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I Almost Died Giving Birth To My Daughter — Today, She’s 13
As Liv turns 13, I wanted to share her birth story.
Olivia is my baby, the last born of seven. She has always been outspoken, dramatic, and a joy. Not many people know that I almost died giving birth. This is her story.
Olivia was born on February 20, 2011. She was born on her brother Nick’s birthday. They are 13 years apart. I always loved that my oldest and youngest have the same birthdays — with neither birth induced nor planned.
I discovered I was pregnant with Olivia when Charlie was only nine months old. I wasn’t sure I wanted another child after Charlie, but Olivia proved me wrong. She completed my family, and I have never regretted having her.
My pregnancy was difficult. After eight pregnancies (one stillborn and six children), my poor body was tired of having children. I had gestational diabetes (insulin-dependent), low fluid, and was spotting blood for most of my pregnancy.
At 34 weeks, I started leaking more blood. It wasn’t spotting but more like a menstrual cycle. My doctor recommended getting checked.
After my examination, Dr. Brown (my OB) decided I needed bed rest. He ordered me to stay off my feet. He was uncomfortable with Olivia coming before 36 weeks.
Two days later, I felt like I had to go to the bathroom. Once I got into the bathroom, I started bleeding uncontrollably. There was so much blood that the bathroom looked like a crime scene.
I called my then-husband to the bathroom. I told him I needed to go to the hospital — something was wrong. He refused to drive me. He complained I would “bleed all over the car seat.”
I couldn’t contain my anger. This man was not worried about me or our daughter. I yelled for Nick and told him to call 9–1–1. My ex never thought about calling EMS.
EMS arrived relatively quickly. They moved quickly in getting me to the hospital. Once in the ambulance, they start two IVs (one in each arm), and they incline the stretcher 60 degrees with my feet in the air. They were trying to control the bleeding.
My blood pressure was 75/42. EMS called the hospital to give them an update. When we arrived…
