A mother who lost 26 pints of blood during childbirth has returned to hospital to thank the NHS staff that saved her life.
Adele Darlington, 41, was told it was a ‘medical miracle’ that she was still alive after she sustained a massive bleed while giving birth to her daughter Jasmine in November 2023.
The situation got so bad that Mrs Darlington’s husband was told to call in family members to prepare to say goodbye.
Thankfully though, the staff at Warrington Hospital were able to save the mother-of-five’s life following an emergency surgery.
Mrs Darlington, who had placenta previa, a condition where the placenta partly or completely blocks the cervix, started bleeding during a planned C-section and lost 26 pints of blood in total. An average woman’s body contains just under nine pints.
Following the four-hour C-Section, Mrs Darlington underwent a further nine hour procedure including a hysterectomy, tube and ovary removal and partial cervix and bladder removal.
Crucial to her survival was the arrival of nine emergency orders of blood from Liverpool’s NHS Blood and Transplant team, in what resulted being the biggest transfusion at Warrington Hospital since 2000.
Now, one year on, the 41-year-old has returned to the regional care centre which provided the majority of her donated blood to help support the NHS appeal for Christmas and New Year blood donors.
Adele Darlington, 41, was told it was a ‘medical miracle’ that she was still alive after she sustained a massive bleed while giving birth to her daughter Jasmine in November 2023
Crucial to her survival was the arrival of nine emergency orders of blood from Liverpool’s NHS Blood and Transplant team, in what resulted being the biggest transfusion at Warrington Hospital since 2000
Upon her arrival the the care centre, staff laid the exact number of units of blood products Mrs Darlington received to highlight just how much she required.
In total, she was given 28 units of red blood cells, 20 units of fresh frozen plasma, nine units of cryoprecipitate and eight units of platelets.
Reflecting on her visit, Mrs Darlington said: ‘It’s been a really humbling experience to meet some of the people who sent blood when I had my transfusion, it’s been a really special day.
‘It was unbelievable to see the same quantity of blood that I received laid out, knowing that it took so many people to save me. I’m forever indebted to the more than 65 people who gave me the gift of life’.
Remembering back to the traumatic birth itself, Mrs Darlington said that she can just vaguely recall the moment Jasmine was born before passing out from the blood loss.
Waking up in the recovery room from the C-Section, it was evident that she was still bleeding internally and that is when she was urgently rushed back into theatre.
Having a ‘sense of doom’ that she would not make it, Mrs Darlington remembered telling the hospital staff that she was scared to go to sleep because she didn’t think she’d wake back up.
Mrs Darlington’s condition was so severe she developed disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), a blood-clotting problem in trauma patients that is so dangerous it’s sometimes informally referred to as ‘death is coming’.
Mrs Darlington thanked those who donate blood and said that many don’t realise how important the act itself is
Baby Jasmine was born after a gruelling four-hour C-section which saw mum Adele lose roughly 10 pints of blood
Adding that she was grateful to still be alive, Mrs Darlington thanked those who donate blood and said that many don’t realise how important the act itself is.
‘I will be eternally grateful to these selfless donors who took time to voluntarily donate and ultimately save my life’, she said.
As a result of her miraculous recovery, her husband Ian has now signed up as a blood donor along with a host of family and friends.
Julie Riley from NHSBT Liverpool Hospital Services, said: ‘I was on shift issuing the blood, and meeting Adele was absolutely beautiful.
‘We don’t normally get to meet anyone – we work in labs for eight hours a day. I am glad she got home for her little kiddies.’
Michael Kay, NHSBT blood delivery driver, said: ‘It was the end of my shift but I stayed on to do a blue-light delivery and it’s just amazing to find out it went to Adele’.
Chris Philips, NHSBT head of hospital customer service, said: ‘It was incredibly moving to see Adele visit our teams because that night is very clear in their memories – they won’t forget it any time soon.
‘This is an amazing example of NHS teams working together but without donors none of this would have happened.’
England remains in amber alert for low blood stocks. To register or book an appointment to give blood, visit blood.co.uk/, use the GiveBlood app or call 0300 123 23 23.