Serena Williams: I Almost Died From Complications From Daughter's Birth

Serena Williams is using her platform to speak out about something very important that affects many women, especially black women. The tennis superstar revealed that she almost lost her life when giving birth to her daughter, Alexis Olympia

We already knew that she had to have an emergency C-section to give birth because Williams admitted this when she announced that Alexis Olympia had come into the world. However, we didn't know why. It turns out that this occurred because Williams' heart rate dropped dangerously low when she began having contractions. 

So, in her cover story for Vogue, Williams opened up about birthing struggles and her postpartum ones. The athlete -- who's had a history of getting blood clots -- said that the day after she gave birth, she had a pulmonary embolism. Web MD defines this condition as "the sudden blockage of a major blood vessel (artery) in the lung, usually by a blood clot." 

At this point, Williams told the doctors and nurses her medical history. She also suggested a CT scan. However, they didn't initially listen to her and gave her an ultrasound, instead. "I was like, a Doppler? I told you, I need a CT scan and a heparin drip," Williams recalled. The nurses eventually did the CT scan where they found several blood clots. The celeb said, "I was like, listen to Dr. Williams!" 

“I didn’t expect that sharing our family’s story of Olympia’s birth and all of complications after giving birth would start such an outpouring of discussion from women — especially black women — who have faced similar complications and women whose problems go unaddressed,” Williams later wrote on Facebook. 

She added: “Let me be clear: EVERY mother, regardless of race, or background deserves to have a healthy pregnancy and childbirth. I personally want all women of all colors to have the best experience they can have. My personal experience was not great but it was MY experience and I’m happy it happened to me,” she wrote. “It made me stronger and it made me appreciate women — both women with and without kids — even more. We are powerful!!!”

We're SO happy that Williams recovered well and everything is now OK. 

Photo: AOL


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