How Fatty Liver Nearly Took My Life and My Baby's

When I first started feeling unwell, I had no idea my world was about to turn upside down. I was eight months pregnant, and like most expectant mothers, I was focused on preparing for the arrival of my little one. But the constant pain in my side, the relentless nausea, and the unquenchable thirst were warning signs I didn’t understand. I figured it was just another discomfort of pregnancy—until it wasn’t.

It all started with unbearable pain in my abdomen, which radiated up to my shoulder. I felt nauseous every time I ate, and no matter how much water I drank, I couldn’t shake the thirst. My urine was dark, and I knew something wasn’t right, but I brushed it off as normal pregnancy symptoms. When the vomiting began, I finally called my midwife, who suggested it was trapped wind. I took the mint tea and wind tablets they recommended, but nothing eased the pain.

"I didn't know it at the time, but my liver was failing."

One evening, the pain became too much to bear, and then my waters broke. I had planned on having a c-section, but as my partner rushed me to the hospital, I knew something was very wrong. Due to the pandemic, he had to wait outside, which left me feeling even more alone and frightened.

At the hospital, a midwife examined me and told me I was fully dilated. A c-section was no longer an option. I would have to deliver naturally, and with each contraction, my baby’s heartbeat would drop. They needed to act fast. I was rushed into the delivery room, and before I knew it, I was undergoing a forceps delivery. My son was born healthy, but my relief was short-lived.

"The doctors told me if I had gone through with the c-section, I might not have survived."

After the delivery, my placenta wouldn’t come out, and I had to be rushed into surgery. When I came out of recovery, I felt off. My partner asked the midwife why I looked yellow, but she brushed it off as the lighting. He knew something wasn’t right. A doctor came to check on me, took some blood, and that’s when things took a turn for the worse.

I began to vomit uncontrollably, and within hours, doctors were back with the diagnosis—acute fatty liver of pregnancy. They explained it was an extremely rare condition, and they weren’t entirely sure how to treat it. They had to consult with a larger hospital for guidance. My heart sank. I’d never even heard of fatty liver disease, and now it was threatening my life and my baby’s.

"I had to say goodbye to my newborn after only holding him for a few hours."

Because of the severity of my condition, I was transferred to the acute medical ward, and my son was taken to the neonatal unit. I was devastated. After waiting so long to meet my baby, I had to leave him behind, and I didn’t know if I would make it out of the hospital alive.

On the medical ward, things only got worse. I was bleeding heavily, my body was weak, and I passed out in the bathroom. The doctors confirmed my liver was failing, and my blood wasn’t clotting, which explained the constant bleeding. I received multiple blood transfusions and was put on medication to help my blood clot. It was touch and go for a while. I had another operation to remove what was left in my uterus.

"I didn’t realize how close I had come to dying."

In the end, I spent a week in the hospital before I was well enough to go home. But recovery was slow. I had to go in for weekly blood tests, and the constant fear of my liver failing again loomed over me. Eventually, my liver returned to normal, but the emotional scars took longer to heal.

Looking back, I count my blessings. I was told that if the c-section had gone ahead as planned, I would have died because my blood wasn’t clotting. I’m so grateful my son was born safely, and though it’s been a long journey, I’m getting stronger every day. But this will be my last baby. The doctors have warned me that if I were to become pregnant again, the condition could return—and this time, it could kill me.