A mother who “died twice” during a traumatic birth says she remembers the moment doctors tried to restart her heart.
Keeley Wilson, 36, remembers the ECG monitor going flat and hearing the long beep as the surgeon cut into her to perform a C-section.
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His next memory is seeing the face of the anesthetist who was performing chest compressions – before his heart stopped again.
She returned a second time and heard newborn Sophia crying – but suffered broken ribs while trying to restart her heart.
Despite tests, doctors were never able to say precisely why she had two cardiac arrests.
But the ordeal left her with PTSD, anxiety, flashbacks and nightmares.
Keeley, from Greater Manchester, who works as a travel consultant and owns a Christmas tree decorating business, said: “I think it’s fair to say I died twice.
“My last memory was feeling so bad, then seeing the line go flat, hearing that long beep and everyone pushing buttons.
“Then I remember the anesthetist standing over me, saying my name over and over.
“I saw her face in my sleep for about six months because I had nightmares about it.”
Sophia, now three years old, was born weighing 7 pounds, 12 ounces at 10:18 a.m. on May 18, 2021, after an uncomplicated pregnancy.
Keeley had an elective C-section because she had an emergency C-section when her first daughter, Mya, now 14, was raped.
As the surgeon opened her belly, she felt an irresistible urge to vomit.
What is a near death experience?
A near-death experience (NDE) is classified as a life-changing experience that can occur under extreme conditions in which no sensory experience should be possible, say doctors at the University of Virginia.
These conditions can include trauma, cessation of brain activity, deep general anesthesia or cardiac arrest, they said.
These experiences can differ from person to person, and in many cases, experts claim that patients who experience an NDE will feel very comfortable and pain-free.
You can also experience the sensation of leaving your body, with some being able to see your physical body as you float above it.
Others may experience the mind working more clearly and quickly than usual.
Then, she saw the ECG line flat on the screen and heard a long beep, which signaled a loss of heartbeat.
She was unconscious for about two minutes, then lost consciousness again and woke up to the baby crying.
Her heart stopped again, she said, but she didn’t know for how long.
She thinks they used a defibrillator to restart her heart and give her adrenaline, and believes she was in the theater for just over two hours.
Keeley had an ECG and chest x-ray and was told she had fractured ribs due to chest compressions.
She went home the next day and said she had struggled with the pain and trauma for months.
“I felt a lot of pain afterwards,” she said.
“I could have had a C-section, but the broken ribs were agony.
“It seemed too early to be discharged, especially as I was still in shock.
“I couldn’t move – I had to sleep propped up for about two months because of the chest pain.
“I couldn’t lift my baby and it even hurt to have him lay on my chest – it made me very sad.
“I just wanted to hug her and I couldn’t – it made me feel like a failure – and I worried that we wouldn’t come together.
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“The first time I was able to pick her up and hug her was incredible.
“Fortunately, we have a very strong bond: in fact, I think it has made us even closer.”
She said she met with doctors weeks after the birth, but no one could explain why her heart stopped beating.
Keeley’s GP referred her to the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS), but she said she received no further answers.
She said: “I got PTSD from it. I was emotionally traumatized for about six months.
“I’ve never had any other mental health issues, but this gave me a lot of anxiety and flashbacks.
“I still feel confused.
“I can accept that this happened and that I have moved on, but when I think about it, I still feel the shock.
“Not knowing how it happened means it was much more complicated to put it behind us – I would still love to know.
“If this has happened to anyone else, I would love to hear from them.
“The midwives, my GP and the anesthetist said they didn’t know how this could happen to me.
“Everyone looked so shocked.
“All I’ve been told is ‘it’s just one of those things.’
“I still can’t figure out how I feel about it.”
How to give CPR to an adult
Sudden cardiac arrest is the immediate loss of all cardiac activity.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
