A mum has opened up about her harrowing births, including having two stillborn children and a ruptured uterus which caused brain damage to one baby, in the hopes that it will help others.

Katie Spinks from Culpeper, Virginia, US, had always wanted a big family, but her dream has come at a high cost, with the mum suffering through a seemingly insurmountable amount of pain and grief.

The stay-at-home mum, who has four children, was left “screaming in agony” after tragically losing two of her kids and claims nurses didn’t listen to her concerns.

To show a different side to birth, Katie, 34, has shared her harrowing story.

"The pain from the rupture was excruciating," Katie told NeedToKnow.online.

"It literally felt like someone had a hot razor-sharp saw, took that to my abdomen and just started sawing away over and over.

"I've never felt anything like it in my life.

"I've given birth naturally before and this pain was unlike any other.

"I even begged for scissors so I could cut her out on my own."

The first incident occurred in January 2020, when she underwent the elective induction and despite the traumatic ordeal, soon gave birth to her little girl, Jolene, 3, who thankfully survived.

However, the 34-year-old claims complications occurred during the labour process, which resulted in Jolene suffering from brain damage.

Speaking about the ordeal, the mum said: "It was all normal at first, but I ended up rupturing at around 8 cm dilated.

"I was forced to push for half an hour until I passed out due to blood loss and then I had to undergo an emergency C-section.

"I recall the doctor using a vacuum three times to help pull Jolene out, which kept popping off her head... nothing was happening.

"I was screaming in agony for almost two hours and kept telling [the nurses] something was wrong.

"They refused to humour me and kept saying it was only labour pain.

"I knew it wasn't and soon, I suffered a uterine rupture, which caused brain damage in my little girl."

Typically, after a uterine rupture occurs, there's a seven-minute window for the baby to be delivered until the damage is risked – and with Jolene left for over 48 minutes, she was born with little chance of survival.

In 2021, as a result of the trauma, the mum faced two further heartbreaking feats after suffering the loss of two babies, who she called Emmy and Meadow.

Speaking about the stillbirths, she said: "My uterus never healed and because of how badly scarred and mangled this was, I suffered two losses.

"I had a hysterectomy in September 2021 and the doctor told me there was no way I would've been able to carry a baby to term with the state it was in.

"He also told me the uterus was sewn upside down and all of this has taken a lot out of me.

"We had hopes and dreams of a large family with lots of kids and to me, they've all been shattered because my body didn't do what it was made to do.

"My children miss the babies a lot and we talk about them daily to try and keep their spirits alive."

Now, the mum-of-four hopes to share her ordeal with others in a bid to help raise awareness.

Jolene, who was medically diagnosed with brain damage upon being born, has now started to show her personality and progress in areas of development, such as being more independent with her mobility.

But, the family are still suffering the mental consequences of all they've been through.

Katie added: "The way I was treated was horrible, no labouring mother should ever be treated the way I was.

"I was absolutely medically neglected and they shoved me off.

I'm coming to terms with it now and I know I can't change the past, but I'll always wonder why this had to happen to me.

"I could talk about this all day and it's really helped me heal, as holding it in and crying all the time wasn't doing me any good – once I saw I wasn't alone, it made me feel better.

"Jolene is hitting her short-term goals and showing a lot of sass.

"Having a child with a brain injury isn't as bad as it seems.
"It's knowing it could and should have been prevented.

"I went from being a carefree parent to being constantly in overdrive and always worrying.

"I've had to learn so many new things, but being a special needs parent means you either sink or swim – there's no in-between.

"It's given me a beautiful appreciation for the good things in my life and I've become closer with my kids.

"I've learned to stay positive and see the good in everything.
"As long as I know I'm going to keep trying, that's all that matters."

ENDS

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