Michelle Brooks had to be “shaken back to life” by doctors when she collapsed while ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀɪɴɢ her daughter. The 27-year-old had developed a rare condition in her third trimester, which causes clotting in the ʟɪᴠᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ. It is called Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes, and Low Platelets (HELLP), and is ғᴀᴛᴀʟ in a quarter of cases.
The mum-of-five had been rushed to hospital when she developed high ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴘʀᴇssᴜʀᴇ, ᴠᴏᴍɪᴛɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ғᴀᴛɪɢᴜᴇ. And then while having her daughter, Honey, she kept ʟᴏsɪɴɢ ᴄᴏɴsᴄɪᴏᴜsɴᴇss and her ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ sᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ for two minutes. Mum and baby survived the ordeal, but now Michelle lives in ғᴇᴀʀ ᴏғ ᴀ ᴅᴇᴀᴅʟʏ fit at any moment. She said: ”I feel like I’m living as a ᴛɪᴄᴋɪɴɢ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ʙᴏᴍʙ. “The condition has no symptoms after I have given birth so I could ᴅɪᴇ at any point. “I’m under close observation and my ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴘʀᴇssᴜʀᴇ is slowly going down which is good news. “It’s so rare there is no ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ for it. They call it a sɪʟᴇɴᴛ ᴋɪʟʟᴇʀ.”
Seven month pregnant Michelle first started feeling ᴄʜᴇsᴛ ᴘᴀɪɴs – but her midwife assumed it was ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴜʀɴ and told her to get some rest. But she woke up at 2am unable to breathe and suffering an ɪɴᴛᴇɴsᴇ ʜᴇᴀᴅᴀᴄʜᴇ, vomiting and extreme fatigue. Her mum, Debbie Brooks, 50, drove her to hospital while she sᴄʀᴇᴀᴍᴇᴅ from the “excruciating ᴘᴀɪɴ”. She said: “All the sʏᴍᴘᴛᴏᴍs ʜɪᴛ me completely out of the blue. “Doctors thought that I had ᴘʀᴇ-ᴇᴄʟᴀᴍᴘsɪᴀ and they had to ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀ my little girl, Honey, as quickly as possible. “Minutes into labor my heart stopped ʙᴇᴀᴛɪɴɢ. “I officially ᴅɪᴇᴅ for a few minutes, and I had to be brought back to life.” ‘TICKING TIME BOMB’ The mum says she doesn’t remember anything from the birth, and was convinced she would ᴅɪᴇ.
Michelle described the pain she was in as ten times worse than labor, as doctors had to keep her conscious to give birth. She spent a week in the hospital recovering before doctors revealed that she had actually been suffering from HELLP sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ the entire time. HELLP has no symptoms after birth and doctors have warned Michelle could fit and die at any moment.
The busy mum had to stay on bed rest to keep her ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴘʀᴇssᴜʀᴇ ᴅᴏᴡɴ, leaving her partner Perry, 27, to look after their five children. She is now struggling to juggle looking after her children – Bridget, nine, Mia, five, Rhys, four, Jack, two and new baby Honey.
Michelle said: “It was terrifying and came out of nowhere and now I’m living while constantly ғᴇᴀʀɪɴɢ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ.
“It’s giving me dreadful anxiety that I could just drop d.ead at any moment. ”They said I have only a 45 percent chance of survival rate – it’s ᴀᴡғᴜʟ.
“Thankfully my partner is doing a huge amount; he’s doing really well
“It’s so rare I would never have thought my chest pains could be something so serious.
“But I want to help other women spot the signs and symptoms that I experienced.
“Slowly but surely, I’m getting back on my feet.
“I have good days and bad days but overall, I’m doing better and hopeful for the future.”
