A MUM who had to be “shaken back to life” after her heart stopped during labour says she lives in “constant fear” that she could fit and die at any moment.
Michelle Brooks, from Hastings, developed rare Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes and Low Platelets syndrome (HELLP) while she was pregnant with her daughter Honey.
HELLP is a rare liver and blood clotting disorder affecting pregnant women - which is fatal in a quarter of cases.
The 27-year-old mum-of-five developed symptoms including high blood pressure, vomiting, fatigue and was taken to the Conquest Hospital in St Leonards.
Medics were forced to shake her back to consciousness while she gave birth to Honey, who is now four months old.
Michelle’s heart stopped for two minutes during labour, and she now fears she is at risk of a deadly fit at any moment.
Michelle said: ''I feel like I’m living as a ticking time bomb. The condition has no symptoms after I have given birth so I could die at any point.
“I’m under close observation and my blood pressure is slowly going down which is good news. It’s so rare there is no medication for it. They call it a silent killer.''
Michelle first started feeling chest pains when she was seven months' pregnant. She said her midwife assumed it was heartburn and told her to get some rest.
She woke up at 2am unable to breathe and suffering a “powerful” headache, vomiting and extreme fatigue.
Her mother Debbie Brooks, 50, drove her to the hospital while she screamed from the "excruciating pain” in her entire body.
Michelle said: "All the symptoms hit me completely out of the blue. Doctors thought that I had pre-eclampsia and they had to deliver my little girl, Honey, as quickly as possible.”
Medics induced Michelle and began to deliver her baby.
She said "Minutes into labour my heart stopped beating. I officially died for a few minutes, and I had to be brought back to life."
While she drifted in and out of consciousness, doctors struggled to stabilise her extremely high pressure and had no choice but to perform and emergency C-Section.
Honey was born on September 18 weighing 5lb.
Michelle spent a week in the hospital recovering before doctors revealed that she had been suffering from HELLP syndrome.
She was only able to see her baby after three days.
Michelle had to stay on bed rest to keep her blood pressure down, leaving her partner Perry, 27, to look after their children.
She is now struggling to juggle looking after nine-year-old Bridget, five-year-old Mia, four-year-old Rhys, two-year-old Jack and baby Honey.
Michelle said: “It was terrifying and came out of nowhere and now I’m living while constantly fearing death.
“It’s giving me dreadful anxiety that I could just drop down dead at any moment.”
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