We’re all in motherhood together, and so it’s incredibly important for us to share our stories and experiences, in order to help others and raise awareness for those rare conditions that some mums may never have even heard of.
This is what British mum-of-three Claire Gaylor has decided to do, after she and her unborn son almost lost their lives from placenta percreta.
The 37-year-old had previously been diagnosed with Asherman’s Syndrome, which causes scar tissue on the womb. When she fell ill 30 weeks into her pregnancy, however, doctors initially began treating her for heartburn.
10 days later, when Claire’s condition deteriorated, doctors were finally able to figure out what was wrong – she had placenta percreta, a rare but life-threatening condition. Placenta percreta arises where the placenta grows too deeply into the womb muscle, sometimes extending to nearby organs and causing heavy bleeding and even premature birth.
The condition threatened both Claire and unborn son Cody’s lives – while Claire ended up in a coma for five days, little Cody stopped breathing twice due to swallowing blood.
Eventually, doctors delivered Cody via C-section, but they didn’t hold out much hope for the pair’s survival. They went on to give Claire a ‘life-saving’ hysterectomy and, against all odds, she and her tot made full recoveries.
Now, almost two years later, Claire has shared her story with the world, via The Mirror, to raise awareness for this rare pregnancy condition.
“I couldn't believe how close I had come to losing my life and my baby. It's so scary to think that our future could have been snatched away by this rare condition,” she said.
SHARE to spread Claire’s story and raise awareness of placenta percreta.
