Update: The Serious Complications Serena Williams Dealt With After Her Emergency C-Section
Update, January 16:
After Serena Williams' Vogue interview was published, it sparked a wave of discussion about the birth complications that women of color face far too often. And this week, Williams herself commented on the disparity in a Facebook post.
"I didn’t expect that sharing our family’s story of Olympia’s birth and all of complications after giving birth would start such an outpouring of discussion from women — especially black women — who have faced similar complications and women whose problems go unaddressed," she wrote. "Let me be clear: EVERY mother, regardless of race, or background deserves to have a healthy pregnancy and childbirth. I personally want all women of all colors to have the best experience they can have."
She went on to say that, although her experience was "not great," it made her stronger and gave her a new appreciation for all women. And she encouraged women who had dealt with similar complications to continue sharing their stories. "This helps. We can help others," she wrote. "Our voices are our power."
Original Report, January 10:
Vogue's newest star can't walk, talk, or feed herself yet, but she's already a master at the whole "cover girl" thing. For the cover of the magazine's February 2018 issue, Serena Williams's four-month-old daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., poses alongside her mom. And inside the issue, Williams gives details about the emergency C-section she underwent during Alexis' September 1 birth and the medical complications that followed.
As Williams puts it, almost immediately after Alexis arrived safely into the world, "everything went bad."
The day after giving birth, Williams felt short of breath and because she has a history of blood clots, worried that she was having a pulmonary embolism (a life-threatening condition in which a blood clot travels to the lungs). So she asked for a CT scan with contrast and heparin, a blood thinner, in an IV. She was right: The scan revealed that a few small blood clots had found their way into her lungs. “I was like, listen to Dr. Williams!” she said.
In the days that followed, the clots in her lungs made her cough so much that her C-section stitches broke open. Additionally, the blood thinner produced hemorrhaging at the C-section site, causing a large hematoma to flood her abdomen; and on top of all that, when she was finally allowed to go home, she learned that her plans for a night nurse weren't going to work out.
All of this stress left Williams doubting herself. “Sometimes I get really down and feel like, man, I can’t do this,” she said in the interview. “No one talks about the low moments—the pressure you feel, the incredible letdown every time you hear the baby cry. I’ve broken down I don’t know how many times. Or I’ll get angry about the crying, then sad about being angry, and then guilty, like, 'Why do I feel so sad when I have a beautiful baby?' The emotions are insane.”
As SELF previously reported, blood clots are a rare but real risk after giving birth.
The reasons for the risk aren't totally understood, but Hooman Kamel, M.D., an assistant professor of neurology and neuroscience in Weill Cornell Medical College's department of neurology, told SELF previously that physiological changes during pregnancy—including increasing the volume of blood in the body—may make the blood more likely to clot. Those changes may also affect the lining of the blood vessels, potentially making it more likely for clots to form at the site of damaged blood vessels.
Those who have C-sections, high blood pressure, and a genetic predisposition to clots are at an even higher risk for developing clots. And, unfortunately, women of color are much more likely to die due to complications from pregnancy and delivery than white women, according to the CDC.
In some cases, pregnant people with risk factors like these are preventively prescribed medications to reduce the risk of clotting after giving birth, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).
But all new parents should be on the lookout for the signs of blood clots and a pulmonary embolism, both of which can become very serious very quickly. A blood clot may appear as a painful, swollen, red area that's warm to the touch (often appearing on the leg or calf muscle area). And the major symptom of a pulmonary embolism is shortness of breath. However, that can be tricky to pick up on because it's also just a normal symptom of being pregnant.
So if you think something is wrong, speak up—and don't be afraid to be persistent.
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