I had my beautiful baby boy on August 26, 2023. I had a low-risk pregnancy and a water birth with no complications.
At 2.5 weeks postpartum, I began to get a headache that I assumed was from sleep deprivation. As a migraine sufferer, I am used to severe headaches and had not been on my preventative medication for 12 months. I contacted my GP who advised it was probably a migraine.
However, my midwife saved my life when the next day she came to see me and insisted I go to Maternity Triage to get seen ASAP, and I was then able to take my newborn with me.
They quickly saw me and got me scanned. While I was feeding my newborn I was told I had an extensive blood clot in my brain known as a cerebral venous sinus thrombosis or CVST. I asked if I was going to die, to which they said they caught it just in time and started me on high-dose blood thinners.
The whole experience was very traumatic. I was low risk and had no clotting disorders, so the likelihood of this happening to me was so slim.
I was back in the hospital a month later with worsening symptoms but, luckily, they saw that the clot had started to disperse.
I was then on blood thinners for three months before having a clear CT scan. I am now six months post-CVST and still suffer from migraines as well as intracranial tension, sight issues, and medical PTSD.
I am hoping my story will urge more women to advocate for themselves during pregnancy and the postpartum period. If it wasn’t for my midwife, I wouldn’t be here today.
Resources
Women and Blood Clots
Know Your Risk
Psychological Impact of Blood Clots
