Mum close to bleeding to death after unborn baby grew on old caesarean scar

‘I didn’t want to get everyone’s hopes up after they’d felt so helpless before. I took about 14 pregnancy tests to be sure before I told Andrew.

‘Even now, six months on, when I look at Éabha, I can barely believe she’s real.’

Before having Liam in January 2012 and Seán in January 2015, Kellie had experienced another ectopic pregnancy.

So, with her history, when she fell pregnant again in early 2017, it was agreed she would be closely monitored.

Then, in March 2017, a six week scan revealed she was suffering from a caesarean scar ectopic pregnancy.

She recalled: ‘I didn’t really understand what was happening, but was told not to Google anything, as I sat in the waiting room for a doctor to come and speak to me.

‘Of course, I did what everybody does and Googled it. All I saw was these horror stories that sent me into a panic.’

According to the charity The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust, the high risk of bleeding, which can need a hysterectomy to control it, means that, if a caesarean scar pregnancy is diagnosed, patients are usually advised to terminate.

What is an ectopic pregnancy?

Ectopic pregnancy is a condition that affects 1 in 80 pregnancies.

It means ‘an out-of-place pregnancy’ and it occurs when a fertilised egg implants outside the womb.

The most common place for an ectopic pregnancy is the Fallopian tube but there are many other sites where an ectopic pregnancy can be located.

In some rare cases, it can be implanted in the scar left in the uterus following a caesarean section.

The evidence suggests that these pregnancies, if they continue, will be associated with the placenta becoming deeply implanted into the scar and often through the scar into the space between the uterus and the bladder.

If the pregnancy survives, the placenta then fails to come away at delivery and there is a very high risk of severe bleeding, needing a hysterectomy to control bleeding or worse.

Early in the pregnancy these scar pregnancies may also bleed heavily.

The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust

For this reason, Kellie was admitted to hospital right away, before being given a methotrexate injection the following morning.

Designed to stop the pregnancy from developing any further, it works by temporarily interfering with the body’s processing of folate – an essential vitamin needed to help rapidly dividing cells in pregnancy.

Kellie recalled: ‘I had been so excited, even telling the boys they were getting a brother or sister.

‘They were beside themselves, chattering away when they came to see me in hospital, telling the lady in the next bed that, “Mummy was going to have a baby before Halloween.”

‘It broke my heart telling them that wasn’t going to happen anymore.’

Eventually, following a second methotrexate injection when Kellie’s levels of hCG – a pregnancy hormone – failed to drop as expected, she was discharged after two weeks.

But it wasn’t until four months later in July 2017 that she was officially declared as clinically no longer pregnant.

The following month, after follow up tests showed her body had been virtually stripped of folates, disrupting her hormones, she took to the internet in search of help.

She started taking fertility supplements that blend folic acid, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals.

She explained: ‘I wasn’t actively thinking about trying for another baby. I just thought they’d help get my body up to optimum level.’

After such a crushing ordeal, some long-overdue happy news then came for Kellie when she fell pregnant again in January 2018.

At first, afraid of raising her family’s hopes, she kept it a secret, not even telling Andrew until two weeks – and 14 tests – later.

Finally, the pair did an early detection test together, which turned out to be positive.

From there, Kellie rang the hospital and went in the next day for a blood test, which confirmed the news.

‘They were so great with me. There was no waiting around, as they knew how nervous I was,” she said. “I was really closely monitored, and it soon became clear the baby was growing as she should.

‘The relief I felt was indescribable. After that, the pregnancy was great – but I still couldn’t get excited. I felt as if something was going to come in at the last minute and take it all away.’

Thankfully, Kellie’s pregnancy progressed well, and in September 2018, at 38 weeks, she delivered Éabha by caesarean section.

She continued: ‘It was so surreal. Holding her, I didn’t even know how to feel.’

Now, Kellie is sharing her story to raise awareness of scar pregnancies, and offer hope to other women out there who are experiencing the same thing.

She said: ‘When I was searching, there were no positives, no light at the end of the tunnel.

‘I want to show others out there that it can be okay. This time last year, I was nearly dying, but now I’m getting ready to celebrate Mother’s Day with my boys and miracle girl.

‘I’m not sure what the kids have planned for me yet, but as long as we’re all together, I’m happy.’

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