The mum was admitted to St George’s Hospital 30 weeks into her pregnancy
A mum has shared her terrifying ordeal of losing 13 litres of blood during childbirth due to a rare, life-threatening pregnancy complication. Harriet Paget, 36, was admitted to St George’s Hospital in Tooting, South West London, after being diagnosed with placenta accreta, which caused bleeding 30 weeks into her pregnancy.
This condition causes the placenta to grow too deeply into the womb and, in Harriet’s case, it had passed through to the uterine wall – meaning delivering her baby could have been fatal.
The Farnham, Surrey resident, who is a mum of three, ended up being hospitalised during the latter part of her pregnancy before giving birth to her daughter at 35 weeks. Harriet’s daughter was born in May 2024 via planned c-section and during the delivery, Harriet lost an astonishing 13 litres of blood.
To put this into perspective, women typically have around 4.5 litres of blood in their body, according to St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group (GESH).
Following the birth, Harriet’s newborn daughter was rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) as she required immediate breathing support. Harriet was also taken to intensive care, where both mother and daughter recovered before heading home eight days later. Both mum and baby are now doing well.
Reflecting on her experience, Harriet said: “It can be miserable living out parts of your pregnancy in hospital when you’re away from your family, but the caring teams at St George’s made it bearable. During the time I stayed in the hospital, I was filled with gratitude for everyone who cared for me both during my pregnancy and my recovery – and of course to all who were instrumental in saving my life.”
She continued: “When you’re vulnerable like I was, it’s very important that the care you receive makes you feel that things are going to be ok. During my pregnancy, I was away from home a lot and that made me so appreciative of how giving NHS workers are. It’s also made me so admirable of NHS workers who give such dedicated care.”
Harriet was so touched by the treatment she received that she gave her daughter the middle name Ana as a special tribute to her consultant.
Consultant Ana Pinas said: “Harriet was one of our most challenging cases to date and proof that good team-work is the key to safe and excellent care for our patients. I will never forget the feeling when I saw her awake and well in the Intensive Care Unit, only 24 hours after we were concerned about her life. It is an honour to have her little girl named after me – they will always have a special place in my heart.”
Harriet also participated in the London Landmarks Half Marathon in April and raised more than £5,000 for St George’s Hospital charity. Now, the grateful mum is urging the public to celebrate their health heroes in the gesh CARE Awards – the NHS equivalent of the Oscars.
She added: “The care I had at St George’s was incredible – from the consultants to the nurses, to the catering staff. The level of care I received has given me a new-found respect. It’s great that the public can nominate a dedicated worker for a much-deserved award.”
Kate Slemeck, Managing Director at St George’s Hospital, stated: “We really welcome hearing from patients about the expert care they’ve received from our clinical and support teams – they go above and beyond for people like Harriet and her daughter every day.”
She added: “I am so proud of the dedicated care we provide – and I hope people will nominate their health heroes to help us all celebrate them and what they do.”
Davina Metters, Director of Fundraising and Communications at St George’s Hospital Charity, added: “We were so in awe of Harriet when she took on the London Landmarks Half Marathon after her life-saving treatment. Raising over £5,000 for St George’s Hospital Charity was a truly inspiring way to give back to the staff who cared for her.”
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