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Wednesday, 10 January 2007

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Carol Smillie: I nearly died giving birth

The TV presenter had emergency transfusion

With three gorgeous children – Christine, 11, Robbie, eight, and Jodie, six – it’s hard to believe TV presenter Carol Smillie experienced such terrible problems after giving birth to her first two that her husband Alex feared for her life.

There was blood running down my leg

‘I had a normal pregnancy and delivery with Christine,’ says Carol. ‘But 10 days later, I started bleeding. Having never had a baby before, I thought it was normal and tried to ignore it, even when it started dripping down my leg in the supermarket.’

It was only when Alex returned from work and saw how much she was bleeding that Carol realised how serious it was. ‘It sounds stupid, but I really didn’t want to go back to hospital. So I kept trying to pretend it wasn’t happening,’ she says. ‘Alex ended up calling the hospital, who strongly suggested I go in immediately.’

Once in hospital, things really hit home for the Changing Rooms presenter. ‘I was sitting on the bed waiting to be examined when I pressed down on my tummy because it was hurting. A golfball-sized clot flew out and hit the wall,’ she recalls. ‘It was horrific.’

Part of the placenta was left inside

Doctors discovered a fragment of the placental sac inside her uterus. The condition, known as retained placenta, is caused when the uterus fails to expel the placenta naturally. The uterus contracts after birth, closing off the blood vessels that support the baby during pregnancy; it can’t do this if the placenta is still inside, resulting in haemorrhaging and sometimes infection.

The problems didn't stop there

Fortunately, Carol recovered quickly, but when it happened again with her second child, it was far more serious. ‘When I got out of the delivery suite and was still bleeding heavily, I knew things weren’t right,’ she explains.

Unlike the first time, Carol began haemorrhaging almost immediately after having her son Robbie. Although the problems she’d had the first time round only happen in about one per cent of pregnancies, there’s an increased chance of it recurring.

I could have died

‘I can’t remember much about it as I was losing so much blood,’ says Carol. ‘It was far scarier for Alex because he received a phone call in the middle of the night telling him to get to the hospital as soon as possible.’

Carol ended up having to undergo a four-pint emergency blood transfusion, an experience that made her appreciate how important blood donation is. ‘I was so out of it, I didn’t know how serious the situation was,’ she says. ‘It was only when talking to Alex afterwards that I realised how bad things were and that I could’ve died. It made me appreciate how important it is to donate blood, which I’d always done before this happened – although now I’ve received blood myself, I can’t donate any more.’

A happy ending

Thankfully, because of the hospital’s swift action Carol recovered fully from her ordeal. She went on to have her third child Jodie without a hitch. ‘I hope my experience doesn’t scare women about to give birth, since most of the time it’s absolutely fine,’ she says.

‘I was just one of the very few unlucky ones. But because of the doctors’ actions, I’ve come out of it fit and healthy and with three beautiful children.’

What happened to Carol?

In approximately one per cent of births, the placenta isn’t fully expelled or a tiny fragment remains in the uterus, which results in bleeding. When this occurs 24 hours after giving birth, it’s known as primary postpartum haemorrhage; if it occurs some days after giving birth, it’s known as secondary postpartum. The condition is treated by blood transfusion and an internal procedure to remove the placenta.

Emily Watkins