A caesarean section was performed on a 29-year-old woman with gestational diabetes surnamed Lin (林), who at 39 weeks pregnant gave birth to a girl weighing an above-average 4.15kg, Taichung Hospital said.
Immediately after the operation, Lin’s uterus failed to properly contract and she experienced excessive blood loss from the organ, doctors said.
Doctors then proceeded to bind Lin’s uterine artery and freeze her uterus to protect her chances of having more children.
Lin’s husband said that seeing his newborn daughter sleeping safely while Taichung Hospital deputy director Huang Yuan-te (黃元德) and other doctors saved his wife from severe blood loss was “like an emotional rollercoaster.”
The uterus normally contracts to about 10cm to 15cm in diameter following childbirth, Huang said.
Because Lin’s baby was so large at the time of delivery her uterus failed to contract to less than 30cm and began to bleed, Huang said.
Lin lost 4 liters of blood and nearly went into shock, Huang said, adding that her blood pressure also dropped dangerously low.
Doctors gave Lin blood transfusions and injections, while cold gauze was applied to force the uterus to contract more, Huang said.
Doctors spent two hours on Lin’s caesarean section — a procedure that normally takes 20 minutes — and worked into the following day to stabilize her condition, Huang said.
In addition to 3 liters of blood, Lin was given serum proteins to help with coagulation, Huang said.
“Those first two days I was constantly staring at the incoming reports, afraid I was going to get a call from the intensive care unit,” Huang said.
Lin said that while she weighed more than 100kg prior to giving birth, she now pays great attention to her weight and her overall health.
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