#Blood4EmD: Emma encourages others to give blood on her behalf
A rare complication during her second pregnancy meant Mum Emma had to have a caesarean hysterectomy at 34 weeks. She shares her blood transfusion story.
Emma said, 'During my second pregnancy I was told I showed signs of having Placenta Accreta Spectrum (PAS) at my 20 week scan. I was counselled on the risks of high blood loss during surgery and told I would need to have an early scheduled delivery. This condition means the placenta cannot detach from the wall of the uterus, and so to minimise blood loss, my uterus would also have to be removed. I knew we didn't want to have more kids but this was still earth shattering news. It was a really sad and scary time.'
Thanks to blood donors, my children still have their mum. I am organising some blood drives and hope to encourage people to donate blood to replace the volume donated to me. Emma
Having this condition requires a highly specialist surgery with a multi-disciplinary team and Emma was transferred to the Simpson Unit and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh who had experience in PAS cases. Living a couple of hours away from the hospital meant she should be admitted a week before surgery at 33 weeks.
She continued, 'An extended stay in hospital was not appealing as I had a four year old daughter at home too, and the thought of being away from her and my partner was gut wrenching. But I also felt like a time bomb, and knew it was the sensible thing to do. The decision to stay in hospital saved my life.'
On her first night in hospital, in early May 2023, Emma woke up bleeding profusely and was rushed to theatre. She was put under general aesthetic and a baby boy was safely delivered. Thankfully he was ok, but Emma was not out of the woods yet. A severe haemorrhage resulted in Emma losing 13 litres of blood and she was in surgery for about four hours. Her new baby boy was already 15 hours old when she finally got to meet him and hold him for the first time.
Emma says, 'I really hope sharing my story helps to raise awareness of PAS, and I hope it also demonstrates the life-saving importance of blood donation. Thanks to blood donors, my children still have their mum. I am organising some blood drives and hope to encourage enough people to give blood to replace the volume that was donated to me. We're documenting this via social media using #Blood4EmD if you wish to help meet my target. To anyone who has ever donated blood, thank you.
'If anyone reading this has had this condition or recently diagnosed and wants more information, the resources at paireland.ie (PAI) are thorough and have been developed by medics and PAS mums. It's a scary time and so isolating having a condition that no one has heard about. Placenta Accreta Scotland are currently working in collaboration with PAI to set up a similar support group in Scotland.'
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