Hospital team saved our lives
Joanne Green and seven month old Sam thanks to the midwifery staff at Lynn's Queen Elizabeth Hospital. www.lynnnews.co.uk/buyaphoto
A MOTHER says she and her baby son would not be alive today if it was not for a quick thinking midwife.
Joanne Green has thanked Teresa Polecka-Szczerba for saving her life and that of her son Sam after a blood clot had detached her placenta.
Baby Sam was delivered six weeks early, weighing just 5lb 5oz, during an emergency Caesarean at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, but Joanne was left poorly after losing a lot of blood.
Placental abruption is a serious condition which affects one in 200 pregnancies.
Nearly eight months later, both mother and baby, who live in Windsor Street, Downham, are doing well and Joanne puts it is down to the efforts of Teresa and the surgical team.
Joanne said: “I will be forever grateful to them as we wouldn’t be here if it was not for them.
“I just want to say thank you for saving our lives and looking after Sam.”
Joanne called the maternity unit on May 22 after she began to feel unwell. She said: “I just thought I was being over-dramatic at the time.”
Joanne was advised to come-in to the hospital urgently for an examination and while midwife Teresa conducted a scan, she noticed that something was wrong and called for help.
Joanne said: “Next thing I knew eight medical staff were around my bed and rushed me into theatre. I lost two litres of blood on the theatre bed.”
A blood clot had formed between the uterus wall and the placenta which could not be picked up in previous scans.
Joanne said that the clot had grown so big that it pulled the placenta away from the wall.
Luckily, the surgical team was able to deliver Sam but Joanne had to have a blood transfusion.
Three days later she had to have another blood transfusion while Sam’s weight had dropped by ten per cent.
But after a two-week stay both mother and baby, who had now put on weight, were allowed to go home.
Sam’s traumatic birth has not held him back as the youngster is now crawling.
Joanne, who also has a five-year-old son called Frederik, said: “Sam is amazing, he is crawling and got his teeth and is talking.
“It is hard to think that he might not be here if it was not for the hospital.”
A hospital spokesman said: “All our midwives feel it is a privilege to be with a mother when a new life is coming into the world.
“It is really good news to hear that Mrs Green and her son are doing so well and we are really proud of Teresa for displaying such professional skill during and after the delivery.”
Joanne has nominated the night staff at the delivery ward for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Shining Stars People’s Choice award.
To nominate a worthy member of staff or hospital team yourself, see our story on Page 20 of the Lynn News today (Tuesday).
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