A new mother has described how the happiest day of her life descended into a terrifying fight for survival after she contracted a life-threatening case of sepsis while breastfeeding her newborn son for the first time.
From Celebration to Critical Condition
Ellie Marples, 32, from Sheffield, gave birth to her son, Albie, weighing 9lbs 4oz, via caesarean section. The initial relief and joy were short-lived. Shortly after being moved to a recovery room and beginning to breastfeed, Ellie was overcome by a sudden and severe feeling of sickness.
"I started feeling really poorly - dizzy and sick," Ellie recounted. "I couldn't quench my thirst and then everything went black." Her condition deteriorated rapidly; she began vomiting blood, prompting medical staff to rush her back into theatre. With her life in the balance, doctors made the critical decision to place her in a medically induced coma, where she would remain for the next three weeks.
A Cascade of Medical Emergencies
Scans revealed a devastating diagnosis: Ellie was suffering from multi-organ failure and sepsis. The root cause was identified as a rare and dangerous amniotic fluid embolism, which occurs when amniotic fluid enters the mother's bloodstream. This condition is a leading direct cause of maternal mortality.
The sepsis had wreaked havoc on Ellie's body. To save her life, surgeons were forced to remove 80% of her colon and fit a stoma bag. Yet, the crisis was not over. A week later, on 17 October 2024, further scans showed her womb and cervix were also "septic from the inside out." Ellie underwent an emergency, life-saving hysterectomy.
The Long Road to Recovery
Ellie was eventually transferred back to Jessop Hospital and finally allowed home on 12 November 2024. While her physical wounds have healed, the psychological impact endures. "It's more the mental side of things now that I'm picking up on," she admitted, explaining the difficulty of processing the trauma while caring for two young children.
She also faced the fear of being unable to bond with Albie, whom she could not hold for over a month. "I was nervous because I didn't want to not bond with him," she said, relieved that their connection formed strongly once she recovered.
Despite the life-altering surgeries, which mean she can no longer have children, Ellie focuses on her survival. "I woke up feeling lucky to be alive," she stated, emphasising the razor-thin margins of her ordeal. "If any one person had been five minutes somewhere else then it would have been a completely different story for me."
