Katie Spinks’ first three pregnancies went without a hitch. She gave birth naturally to two beautiful healthy girls and one boy and described their births as ‘magical’.
So when she the Virginia mother, 35, went for an induced labor at 39 weeks, she assumed it would be like the previous three.
But she suffered a rare complication likely caused by drugs used to encourage contractions, leading to her uterus to tear and cause catastrophic internal bleeding.
As she fought for her own life, her unborn baby was starved of oxygen and blood flow for nearly 30 minutes, causing irreversible brain damage.
As a result, Jolene – now five – lives with a range of debilitating conditions including epilepsy, hearing loss, cerebral palsy and feeding tube dependent.
Katie Spinks’ daughter was left severely brain damaged after being starved of oxygen during complications in her delivery
Ms Spinks says Jolene will not make past the age of 13 and she needs round the clock care for the rest of her life.
‘Agreeing to an induction was the biggest regret of my life,’ Ms Spinks told DailyMail.com, fighting back tears.
‘I hold onto the most immense guilt because of it. Had I never agreed to it, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.’
Due to the lack of blood and oxygen to her developing brain, little Jolene suffered an irreversible injury known as hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE).
It affects roughly one in 1,000 live births in the US and just five minutes is enough to cause permanent damage.
Women who have had C-sections are at risk because the scar can break open due to strong contractions.
But Ms Spinks’ births were all natural, making her case especially rare – occurring in fewer than than 0.5 percent of induced pregnancies.
Lisa Jackson, an assistant clinical professor in the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science at Mount Sinai in New York, told DailyMail.com that cases such as Ms Spinks’ are tragic but vanishingly rare.
‘In one study reported by the National Institute of Health, the risk of uterine rupture was 3.3 out of 100,00 deliveries,’ she said.
‘In comparison, the risk of getting hit by a car as a pedestrian is 1 out of 4,200 in some studies.’
But Ms Spinks take no solace in those statistics. ‘The biggest thing I tell women; rare statistics comfort us, until we become one,’ she told DailyMail.com.
The 35-year-old from Virginia told DailyMail.com that she was in ‘great health’ while pregnant with her daughter Jolene and had ‘done nothing wrong, nothing’
Looking ahead Ms Spinks, pictured with her four children, says her main goal is to focus on the present ‘because the future isn’t guaranteed.’
Ms Spinks deems the whole experience surrounding her fourth birthing experience ‘traumatic,’ with the ruptured uterus causing her a great amount of pain.
As she was unable to push her baby out, doctors attempted numerous times to deliver Jolene using a vacuum extractor.
They tried ‘frantically’ three times and after the third attempt, Ms Spinks said she ‘passed out and didn’t wake back up.’
By the time the expectant mom was in an operating room to get an emergency C-section, almost two hours had passed.
Continuing the harrowing tale, she says: ‘I required a three hour surgery to save my life and my daughter required multiple rounds of CPR and life reviving interventions to bring her back.
‘We were being saved right next to each other. Jolene went a substantial amount of time without oxygen.’
After she was born, Jolene spent 68 days in the NICU where she almost lost her life multiple times. Eventually, her condition was stable enough for her to return home.
As she was unable to push her baby out, doctors attempted numerous times to deliver Jolene using a vacuum extractor
In a bid to spread awareness around HIE, Ms Spinks shares regular content to social media
Eager to raise awareness around HIE, Ms Spinks shares regular content to social media.
Along with talking about Jolene’s condition, she has opened up about two miscarriages she had since Jolene’s birth, which have led to her having a hysterectomy.
She said that her uterus was badly damaged from Jolene’s birth, ‘upside down and completely incompatible with life.’
Her surgeon told her that the delivering doctor ‘should’ve just removed it, he said it was one giant scar with little to no recognition as a uterus.’
Despite her disabilities, the full time mom says Jolene is ‘the happiest, most joyful, sassiest, beautiful, strong, resilient little girl.’
Looking ahead, Ms Spinks says her main goal is to focus on the present ‘because the future isn’t guaranteed.’
She concludes: ‘We know she doesn’t have much time left with us. All the damage to her brain is damaging her body over time.
‘But she refuses to allow herself to be just a little girl with a brain injury. She fights and she fights hard. I’m so proud of her and so proud to be her mom.’
