網球／差點難產 小威廉絲鬼門關前走一遭
2018-02-21 12:08聯合報 記者曾思儒╱即時報導
在網球場上叱吒風雲的美國前球后小威廉絲（Serena Williams），面對生產差點豎起白
旗，今天她在公開自述中透露，產後狀況不佳，「幾乎死掉」，非常感謝醫療團隊的協助
，讓她脫離險境。
小威先前就曾提過，產後曾有些併發症，也促使她對兒童保育議題多了一份關注。
在今天發表的文章中，36歲的小威自述差點因難產過世，「我很感謝有群不可思議的醫療
團隊，從醫生、護士到配有最先進設備的院方，他們知道該怎麼處理複雜狀況，若沒有他
們專業照護，我今天就不會在這了。」
小威提到，她因栓塞導致劇烈咳嗽，使得C字形狀的傷口驟裂，進行手術時醫師發現她的
腹部有大塊血腫，於是再次進行手術，以免血塊流入她的肺部。
小威也鼓勵民眾多捐款給慈善團體，幫助世界上的母親和新生兒。
在鬼門關前走一遭的小威，在今年澳網因狀況沒達自己的預期而退賽，放棄尋求衛冕及生
涯第24座大滿貫；但本月她已代表美國隊在聯邦盃出賽，也將參加3月7日開打的印地安泉
女網賽，準備在缺席14個月後強勢回歸。
https://udn.com/news/story/7005/2992211
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以下應該是原文：
I almost died after giving birth to my daughter, Olympia.
Yet I consider myself fortunate.
While I had a pretty easy pregnancy, my daughter was born by emergency C-secti
on after her heart rate dropped dramatically during contractions. The surgery
went smoothly. Before I knew it, Olympia was in my arms. It was the most amazi
ng feeling I've ever experienced in my life. But what followed just 24 hours a
fter giving birth were six days of uncertainty.
It began with a pulmonary embolism, which is a condition in which one or more
arteries in the lungs becomes blocked by a blood clot. Because of my medical h
istory with this problem, I live in fear of this situation. So, when I fell sh
ort of breath, I didn't wait a second to alert the nurses.
This sparked a slew of health complications that I am lucky to have survived.
First my C-section wound popped open due to the intense coughing I endured as
a result of the embolism. I returned to surgery, where the doctors found a lar
ge hematoma, a swelling of clotted blood, in my abdomen. And then I returned t
o the operating room for a procedure that prevents clots from traveling to my
lungs. When I finally made it home to my family, I had to spend the first six
weeks of motherhood in bed.
I am so grateful I had access to such an incredible medical team of doctors an
d nurses at a hospital with state-of-the-art equipment. They knew exactly how
to handle this complicated turn of events. If it weren't for their professiona
l care, I wouldn't be here today.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, black women in th
e United States are over three times more likely to die from pregnancy or chil
dbirth-related causes. But this is not just a challenge in the United States.
Around the world, thousands of women struggle to give birth in the poorest cou
ntries. When they have complications like mine, there are often no drugs, heal
th facilities or doctors to save them. If they don't want to give birth at hom
e, they have to travel great distances at the height of pregnancy. Before they
even bring a new life into this world, the cards are already stacked against
them.
Here's the reality of one woman, as documented by UNICEF. In Malawi, Mary Jame
s walked hours to reach the closest health center while she was in labor. Exha
usted, she made it to the facility and gave birth, only to lose her child late
r that day. She picked a name for him, but he never opened his eyes. He never
cried. She kept the name to herself. Sadly, Mary's nameless son was not the on
ly one. That same day, approximately 2,600 babies died on their first day of l
ife.
According to UNICEF, each year, 2.6 million newborns die, tragically before th
eir lives even really get started. Over 80% die from preventable causes. We kn
ow simple solutions exist, like access to midwives and functional health facil
ities, along with breastfeeding, skin-to-skin contact, clean water, basic drug
s and good nutrition. Yet we are not doing our part. We are not rising to the
challenge to help the women of the world.
Mary's baby died because there weren't enough doctors or nurses to save him. T
his is a chronic problem plaguing the most impoverished countries. But what if
we lived in a world where there were enough birth attendants? Where there was
no shortage of access to health facilities nearby? Where lifesaving drugs and
clean water were easily available to all? Where midwives could help and advis
e mothers after birth? What if we lived in a world where every mother and newb
orn could receive affordable health care and thrive in life?
That world is possible. And we must dare to dream it for every black woman, fo
r every woman in Malawi, and for every mother out there.
Across the globe, organizations like UNICEF are committed to delivering simple
solutions on behalf of every mother and newborn. These solutions include recr
uiting and training more doctors and midwives, guaranteeing clean and function
al health facilities, making the top 10 lifesaving drugs and equipment availab
le, and most importantly, empowering adolescent girls to demand quality care.
How? You can demand governments, businesses and health care providers do more
to save these precious lives. You can donate to UNICEF and other organizations
around the world working to make a difference for mothers and babies in need.
In doing so, you become part of this narrative