The female tennis former world number 1 and superstar, Serena Williams has revealed how she nearly lost her life during childbirth last year, she added that she had to go through C-section and went through some numbers of surgeries after she gave birth to her daughter named Alexis Olympia.
All these were revealed during her interview with vogues Magazine, Serena also mentioned that she experienced a wave of medical and emotional issues immediately after the birth daughter.
She further stated that the day after the operation, she fell ill and doctors found several small clots in her lungs. Then she suffered another terrifying scare when her C-section scar burst open and doctors found a large haematoma (a solid swelling of clotted blood within the tissues) had flooded her abdomen.
The tennis star, who has a history of blood clots, was the one that raised the alarm after she found herself feeling short of breath a day after becoming a mum. Because she had been taking blood-thinners to dispel the clots, the medication caused bleeding at the site of the Caesarian section.
She had to be taken in for another surgical operation and was discharged after a week. She eventually went home and it was then she realised that she couldn’t get out of bed on her own.
The baby, Alexis Olympia, was born via emergency Caesarean section due to the her alarmingly low heart rate. The baby’s health stabilised after birth since she was subjected to intensive care, but Serena said that “everything went bad” for her personally.
“Sometimes, I get really down and feel like, man, I can’t do this. It’s that same negative attitude I have on the court sometimes. I guess that’s just who I am. No one talks about the low moments — the pressure you feel, the incredible letdown every time you hear the baby cry.” she confessed
She also revealed that she has broken down frequently since becoming a mother.
“Or I’ll get angry about the crying, then sad about being angry, and then guilty, like, ‘Why do I feel so sad when I have a beautiful baby?’ The emotions are insane,” she said.
Serena Williams has won a record 23 Grand Slam titles in her career as a professional tennis player.
