Additional Coverage:
- Mom ‘wakes up dizzy’ and nearly dies in childbirth after losing eight liters of blood (themirror.com)
A mother’s life was saved after a harrowing childbirth emergency that saw her lose over eight liters of blood due to a placental abruption.
Chloe Jacobs, 39, was 34 weeks pregnant when she awoke in the early hours feeling dizzy and sweating profusely. Initially drifting back to sleep, she soon realized she was experiencing heavy bleeding. Fearing for her baby’s safety, Chloe sat on the toilet as her fiancé, Chris Smallwood, 40, quickly called for an ambulance.
Rushed to St. Mary’s Hospital on the Isle of Wight, Chloe underwent an emergency C-section at 4:51 a.m., delivering their daughter Pixi, who weighed just under 5 pounds. Despite the successful delivery, doctors struggled to control the bleeding caused by the placenta partially detaching from the uterine wall, a serious condition known as placental abruption.
Within 20 minutes of Pixi’s birth, Chloe was placed into a medically induced coma to manage the hemorrhaging. After receiving nine blood transfusions, both mother and baby have since recovered and are now home in good health.
Chloe, a teaching assistant from Newport, expressed deep gratitude to the medical team: “I’m so lucky and so grateful to be alive. Pixi or I, or both of us, could so easily have died.
It’s very scary to think about.” She recounted how the bleeding was relentless, “like a tap that just wouldn’t stop,” throughout the birth.
Chris praised the ambulance crew and hospital staff for their calm professionalism during the crisis. He recalled how quickly the emergency services arrived-within five minutes of the call-and how the hospital team acted urgently, knowing the situation was critical. Pixi was transferred to the special care baby unit for breathing support, while Chloe remained under general anesthetic.
“It was terrifying,” Chris said. “There were about 20 people working to save her. Every 20 minutes, someone would update me, and each time I heard they were still trying to stop the bleeding, I became more worried.”
In total, Chloe received 17 liters of transfusions, including blood, platelets, and plasma. After nearly ten days in the hospital, she was discharged on March 10, with Pixi following ten days later once her breathing had stabilized.
Reflecting on the ordeal, Chris said, “We are incredibly grateful to the NHS. In many places, this outcome might have been very different, and the cost could have been catastrophic.” He described a touching moment when Chloe showed signs of waking, responding softly to hearing Pixi’s name.
Now home, the family is cherishing every moment together, thankful for the care that saved both mother and child in what was a truly life-threatening emergency.