When Emily Perry felt achy and rundown a few weeks after giving birth, she put it down to tiredness and the fact she was still recovering after a difficult C-section. “I had flu-like symptoms and my bones ached. But I had two children under two, and had just been through a traumatic birth, so I just assumed I felt unwell because of everything that had happened,” says Emily, 39, who lives in Maidenhead with husband Steve, 38, and daughters Harriet, six and Tori, four.
But when her condition quickly deteriorated, Emily knew something was very wrong. “I’d just popped to the bathroom, and while I was there I suddenly felt very cold and unwell. It happened so quickly. I panicked that I might have internal bleeding – I knew something was not right. I went downstairs and told my sister Abi, who was visiting, that I needed help.”
Within minutes, Emily was so ill she was unable to speak. “I was shaking uncontrollably. I felt like I was dying. Abi rang 999, and I was trying to explain to her what was happening. But I could barely speak. I was sending the signals to my mouth, but I couldn’t form the words because my body wasn’t under my control any more. I could hear Abi on the phone – she said my lips, fingers, hands and feet were grey-blue. This all happened within 15 minutes.”
As she was taken to Wexham Park Hospital in an ambulance, Emily knew she was seriously ill. “I remember thinking, ‘Am I coming back to my children? Am I ever going to see them again?’” she says. Emily was rushed to hospital where she was diagnosed with life-threatening sepsis.
Pregnant and postpartum women are particularly at risk from sepsis according to the NCT, it is the third most common cause of maternal death in the first six weeks after birth in women in the UK and Ireland. Darcey Croft, NHS advanced practice midwife and founder of Isomum, says: “Postpartum sepsis can stem from infections related to pregnancy, like those in the uterus, bladder or perineal wounds, or from unrelated infections such as pneumonia or a UTI.
Sepsis can develop quickly from the initial infection, progressing to septic shock in as little as 12 to 24 hours. “Early recognition and treatment are crucial as immediate medical attention can significantly improve the outcome.”
Once in hospital, Emily was treated with IV antibiotics and paracetamol. “I had nine cannulas in my elbows, wrists and the backs of my hands. Every hour they were giving me something else,” she says. “It took them a while to find an antibiotic to bring the infection down, but after a couple of days I started to feel better.”
Tests revealed the bacteria E.coli in Emily’s blood, which is what triggered the sepsis. Doctors never managed to conclusively find the source of the E.coli, but she may have been infected during her C-section, which was emergency surgery after it was discovered her placenta was embedded in the wall of her uterus.
She was released from hospital after a week, but her ordeal didn’t end there. Research shows that around 40 per cent of sepsis survivors report physical, cognitive or psychological after-effects.
Emily says the experience made her lose confidence in her own health. She was diagnosed with PTSD and had months of counselling to help her deal with the trauma.
Tori is now four years old, and although Emily has largely recovered from the experience, she still finds herself getting anxious and believes she is “less resilient” when either of her children is sick. I want to say to other mums – listen to your body. If you think something is wrong, trust your gut and see the doctor. I’m terrified by the thought that my children nearly lost their mum because I told myself I was just tired and run down.”
Emily, who is a researcher for an executive search firm, adds: “I’m incredibly lucky my sister was there when it happened, otherwise my husband wouldn’t have been home for eight or nine hours and that could have been catastrophic. Abi, Wexham Park Hospital and South Central Ambulance Service saved my life.”