Postpartum
Life Is Different When You’re Living With PTS: Lisa’s Story
At the age of 20, two weeks after giving birth to my beautiful baby girl, I had extreme pain in my lower calf and could barely move. It was swollen, red, and hot to the touch, and heavy. I was frightened! I went to the hospital, where I was diagnosed with a DVT and hospitalized…
We Have to Keep on Living: Ayesha’s Story
Two weeks after giving birth to our second son, I got out of bed and noticed my leg was hurting, and I was barely able to put weight on it. I went about my day as normal, but I started to feel heavy and tired. When I sat down and put my feet up, I…
Blood Thinners Need to be Available at a Lower Cost: Lydia’s Story
I had my first child in 1989 by C-section. Four weeks later, my left leg was hurting so badly that I could hardly walk. I went to the hospital and was told I had a blood clot in my left leg (DVT) and had to stay in the hospital for one month. This was hard…
My Road to Recovery is a Lifetime Journey: Vanessa’s Story
In September 2022, a couple of weeks after undergoing an emergency appendectomy, I was woken up by an intense pain in my knee. It lasted a few minutes and then I went back to sleep. A few days later, the pain came back and spread to my thigh, and I could not put weight on…
We Need More Voices, But Too Many of Us Aren’t Lucky Enough to Share Our Stories: Kyra’s Story
When I gave birth to my son, I was so excited to be a parent. But I began having headaches that were not normal. In the hospital, I was given medication to clot my blood because of slightly more than average blood loss. I was also given extra blood pressure checks because my blood pressure…
My Leg Pain Was Shrugged Off as a Labor Injury: Courtney’s Story
At five days postnatal, I started having pain in my right calf. I rang maternity at the hospital, who ran through the clot checklist: “Is it hot to touch? No. Is it red? No. Is it swollen? No.” Apart from the pain, there were no other symptoms. I was told to ring back if the…
I Lost a Year of My Life: Tatum’s Story
In January 2024, I had an uncomplicated, five-hour labor on my due date. Immediately after handing my baby off, a nurse applied a standard procedure intervention known as controlled cord traction. I instantly felt sick and demanded she stop, but it was too late. My baby’s placenta was shredded and forcibly ripped out of my…
I Had No Idea Blood Clots Were Such a Risk to Pregnant Women: Amanda’s Story
In November 2023, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl via C-section. It was our first child and we were so excited! A few weeks after giving birth, I had extreme pain in my stomach. I called my OB/GYN and they told me to take an anti-gas medication and see what happened. The pain…
Monica’s Plea: Please Call Your Doctor With Any New Postpatrum Symptoms
Written by Judy Boyd, mother of Monica Boyd Ashworth, who died of a pulmonary embolism on March 7, 2024, 12 days after giving birth to her son. I want to advocate for new moms-to-be so they don’t die as our daughter did—right here in Northern Virginia. The United States has the most advanced health care…
I Couldn’t Walk Without Extreme Pain: Kris’ Story
In July 2022, I gave birth to my second child via C-section. In October, I was doing physical therapy for my back. I woke up one morning and my left leg felt off, like a bad muscle cramp. Within a few days, it progressed to the point where I could not walk without extreme pain…
