I almost died giving birth… it’s a trauma that still makes me cry to this day, reveals Strictly’s Dr Punam Krishan
DOCTOR Punam Krishan has opened up about the trauma of giving birth in a candid personal essay.
Punam, who is best known for her role as the resident GP on BBC Morning Live, revealed she still gets very emotional about the ordeal.
The Scottish doctor dedicates a big portion of her medical career to looking after women on their perinatal and postnatal journeys.
But, ahead of her 2024 Strictly Come Dancing debut, Punam has lifted the lid on her experience with pregnancy and childbirth, admitting that it was more “traumatic” than she ever could have imagined.
“The day my eldest child arrived into this world was supposed to be the best day of my life. Instead, I almost died giving birth to him and almost 11 years on, the memories of that day still haunt me,” Punam admitted in a candid article for iNews.co.uk.
She continued, explaining that she had “no reason to believe anything would go wrong.
“I was fit and well with an uncomplicated pregnancy. But the labour was long and took a worrying turn. I was bleeding, the baby’s heart rate began fluctuating dangerously and the pain became unbearable,” Punam revealed.
And this was made so much worse when she asked for help, but was left all alone.
“When I asked for help, I was informed it was staff changeover time and I had to wait to be seen by a midwife. I’ll never forget the vulnerability, anxiety and fear I felt, because not only did I have the medical knowledge to know that the symptoms I was experiencing were abnormal, but I was also panicking as a mother,” she wrote.
In the end, her husband had to step in to get her the care she needed, and it was almost too late.
“My husband tried to get help and eventually another midwife came in, but there were communication issues as English was not her first language. I was assessed, and I could see the panic in her face as she buzzed for help. A male locum doctor arrived – someone I was not familiar with – and from then on, everything went from bad to worse.
“My baby was born needing paediatric intervention and I ended up in theatre, having lost a significant amount of blood,” Punam explained.
She was then rushed into emergency surgery, which left her with serious complications, but no support.
“The word ‘trauma’ feels like an understatement,” she said of the experience of bringing a child into this world. “I was discharged from hospital a week later with no debrief, no explanation and no follow up. I was broken.”
11 years on, Punam still struggles to come to terms with what happened. “I suffered severe postnatal depression and PTSD, for which I required antidepressants and cognitive behavioural therapy. Even now, when I remember that day, the tears just flow,” she admitted.
Since giving birth to her son, Punam has welcomed another child, a daughter, with her husband, MSP Sandesh Gulhane.
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Morning Live star Dr Punam Krishan.
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Comedian Chris McCausland.
But she still wants to make sure other women don’t go through the same trauma she did and regularly advocating for new mums to get all the physical and mental health support they need during pregnancy and after giving birth.
In her article, Punam commented on the Birth Trauma Inquiry Report, which calls for major action to be taken to improve the NHS’s national strategy for maternity care.
This is why she chose to share her birth story now.
Speaking about the proposal, Punam said she hopes positive changes are on the way: “I wish this was in place when I was unwell, but it gives me a great sense of hope that maternal care is being recognised.
“I welcome all the recommendations of this inquiry and I look forward to seeing these come to life as we collectively work to reduce the number of women experiencing traumatic births in the future.”
PANDAS provide free and confidential help to those affected by Postnatal Depression (PND)
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