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Four Birth Stories
Emily was induced with her firstborn (boy) due to premature atrial contractions (irregular heartbeat in the womb.) She had a healthy birth at over 40 weeks pregnant. Her second born (girl) also came “late” at 40 weeks, 4 days, and Emily was able to labor at home for the majority of the time (total 26 hours!). She was grateful for the epidural once she arrived at the hospital.
With baby #3, Emily and her husband chose not to find out the sex of the baby, as they already had one of each. Even so, Emily was convinced that this baby was a girl, due to her extreme sickness. When baby’s heart rate dropped rapidly during the birth and came out not breathing, she held the baby in her arms and was overcome with joy to hear that first cry. She was surprised to find out that this baby was, in fact, a boy!
When baby #4 (also a boy) was found to have a single vessel cord, Emily spent the entire pregnancy worried for the health of the baby. At 37 weeks, the doctors suggested that because the baby wasn’t gaining weight, Emily needed to be induced. They allowed her to wait until 39 weeks for the induction, and her final baby was born at 6 pounds, 15 oz one week early.
Postpartum blood clot and pulmonary embolism
Emily had never experienced blood clotting previously and has zero genetic disorders associated with blood clots, so to have this experience after having her 4th baby was shocking to say the least. After experiencing extreme pain in her foot that traveled to her calf, Emily begrudgingly went into the ER and a HUGE DVT blood clot was discovered in her calf. Just to be safe (even though she had ZERO other symptoms) the doctor decided to check Emily’s lungs to rule out pulmonary embolisms since DVTs can shoot clots to lungs, heart, etc. And sure enough, she had four pulmonary embolisms! Emily is sharing her story to spread awareness and hopefully save another mother’s life.
Emily Wilke Bio
Emily Wilke is a mother to four children: Cooper (5), Libby (4), Miles (2.5) and Cohen (2 months.) She felt like an “ol’ pro” going into her birth with baby #4, but had quite the scary postpartum experience, which included a DVT blood clot and several pulmonary embolisms. Emily lives in San Marcos, California, with her husband and children and is grateful every day to be alive following her traumatic postpartum circumstances. She is a leader in her Network Marketing company, earned a Cadillac with the company, leads a team in 3 different countries and is often asked to speak on stage at corporate events. She loves being able to work flexibly from home and is determined to help more mothers do the same. Her new passion is spreading awareness about the risks of postpartum blood clots, as this scary reality is taking the lives of too many new mothers. You can find Emily on Instagram @shampoosiren or on Facebook. She is ready, willing, and excited to connect with other moms.
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