Young mother almost dies from rare infection after undergoing emergency C-section

According to reports in the Daily Mail, Amber DeWitt had an uncomplicated pregnancy. It was her first baby and everything went smoothly. But when the time came to give birth and the planned water birth ended in a caesarean section due to complications, the young mother's fortunes began to change.

A shocking diagnosis

Her son Weston was born a healthy baby on 30 September 2023 and the family was discharged two days later. Soon afterwards, however, Amber DeWitt realised that something was wrong.

Her abdominal incision began to hurt, she developed a high temperature and could no longer go to the toilet. When she went to a local clinic, the staff assumed she had a mild bacterial infection and advised her to apply a sanitary towel to the wound to regulate the moisture. In retrospect, the 31-year-old said that this was probably counterproductive.

As the pain worsened, the Texan returned to Dallas' Baylor Scott and White Hospital for further investigation, where the shocking cause of her symptoms was finally recognised. She was suffering from necrotising fasciitis, a rare bacterial infection that is the most serious form of tissue death mediated by bacteria, according to the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research.

The life-threatening infection had developed in her caesarean section scar and surgery had to be performed immediately to prevent it from spreading to vital organs.

Three days in a coma

Amber DeWitt was placed in an induced coma for three days and underwent several operations to remove the dead tissue. After the second operation, the doctors prepared her family for the fact that she might not survive the night. The 31-year-old recalled the moment of truth, according to Daily Mail:

My surgeon warned me that it was going to be a major operation and that's when I realised how serious it was. So much tissue was dying off and turning black that they had to keep cutting. [...] I had a newborn baby and my husband was already saying goodbye to me.

But Amber DeWitt took her fate into her own hands and woke up on the third day. She then spent almost two weeks in hospital. After her discharge, she had to recuperate at home for a further six months and received support from nurses who regularly tended to her wound. Despite the challenges of her recovery, she feels a great sense of gratitude:

I am so grateful to be here and to see my son grow up.

Amber DeWitt's message

Amber DeWitt wants to pass on an important message to everyone with her story. Due to a lack of health insurance, she initially hesitated to seek medical help despite the pain. The high treatment costs were eventually covered by Medicare, an organisation that provides low-cost or even free healthcare. Today, the Texan is fully recovered, but the large scar on her stomach is a constant reminder of what she went through. She wants to use her experience to encourage others to listen to their bodies, because:

Your health is not worth worrying about hospital bills - I put off going to the doctor and it nearly cost me my life.

This article has been translated from Oh!MyMag DE.

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Sources used:

Daily Mail: I almost died after giving birth when a flesh-eating bug developed in my C-section incision

HZI: Neue Therapieansätze bei nekrotisierender Fasziitis