Serena Williams has revealed she almost died after giving birth to her daughter Alexis Olympia Jr. in September.
“I almost died after giving birth to my daughter, Olympia,” The 36-year-old former world number one, wrote in an article for CNN.
“I am lucky to have survived,” Serena revealed she was bedridden for six weeks from a series of complications. According to her, she had Alexis through an emergency cesarean section.
“It began with a pulmonary embolism, which is a condition in which one or more arteries in the lungs becomes blocked by a blood clot.
“Because of my medical history with this problem, I live in fear of this situation. So, when I fell short of breath, I didn’t wait a second to alert the nurses.
“First my C-section wound popped open due to the intense coughing I endured as a result of the embolism. I returned to surgery, where the doctors found a large haematoma, a swelling of clotted blood, in my abdomen.
“When I finally made it home to my family, I had to spend the first six weeks of motherhood in bed.”
Williams is yet to decide if she will compete at this year’s remaining three Grand Slams.
