A MUM who collapsed during pregnancy and was admitted to intensive care with multiple blood clots on her lungs has spoken of her relief and joy after giving birth to a healthy baby.

Sonia Marsden, 30, was with her husband Daniel at their home in Revidge, Blackburn, when she collapsed while 19 weeks’ pregnant.

And the Northcote chef has praised staff at Royal Blackburn Hospital for saving her life and that of her daughter, Isla.

Mrs Marsden said: “During my pregnancy, I felt breathless and exhausted and was wheezing badly. It had got to the point where I felt I could not stand up at work as my legs felt like they would go from underneath me.

“I was going to the doctors about once a week to explain how I was feeling but they kept telling me it was because I was pregnant

“I was lucky as I was with my husband when I collapsed. I just said: ‘Dan, get an ambulance!’ as I had this feeling from head-to-toe of shutting off, and then I collapsed.”

After being admitted to hospital, specialists discovered Mrs Marsden had a number of blood clots on her lungs.

She said: “We saw the scan and it looked like someone had fired a shotgun at my lungs. We could see all these little dots which were blood clots. There were at least 25.

“Only three days earlier, I had been at work and turned blue as I was struggling so much.

“The doctors say they believe these blood clots were pregnancy-induced and that the fact I had been on the contraceptive pill was a contributory factor.”

Such was the seriousness of Mrs Marsden’s condition she was taken to intensive care. But she said her only thoughts were for her baby.

Mrs Marsden said: “Doctors wanted to use a very strong clot-busting drug but that would have killed my baby.

“Before 20 weeks, the baby is classed as a foetus rather than a baby and is not the priority over the mother.

“However, I was only a few days off being 20 weeks and after hearing I had blood clots, my first thought was, ‘Has my baby been getting enough oxygen?’ and doctors reassured me it wouldn’t have affected her.”

Mrs Marsden had high doses of blood thinners which were safe to take in pregnancy and was in the intensive care unit for a week followed by eight days on a respiratory ward. She was then allowed home for the rest of the pregnancy.

Isla Ellen Marsden was born on January 24, 2018, weighing 6lb 5oz.

With help from hospital staff and Livesey Breastfeeding Group Mrs Marsden managed to breastfeed her daughter, despite initial difficulties. “After everything that happened with the blood clots, I really wanted to breastfeed.

“If you know you want to breastfeed, please persevere and you will get there. It will take time and there will be pain and tears. But if you feel it is getting too much, you must do what you know is best for you.

“Hopefully hearing how I pulled through being diagnosed with blood clots and managed to breastfeed Isla will inspire other people.”