“I was gone.” St. Louis mother shares near death experience after giving birth
By Alexis Zotos
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ST. LOUIS, Missouri (KCTV) — Jessica Grib nearly died giving birth to her daughter, almost becoming a statistic impacting hundreds of women every year. Each year in the US, around 700 women who give birth die due to complications during childbirth.
Grib developed blood pressure issues around 35 weeks pregnant.
“I was chasing around a toddler so I thought this is just kind of pregnancy-related symptons,” said Grib.
On Sept. 29, 2016, she had an emergency C-section and delivered her daughter. But that’s when things changed.
“I crashed and coded, the doctors and nurses came flooding into the room. They handed my daughter to my husband and said you need to get out,” Grib said.
Doctors say she flatlined for 36 hours, kept alive with the help of a small heart pump.
“She suffered peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM). PPCM is a form of heart failure that causes the heart chambers to enlarge and weaken at the end of pregnancy.
Two weeks after giving birth she was finally able to meet her daughter Amelia. She’s since made a full recovery and even had two additional children. But her story is one she wants others to hear.
“Unfortunately, maternal mortality continues to rise in the United States so overall the trends are going in the wrong direction,” said Dr. Kathryn Lindley, an associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University.
Dr. Lindley previously worked at Washington University when she treated Grib.
Missouri ranks near the bottom when it comes to maternal mortality, something Governor Mike Parson has vowed to address. In the US, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of maternal mortality rates.
One of the challenges is diagnosing it before it’s too late.
“It can be tricky because some of the normal symptoms of pregnancy can be symptoms of heart failure. It’s really important that both the patient and their physician or their medical care team be paying close attention,” said Dr. Lindley.
Things to watch for include fatigue, a rapid heartbeat or palpitations, increased nighttime urination, shortness of breath with activity and when lying flat, swelling of the ankles, swollen neck veins, and low blood pressure or blood pressure that drops when standing.
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