COLORADO SPRINGS — Nicole Hall says one of the most rewarding parts of being a mother is the opportunity to support her children however she can. She also says one of the hardest parts of being a mother came during the delivery of her last pregnancy.
"I typically have easy pregnancies, easy deliveries, and not once did I think I would lose my life that day," she told me.
In 2018 while giving birth to her third child, Haxton, Hall went into cardiac arrest after experiencing an amniotic fluid embolism. It's rare, happening just once for every 40,00 pregnancies. It happens when fetal cells enter the bloodstream, causing an anaphylactic reaction.
"I ended up bleeding out profusely, I went into the DIC, and they had to give me a total of at least 42 units of blood," Hall told me. "I was just in shock. I was thinking I'm 29 years old, I'm young and healthy, how did this happen to me?"
Thanks to those blood transfusions, Hall came back to life. Now, she lives a happy, healthy, and grateful life for the strangers who saved her that day.
"I'm just so grateful to be alive and here to have another Mother's Day with my family," Hall said.
Vitalant, a nonprofit collecting blood for Colorado Hospitals, says it needs more than 219,000 units of blood annually to help mothers who experience complications during delivery. This May, they're partnering with hospitals and other blood drives to focus on donating blood to mothers.
Next month, Hall will get the chance to meet some of the donors who saved her life. In the meantime, she's encouraging everyone who can to donate blood.
"Everything can change in the blink of an eye, and I'm so thankful for those donors that came and donated blood because without that I wouldn't be here today to watch my kids grow up".
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