Serena Williams Nearly Died After Giving Birth. Now She's Advocating for Better Maternal Healthcare

The major health complications that Serena Williams battled after giving birth to her now-5-month-old daughter Alexis Olympia has inspired the tennis champion to speak out about the importance of affordable health care.

In an opinion piece on CNN.com published Tuesday, Williams — who’s married to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian — opened up more about her personal battles and how they relate to the problems women have worldwide, writing, “Every mother, everywhere, regardless of race or background deserves to have a healthy pregnancy and birth.”

Williams, 36, said she “almost died” after giving birth to her first child on Sept. 1. Her heart rate plummeted to dangerously low levels during contractions, causing doctors to perform an emergency cesarean section.

Though the surgery went well, what followed was a six-day battle with a pulmonary embolism (a condition in which one or more arteries in the lungs becomes blocked by a blood clot) that led to multiple surgeries and a handful of additional medical troubles for the new mom.


Source : Yahoo News