For most mothers, the first time they get to hold their baby is a moment they will cherish forever. But that experience was very different for Lindsey Schulz, who spent several days in the ICU before she finally got to meet her daughter.
Schulz, 31, had a healthy pregnancy. However, the delivery of her daughter in April 2022 was far from ordinary. During her third trimester, Schulz, from Atlanta, Georgia, started to deteriorate and she eventually had to go to the hospital for treatment.
She has no recollection of even going to the emergency room, telling Newsweek that she has "very foggy memories" from before the birth. Her daughter Camden was delivered via cesarean section on April 17, but Schulz only remembers waking up days later.
"I don't have any memory of the day that we went to the ER. I was under general anesthesia when she was born, and I don't remember anything until about 5 days later," Schulz said.
Schulz was diagnosed with acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP) and HELLP syndrome. AFLP is a rare condition that causes pregnant women to develop a fatty liver which only affects around 1 in every 10,000-20,000 pregnancies a year, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
HELLP syndrome (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets), is a life-threatening pregnancy complication that can be considered a severe form of pre-eclampsia. It's incredibly rare, affecting less than 0.6 percent of all pregnancies.
HELLP can cause pain in the upper body, blurred vision, fatigue, or swelling, but the symptoms can often be mistaken for more common conditions.
In order to treat both, early delivery is usually necessary to avoid life-threatening complications. The Cleveland Clinic says that the liver will begin to heal once the fetus and placenta are removed.
Having heard many stories about what can go wrong, Schulz had her fair share of concerns about delivering her baby. However, liver failure was never on that list until it became her reality.
"My symptoms continued to get worse. I had internal bleeding and had to have a second surgery to cauterize the bleeding in my abdomen. Liver failure led to kidney failure, so I had two rounds of dialysis. Fluid started to enter my lungs, and I was having trouble breathing on my own, so they had to put me on a ventilator," Schulz said.
How Did Social Media Respond?
Schulz had imagined the moment she finally became a mom many times, but she never would have imagined having to wait five days before officially meeting her daughter. For the two days Schulz was on a ventilator, hospital staff and her husband Kevin placed Camden beside her mom in the ICU, but she has "no memory" of those occasions.
On April 22, Schulz was finally ready to hold her newborn, feeling "paralyzed with emotion" in that moment.
Schulz said: "I don't remember much other than this moment, but I remember feeling like I had been waiting so long to see her. When I held her, all those fears went away, and I just wanted to stare at her face and memorize it. I couldn't look away, I was mesmerized.
"I was still very groggy with no clue how long I had been in the hospital. I also had a lot of irritation left from all the tubes that were in my throat, but when she was in my arms she was healing me."
Footage from that special moment was shared on TikTok (@lindseymurphyschulz) and it touched many hearts. In just a few days, the video has gone viral with over 19.8 million views and more than 1.9 million likes.
Schulz doesn't remember a lot from those early days of motherhood, but she's so grateful that she can relive the extraordinary moment.
"A large reason I wanted to post this was in hopes that some of the people who took care of me would see it and I could thank them. I have also connected with women who experienced something similar, and I am so grateful for their support. What happened to me is so rare and I'm grateful it's not common, but it gets lonely.
"I was scared people would see my reaction and think I was a horrible mother who wasn't happy to see her baby (since my face is so stoic). But I was so relieved to see how many women saw my reaction and knew exactly what I was going through. It has been so healing to feel seen and be loved."
The video of Schulz holding Camden for the first time has brought many social media users to tears, leading to more than 9,100 comments on TikTok already. One comment reads: "She looks so empty but yet so full at the same time."
Another person responded: "I totally get this - I'm a HELLP syndrome mama too. The shock and confusion were so real, and suddenly your baby is here!"
A third TikTok user wrote: "Mom was traumatized and fully locked in on that sweet face. My gosh this is so powerful."
Thankfully, Schulz has now made a full recovery and her liver has returned to normal functioning levels.
Is there a health issue that's worrying you? Let us know via health@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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