A first-time mother has revealed how she was left ‘destroyed’ after a flesh-eating bug caused her Caesarean wound to explode the shower.
Deanna Hirrell, 26, from Leicester, gave birth to baby boy Kalub by C-section, but just a couple of days later her scar burst open while she was in the shower.
She phoned her midwife who she claims told her to rest in bed – but took herself to hospital a few days later when it started to ‘smell of death.’
Doctors discovered she was suffering with necrotising fasciitis – a potentially fatal infection that eats away at the skin, muscles and fat.
Surgeons had to ‘scoop out’ a 6in deep hole to get rid of the infected tissue to save her life – leaving her with 27 stitches across her tummy.
Former carer Deanna said the experience has put her off having any more children.
Deanna Hirrell, pictured before giving birth, 26, from Leicester, gave birth to baby boy Kalub by c-section, but just a couple of days later her scar burst open while she was in the shower. She was rushed to the hospital by her partner, where she was diagnosed with necrotising fasciitis – a potentially fatal infection that eats away at the skin, muscles and fat
Deanna, pictured in the hospital after giving birth in February 2019, said the traumatising experience had left her mentally ‘destroyed’
She said: ‘This was meant to be the best time of my life – being a new mum.
‘But it’s destroyed me. I cry everyday. When it burst open there was all this puss and blood and the smell was terrible.
‘It was like the smell of death. It was horrible.
‘The doctors don’t know what caused the flesh eating bug, but I was told if I didn’t come in when I did it would have ruined me and I could have died.
A picture shows Deanna’s stomach in hospital after her C-section scar burst open, revealing the damage caused by the flesh-eating bacteria
Deanna, pictured with her son Kalub, said the incident left her ‘crippled’ and caused the new mum to reach a size 20, when she was a size 12-14 before giving birth
‘I’m glad I acted when I did, but I just wish this didn’t happen at all.
‘I love how I have a beautiful baby boy. But you don’t hear about these things happening when you become a mum.’
Deanna had an emergency C-section on February 9th 2019 after having contractions every two minutes for 12 hours and her heart rate began to rise.
She was sent home from Leicester Royal Hospital the following day, but Deanna said she felt ‘completely wiped out.’
A picture of Deanna’s C-section scar before the split, days after giving birth to Kalub in 2019. It burst open a mere days later
Deanna’s stomach now. The doctors had to ‘scoop out’ a six inches-deep hole into her stomach to get rid of the infection
The new mum shrugged it off as inevitable tiredness but when she was showering the next day, the stitches from her C-section burst open 4cm.
There was a ‘flood of puss and blood’ and unable to walk or take care of her newborn, Deanna was bed-bound for the next few days.
She noticed her C-section continuing to leak so was rushed to hospital by her worried partner Mark Wilson, 30.
Kalub is now an active toddler, pictured with his dad Mark Wilson, 30. Deanna said the experience had put her off from having more kids
The former carer, pictured, said the flesh-eating infection had left her with 27 stitches no confidence
The c-section scar pictured before the split. It burst open while Deanna was having a shower. She claimed she was initially told to get some rest
Doctors diagnosed the new mother with necrotising fasciitis, a form of flesh-eating bug.
Deanna said: ‘I just put the pain down to tiredness.
‘This was my first time having a baby so I didn’t really know what to expect when it came to tiredness.
‘But when it burst open I knew something wasn’t right.’
She was rushed into emergency surgery where doctors ‘scooped out the flesh eating bug’ and stitched her 27 times across her stomach.
She said they had to open up her C-section 6in by 6in to get rid of the tissue infected by the potentially deadly disease.
Deanna remained in Leicester General Hospital for a week before returning home.
Doctors don’t know what led to the infection, she said, but Deanna thinks it was either due to the C-section or her traumatic delivery.
Despite healing well after surgery, Deanna says her confidence has been ‘crippled’ and the experience has been so scarring she does not want to have anymore children.
‘It’s just really ruined my confidence,’ she said.
‘The operation has left scarring which has left an upside down smiley face on my stomach.
Deanna said she loved her beautiful baby boy, pictured, but wish the scarring experience had never happened. She recounted feel completely wiped out after giving birth, but, being a new mum, she thought it was normal to be this tired
After her C-section scar started leaking, Deanna was bed bound for days, unable to take care of her child, before the shower incident caused her to be rushed into hospital by her partner Mark
Deanna with a stomach pouch following the operation to get rid of the flesh-eating bacteria. She had to stay in hospital for a week following the incident
‘I used to be a size 12-14 but now I’ve ballooned to a size 20.
‘It’s completely crippled me and some days I get so down about it.
‘It hangs down and covers my legs. I just look and feel horrible.
‘I always wanted to be a mum but I dare not have another baby as it will probably cripple me.’