A BEWDLEY woman who nearly died during childbirth has praised doctors who saved her life.

First time mum, Lorna Burman, had an elective caesarean on Wednesday, January 25, because of spinal problems which meant she could not give birth naturally.

She was expecting to be in and out of Worcestershire Royal Hospital and the 31-year-old and her husband, Carl, 34, arrived at 8am, excited about their first arrival. By 9.45am, the couple were the proud parents of 6lb 14oz Arthur.

Their joy, however, suddenly turned to panic when it was discovered Mrs Burman was suffering from a rare condition, in which her placenta had grown into her womb, meaning the womb could not seal properly and she was filling with blood.

Arthur was taken away and, for the next seven hours, doctors battled to stop the bleeding and save Mrs Burman's life.

"They couldn't stop the bleeding and I think I had the equivalent of two transfusions before, eventually, being given a special drug to try and stop it," said Mrs Burman, of Stourport Road.

"At 6pm, I was rushed to intensive care and told the devastating news that the only way to save me was to perform a full hysterectomy.

"Carl was told I was critical and could go at any point but they did an absolutely fantastic job, threw everything they had at me and saved my life. I was in for 10 days and I was looked after by everyone.

"Not being able to have any more children is a small price to pay for my son having his mother."

A spokesman for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said: "We are delighted that we were able to provide the treatment that Mrs Burman needed and are really pleased to hear that she and Arthur are doing so well."