00:00Hi, my name is Natasha Shukumbi. This is my daughter Bo Shukumbi. I had a cardiac arrest,
00:0837 weeks pregnant in A&E in Royal Stoke Hospital.
00:14I didn't feel well on Monday night. I was struggling to sleep, couldn't lay flat because
00:20I couldn't breathe, so I went downstairs to watch a bit of TV. Still couldn't breathe,
00:27so I thought I'll call 111 and ask. I explained via Jeff Baines that I'm 37 weeks pregnant
00:35and I'm struggling to breathe. They told me to make my way down to Stoke Hospital within
00:41the hour, so I went and got myself dressed fast and caught a taxi. Didn't wake my husband
00:49or my other child, just went. Went to A&E, signed in to triage, I explained my symptoms,
00:59they asked me to go and take a seat. While I was walking into triage waiting area, I
01:06collapsed onto my stomach and then I had the cardiac arrest. Obviously the alarms were
01:15going off and they started CPR within 20 seconds and took me into probably a little
01:23room and continued CPR and they realised they needed to get the baby out, so it took them
01:31four minutes for the C-section. While they were doing the C-section they continued CPR
01:39on me. Then they defibrillated me five times and this took around 40 minutes. I woke up
01:51I think it was 12 or 13 hours later, not knowing what had happened, didn't know where my baby
02:00was, very confused. But when I woke up I seen my husband, he explained what had happened
02:08but it just wouldn't click and I wanted to see my baby. I didn't know what gender it
02:13was, so he showed me photos and yeah, it clicked then. So then the doctors came around and
02:22explained what happened and they said I'm very lucky to be here and my child. Yeah and
02:29explained I had a cardiac arrest in A&E. I also had a blood clot in my right leg and
02:37in my neck, so they were seeing to that also. Stayed in critical care for four days, Brilliant
02:47Care Offshore Hospital. Got a little bit better, started sitting up, that's when I was able
02:57to hold my daughter then, but was struggling because of the weight. I had to have help.
03:04Then I was moved to critical care, but a unit ward. That's when I started walking. Got
03:13much better. Seen my daughter every other day and my other daughter and yeah, I just
03:21got better. Then I was told I was having an ICD fitted, which is like a pacemaker, but
03:28it's like a defibrillator. So if it happens again, it'll shock the heart and do the work
03:38of a defibrillator. Had that fitted on the 17th of December and they said I'm able to
03:46go home the same day. So I came home just before Christmas to my little family. Yes,
03:53very happy.
Comments