A MUM who almost died giving birth is campaigning for vital heart checks for pregnant women.
Carol Sunnucks developed a secret killer cardiac condition giving birth to son Kai.
Postpartum cardiomyopathy is a form of heart failure which strikes expectant mums.
Although rare, it is extremely dangerous and can quickly kill if not diagnosed.
To combat it Carol wants potentially life-saving antenatal cardiac scans for all mums-to-be, to “save other mums from this horror”.
The 46-year-old said: “I feel strongly that women would be spared this if they were offered heart monitoring and scans routinely during pregnancy.”
Her internet petition has already attracted more than 1,000 signatures on the campaigning site change.org.
The Paisley mum whose brush with death came seven years ago has also been contacted by scores of other mums who came close to death with major heart problems in pregnancy and childbirth.
The UK has one of the highest rates of maternal deaths in Europe lagging behind Italy, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, Ireland, Albania and Germany. Deaths from heart complications have remained constant over the past 10 years despite a decline in those caused by high blood pressure or blood clots.
“The figures speak for themselves,” Carol added. “Mothers are dying needlessly and more needs to be done to save them and avoid life-long complications.”
Monitoring of babies’ heartbeats is standard during pregnancy but mums still get overlooked.
Louise Silverton, who is Director for Midwifery at the Royal College of Midwives, agrees a change is needed.
She said: “There are clearly large numbers of women who should have additional surveillance throughout pregnancy.”
A worrying report in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology recently warned little significant research has been undertaken to prevent or treat mums.
It stated only three studies of possible treatments have ever been done…only two of those have shown any promise.
Scotland’s Public Health Minister Maureen Watt said: “We expect maternity professionals to assess a woman’s needs and to arrange tests and interventions as appropriate for the individual.”
n To sign or view the petition go to
https://www.change.org/p/government-nhs-health-care-include-ecgs-and-echo-heart-scans-during-pregnancy
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