Kelley Evans really is one blessed mum. She ‘died’ after her heart stopped as a result of a cardiac arrest during pregnancy, but she miraculously lived through the ordeal and even gave birth to a healthy baby girl four months after!
She suffered a cardiac arrest during pregnancy
When Kelley was 23 weeks pregnant with her daughter when she thought that she was suffering a panic attack. She recounts, “On the day I nearly died, I woke up around 5am having what I thought was a panic attack.”
“I did all the things they recommend, I drank some water, sat in the bathroom and did some breathing exercises but it just wouldn’t go away for about half an hour.”
Her husband, Gareth, worried for his wife’s health, immediately called emergency services because he felt that his wife’s condition was serious.
The paramedic came just in the nick of time, as Kelley was already ‘dead’ after heart stopped for four minutes right before the paramedic restarted her heart using a defibrillator.
“If the first responder hadn’t arrived when she did, it would have been a whole different story,” she recounts.
As it turns out, Kelley had a rare condition called Wolff Parkinson White syndrome that causes her heart to beat too fast. As a result, she suffered a cardiac arrest during her pregnancy which caused her heart to stop before she was revived.
She didn’t have any complications and even gave birth four months after!
What’s more amazing is that even if her heart stopped for four minutes, it didn’t result in any complications or long term damage. After four months, she gave birth to her daughter Ava, who was born perfectly healthy and didn’t even show any signs of what her mother went through.
The couple are also very thankful of the paramedic, whom they only know as Stephanie, for saving Kelley and baby Ava’s life.
Her husband shares, “We want to say a huge thank you to Stephanie for saving the life of my wife and our unborn baby.”
“Without her I could have lost both of them, and our young son Bob, who is two, would be without a mummy.”
Four months after her ordeal, Kelley gave birth to a healthy baby girl.
Mums, make sure to keep yourselves healthy!
While Kelley’s cardiac arrest was a result of her extremely rare condition, it’s just as important for mums to be fully aware of their health and know the various things that can put them at risk during their pregnancy.
- Excessive bleeding. Bleeding can mean different things throughout a mum’s pregnancy. It can sometimes mean an ectopic pregnancy, a miscarriage, or something more serious. Any sort of bleeding during your pregnancy shouldn’t be taken lightly, and you need to immediately visit your doctor if you experience bleeding.
- Severe nausea and vomiting. Morning sickness can be normal for some women, but extremely severe nausea and vomiting aren’t normal things as they can cause dehydration which puts your baby’s life at risk.
- Decline in the baby’s activity. It’s common for babies to become inactive once in a while, but how can moms know if they should be worried? A good way to check for activity would be to drink something cold or eat some food and then lie on your side. If your baby is healthy, they should start moving. If not, make sure to go to the doctor right away.
- Early contractions. Contractions can mean preterm labor, but sometimes it could also be Braxton-Hicks contractions. For moms who are in their third trimester and suffer any contractions, make sure to contact your doctor right away.
- Flu. Pregnant women should get vaccinated for the flu even before they get pregnant. Flu can cause a lot of complications for pregnant women, and pregnant women are also more likely to get sick from the flu during flu season.
Source: nypost.com
Photos screencapped from: nypost.com
READ: Ladies, you might have had a heart attack and didn’t even know it!
