A mum felt like a ‘ticking time bomb’ after doctors spotted a deadly brain aneurysm that could burst and kill her at any moment when she was 36 weeks pregnant - but medics managed to save her and the baby.
Sarah Pilgrim, 31, was 34 weeks along with her third child, 14-week-old Sydney, when she kept waking up with 'severe' headaches in January 2022. She feared it was pre-eclampsia - a rare pregnancy complication - but all the tests were coming back negative until an MRI revealed she had actually suffered a bleed on the brain.
The heavily pregnant mum was rushed to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, where she was diagnosed with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) - a tangle of unusual blood vessels. Doctors suspected Sarah was born with AVM and the change in her blood pressure whilst pregnant expanded the vessels - potentially causing a deadly aneurysm and haemorrhage.
Medics had no choice but to perform an emergency caesarean section, delivering little Sydney on January 19 at 36 weeks. Sarah was rushed for a 10-hour operation to remove the cluster of blood vessels a week later.
The mum-of-three was kept in intensive care and finally reunited with her little boy two days after surgery - now the pair are both home and doing well.
Sarah, a stay at home mum, from Attleborough, Norwich, said: “It’s unusual this happened because I’ve had two children previous, and never had any problems. Something about this one triggered the bleed - we think it was the change in my blood pressure.
“It was terrifying, aneurysms can be unpredictable, so the doctors had to act fast. I was a ticking time bomb - I could have died at any moment.
“I came out of surgery looking like I’d done a couple of rounds with Mike Tyson. But I feel lucky it was caught in time and my little boy arrived safe and sound too. We're both lucky to be here."
Sarah - who lives with partner David, 40, a sales manager, and their two children, Dexter, three, Harvey, 10 - became pregnant with her third child in June 2021. Towards the end of her pregnancy, she started waking up with suspected migraines that became more debilitating each day.
She said: “At 34 weeks, I suddenly developed terrible headaches. I was in so much pain - I couldn’t even make a packed lunch for Dexter.”
Sarah worried the symptoms indicated pre-eclampsia - a pregnancy complication characterised by high blood pressure that can be fatal if left untreated. All tests came back negative, but Sarah continued to suffer from migraines, so she went back to hospital where an MRI revealed she had a bleed on the brain.
At 36 weeks, Sarah was rushed to Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, where doctors diagnosed her with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) - a tangle of unusual blood vessels. The condition is congenital so she was likely born with it and can often have no symptoms.
But doctors suspected her change in blood pressure due to being pregnant caused the AVM blood vessels in her brain to expand, rupture and bleed. Sarah was given the option to have radiotherapy for three years or surgery immediately.
She chose surgery, but could not undergo the procedure until she had given birth. However, a scan then revealed Sarah had also developed a bulge in one of the blood vessels - also known as an aneurysm - which can be deadly if they burst.
Sarah said: "Doctors thought we could wait until I gave birth but finding the aneurysm changed everything. Delivering the baby and having surgery was my only option at that point if we wanted to survive - they couldn't risk leaving it. I was literally a ticking time bomb and they had to try and save me and the baby.”
Doctors had no choice but to deliver baby Sydney, who weighed 7lb. He was taken straight to NICU while Sarah was kept in intensive care. A week later, Sarah was scheduled for brain surgery and underwent a 10-hour long operation to remove the AVM and aneurysm.
She said: “I couldn’t give birth naturally because it would cause too much pressure on my brain. I would video chat with Dexter every day and told him: ‘Mummy can’t come home yet.’
“I was allowed to visit Sydney in NICU but only an hour a day - it was a really tough and scary time.”
Doctors managed to remove all the unusual blood vessels and Sarah spent a month in the hospital recovering from surgery. Despite being born premature, Sydney was doing well, and eventually both mum and son were able to go home together.
Sarah is sharing her story to raise awareness for AVM and encourage other people to get worrying symptoms checked out. She said: “I know someone who had a brain aneurysm and sadly died.
“That could have happened to me if I didn’t back to hospital after being sent home. It’s really important to listen to your body if something doesn’t feel right.
“I feel very lucky that I'm here and that Sydney is too - I won't take life for granted."
