Serena Williams: “I almost died after giving birth”
<p>Serena Williams has spent her whole life putting her body under immense pressure thanks to her 23-year tennis career, but nothing could have prepared her for childbirth.</p>
<p><a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2018/02/20/opinions/protect-mother-pregnancy-williams-opinion/index.html" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Writing for CNN</span></strong></a>, the 36-year-old revealed that despite having a relatively easy pregnancy, the birth of her first child, Alexis Olympia, with husband Alexis Ohanian came with some life-threatening complications.</p>
<p>“I almost died after giving birth to my daughter, Olympia. Yet, I consider myself fortunate,” she wrote.</p>
<p>Just 24 hours after welcoming her daughter into the world, however, Williams’ life was in danger, and now, she wants to warn other expecting parents.</p>
<p>“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.</p>
<p>“This sparked a slew of health complications that I am lucky to have survived. First my C-section wound popped open due to the intense coughing I endured as a result of the embolism. I returned to surgery, where the doctors found a large hematoma, a swelling of clotted blood, in my abdomen. And then I returned to the operating room for a procedure that prevents clots from traveling to my lungs. When I finally made it home to my family, I had to spend the first six weeks of motherhood in bed.”</p>
<p>Williams also took the opportunity to advocate for affordable healthcare for mothers and babies, applauding UNICEF for its efforts in providing disadvantaged mothers and newborns around the world with the care they need.</p>
<p>“I am so grateful I had access to such an incredible medical team of doctors and nurses at a hospital with state-of-the-art equipment. They knew exactly how to handle this complicated turn of events. If it weren’t for their professional care, I wouldn’t be here today.”</p>
<p><em>Image credit: Serena Williams/Instagram.</em></p>
