A Miracle Birth and the Fight for Survival: Chen's Story

"I've always trusted my intuition, even without logical reasons. But during my fourth pregnancy, something felt off, and I regret not paying attention to it," Chen Akiva reflects. She struggles with this memory, acknowledging her deep faith that everything happens as it should, directed from above. Even so, recalling her uneasy pregnancy feelings, she laments not insisting on additional exams when doctors dismissed her concerns.

An Unexpected Birth

Chen, a teacher living in southern Israel, never faced pregnancy complications before. "Usually, my pregnancies were smooth, and the babies arrived post due date. But with our youngest, Nevo Shalom, everything was different," she recounts.

A year and a half back, Nevo was born unexpectedly at home. "It was Shabbat following a weekend of intense pain I kept to myself. I was tired of complaining. Despite these symptoms and a doctor's clean bill two weeks earlier, I assumed this pregnancy would extend past the due date, as usual. I was only 37 weeks along, still far from expecting labor.”

That Shabbat, her pain escalated, prompting her husband to summon a local midwife. Chen clarifies, "Home birth wasn't planned; it just happened." Even as midwife Liat declared labor, Chen believed they’d reach the hospital in time. The neighbors’ help eased their logistics, but labor progressed swiftly, and Nevo arrived before they could depart.

Seizures, Loss of Consciousness, and Strokes

Post-birth, Chen cherished peaceful moments as her daughters met their brother, Liating joyously among their neighbors. Yet, Chen's intuition beckoned Liat to deliver the placenta, revealing troubling abnormalities. Despite bureaucratic hesitations, Liat complied and discovered necrotic tissue, indicating serious health risks. Liat efficiently summoned emergency care, yet Chen’s consciousness began to fade.

Chen remembers nothing of the subsequent ambulance journey but learned later that seizures led to unconsciousness and three strokes. She wants others to know, "These aren’t typical postpartum symptoms. In my case, it was 'pre-eclampsia,' often detected during pregnancy to potentially deliver sooner. Mine revealed its dangerous peak only post-birth." Miraculously, mid-ambulance, as her condition worsened, she was transferred to a critical care unit at Soroka Medical Center before things spiraled further.

Chain of Miracles

Chen pauses to appreciate the miraculous sequence that saved her life. Their remote village is 40 minutes from the hospital—time felt crucial. Providentially, all local medical staff, including a pediatric intensive care specialist and an ambulance driver, were present that weekend, rare during summer holidays.

Liat’s request for the pediatrician's accompaniment in the ambulance proved life-saving, offering Chen immediate, legal access to vital medications during the ride. Unbelievably, Nevo survived too, despite months without necessary development support in utero, explaining his low birth weight of just 2 kg.

Hospitalized for two weeks, Chen’s recovery involved intense magnesium treatments and lengthy diagnostics to understand the strokes’ cause, including multiple CT and MRI scans and other extensive tests. This queue-jumping urgency illustrated to Chen the gravity of her situation.

What was it like dealing with these changed plans, knowing instead of leaving with your baby, you were hospitalized?

"Initially, I was in denial, confident enough to assure family, 'Go home, look after the older kids.' But two nights in, alone, I confronted that this had been beyond my control. Fearful of another blackout, I summoned a nurse—my blood pressure, a daunting 200. My husband returned, staying consistently alongside my mother since."

Released after two weeks, returning was challenging. "Weakness, poor concentration, eye pain halted reading anything: books, news, even phone messages. Yet, I tended to my newborn and household,” Chen relays. Due to Nevo’s size, his circumcision occurred a month late, marked by grateful blessings and thanksgiving.

Listening to your Heart

"Only 3 months postpartum did recovery feel within reach, still incomplete today," Chen admits, forgoing her teaching role, “Outwardly, I seem fine, but the strokes altered my memory and left-side strength, requiring ongoing rehabilitation."

Grateful to Hashem for life, Chen finds purpose by extending a message to all women: Trust your intuition, stronger at times than medical diagnoses; pursue concerns relentlessly. Correct or not, it might safeguard you and your family's lives."

Chen extends an invitation: “In my experience, feeling 'rare' was isolating. I want anyone facing similar challenges to reach out—for any advice or support you might need.”