Serena Williams has c-section
Tennis champion Serena Williams revealed she “almost died after giving birth” to her first child, daughter Olympia. She delivered by C-section, but two hours later, she was in a fight for her life that lasted six days, she wrote.
“It began with a pulmonary embolism, which is a condition in which one or more arteries in the lungs becomes blocked by a blood clot. Because of my medical history with this problem, I live in fear of this situation. So, when I fell short of breath, I didn’t wait a second to alert the nurses,” Williams said. 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.
Acute Pulmonary Embolism after Cesarean Section. … It is more common with cesarean delivery than vaginal delivery. Pulmonary Embolism (PE) is under diagnosed during pregnancy and postpartum period as majority of signs and symptoms of PE are non-specific. “Even though C-section increases the risk of blood clots, this risk remains low and the vast majority of women will not develop this condition,” said lead researcher Dr. Marc Blondon, of Geneva University Hospital in Switzerland. Women who are obese or older than 35 have relatively higher clotting risks. Women are also encouraged to get up and on their feet as soon as possible after C-section delivery. The main concern is that the clot will break free and travel to the lungs, causing a pulmonary embolism. That condition, which can be life-threatening, usually manifests itself as chest pain, coughing and difficulty breathing.
Here are signs to look for:
- sudden shortness of breath that isn’t caused by exercise
- chest pain
- palpitations, or rapid heart rate
- breathing problems
- coughing up blood
