Former The Bachelor contestant Krystal Nielson Bowles has revealed the harrowing and near-fatal complications she endured during the birth of her second child, leading doctors to strongly advise her against having more children.
A Calm Beginning Turns to Crisis
The 38-year-old reality star and fitness coach, based in San Diego, detailed the traumatic experience to her combined social media following of over 617,000 people. She and her husband, Miles Bowles, welcomed their son, Rowan Vincent, on 17 November, expecting a smoother delivery than that of their four-year-old daughter, Andara Rose.
Her first labour had involved 21 calm hours and 75 minutes of pushing. However, three and a half hours after receiving an epidural, it became clear that baby Rowan had stopped descending. He was wedged under her pelvic bone, making a vaginal delivery impossible.
Emergency Surgery and a Race Against Time
The situation escalated critically when it was discovered the baby's shoulder was protruding through Krystal's ruptured uterus. She was rushed for an emergency Caesarean section. Rowan swallowed a large amount of blood during the rupture and was taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) before his mother could see him.
"The doctors later told us that if we hadn't already been in the hospital and gotten to surgery that fast, one or both of us would not have made it," Bowles recalled.
During surgery, medics found her uterus was "in pieces - shredded, falling apart and refusing stitches." Fortunately, the hospital's top uterine oncologist was nearby and performed what Bowles called an "absolute miracle," saving her uterus on the same day a double rainbow appeared.
Life-Altering Consequences and a New Tradition
The severity of the injury has had lasting implications. "Due to the massive vertical tear running top to bottom, we've been strongly advised not to have more children, as it puts me at a very high risk for another rupture," Bowles wrote. The couple, who had been planning a third child, found this news "devastating."
Meanwhile, newborn Rowan underwent 72 hours of therapeutic hypothermia, where his body was cooled to 92.3°F (33.5°C) to protect his brain from potential damage. Bowles did not meet her son until he was two days old and finally held him on day four, after he was rewarmed and cleared of seizures or brain damage. Miraculously, all his tests returned normal, and the family left the NICU together on 22 November.
Inspired by the cold therapy that protected Rowan, the family has started a new tradition: each year on his birthday, they will all take an ice-cold bath to remember "the cold that forged his unbreakable heart."
Krystal, a former radio DJ, met Miles Bowles in 2020, two months after separating from her first husband, Chris Randone. Audiences first saw her on season 22 of The Bachelor in 2018, vying for Arie Luyendyk Jr.'s heart.
