My Pregnancy Nightmare with Deep Vein Thrombosis

It was somewhere around my 6th month of pregnancy. I was in the zone: happy, expectant and loving my little bump. I remember the day clearly, I just leaving work when my leg gave way. Something inside my thigh just snapped. I felt sick, I was sweating and in so much pain I couldn’t breathe. For the next few days I was in agony and immobile. I spoke to the midwife who assured me that it was nothing to worry about, that it was probably sciatica. I went to my local GP and he sent me for a scan to make sure it wasn’t a blood clot, the tests came back negative. My husband spent the next few days driving me to physio and after a few sessions it felt like my leg was getting better. I stupidly went back to work; I could hobble on my leg but not for long periods. I was sitting at my desk when I realised my left thigh had blown up like a balloon. I kept calling the midwife who discouraged me from coming into hospital. I couldn’t believe the pain was sciatica but she kept assuring me that it was.

Hub and I had booked a weekend away and me being stubborn still wanted to go. We packed a few bags and drove to Broulee. It was a complete write off! I spent most of the time in bed screaming with pain. Eventually after many frantic calls from hub the midwife told me to come to the hospital and see the doctor. We packed up and drove straight there. I was seen immediately and something about their urgency frightened me. My leg was measured and I was given painkillers and hooked up to a monitor to check bub’s heartbeat. The Dr told me that she thought it might be a blood clot and they wouldn’t know until the morning. I was given an injection of a blood thinner called Clexane just in case. Morning came and I was taken in a wheelchair for a scan. The results showed that there was a massive blood clot in the whole of my right thigh. I had a severe case of Deep Vein Thrombosis and the Drs said it was the largest they had seen. I was lucky to be alive! A part of the clot could have broken off at any time and travelled to my lung causing a pulmonary embolism. Unfortunately for me the blood clot wasn’t picked up in the initial scan which often happens.

The rest of the pregnancy was a nightmare for me and my family. I was kept in hospital for a week to monitor the clot and was classed as high risk. I had to inject myself with Clexane twice a day for 6 months and couldn’t have the natural water birth I had been planning. Luckily most of the clot has dissipated. I now have regular scans to check I am clot free and if we decide to have another baby I will have to go back on Clexane. I wanted to share my story because this could happen to anyone. Blood clots are common during pregnancy but not often talked about. Read up on how you can prevent them. If you think something is wrong go straight to Emergency. I am very lucky that my son and I are here today.

Mama Stylista is a Mother, Stylist, Presenter and Blogger originally from London and now living in Sydney, Australia with her husband and son. Mama Stylista has over 15 year experience in the fashion industry. She has trained at the London College of Fashion and worked as a fashion buyer, event organiser and stylist. Mama Stylista is also a trained TV presenter/host. Creator of the ‘Mama Stylista’ blog that combines Motherhood and Fashion where you will find fashion tips, online finds, ‘What I Wore’ posts, Motherhood Minutiae, Reviews, Competitions and much more. Mama Stylista is a columnist at Eastern suburbs newspaper ‘Latte Life’ and a fashion contributor at Leaders in Heels.  Find here site here www.mamastylista.com