S3 Episode 4. A Broken Heart. Surviving Peripartum Cardiomyopathy.

When Bec, a first time mum, began feeling tired, short of breath and a little dizzy, her symptoms could easily be put down to the normal physiological changes of late pregnancy and birth. By the end of pregnancy, a healthy woman's blood volume has expanded by 50%, the heart is working harder and faster, and oxygen requirements are significantly higher. But every so often, these seemingly innocuous symptoms of late pregnancy can hide a much more sinister condition. A short time after the birth of her daughter Poppy, Bec found herself back in the hospital, surrounded by doctors, unable to breathe. Bec’s previously normal heart was failing. Her weak heart muscle was not able to pump the blood that her body needed, and her lungs had filled with fluid. Bec was drowning. What followed was a terrifying and emotional journey through peripartum cardiomyopathy, a rare, but potentially fatal form of heart failure in pregnancy. Bec shares how the unwavering support of her family and partner, the trust she built with her care providers, and a shift to focusing only on the little things in life, helped her to slowly recover, one step at a time.