your baby’s movement throughout the day and alert your doctor to any decreased fetal movement
These are a few things you can do to help potentially minimize complications. However, often hospitals and healthcare providers are responsible for injuries sustained during the delivery process due to negligence or medical error.
When preventable injuries or death occur during childbirth due to malpractice, parents may be entitled to compensation. Contact our Central Texas birth injury attorneys at the phone numbers located on this page.
Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP – Birth Injury Attorneys
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/20/opinions/protect-mother-pregnancy-williams-opinion/index.html
