[Location: Weald] ‘I nearly died’: Mum lost seven litres of blood during op caused by pregnancy complication
Kent Online 2026-10-04 04:00:00
Context: Shelley Bell, a 40-year-old mother of four from Goudhurst, underwent a major operation after suffering a life-threatening pregnancy complication called placenta percreta, which caused her to lose around seven litres of blood. Her condition was diagnosed after a series of scans revealed that the placenta had grown deeply into the wall of her uterus, cervix, and bladder. Shelley gave birth to her fourth child, daughter Amara, at 34 weeks and later underwent a hysterectomy at King's College Hospital in London.
Key Facts
- Shelley Bell lost around seven litres of blood during a hysterectomy operation caused by a pregnancy complication called placenta percreta.
- Shelley was diagnosed with placenta praevia at her 20-week scan and later developed placenta accreta, which progressed to the more severe form of placenta percreta.
- The placenta had grown "all the way around the left side" of her uterus, through it and into her cervix and bladder, prompting specialists to advise against removing it during a C-section.
- Shelley spent more than a week in hospital after the operation, developed blood clots in her leg, and was separated from her newborn daughter Amara, who spent nine days in the NICU.