YouTube star ended up in coma after giving birth to second child due to rare complication
Kate and Joey are already parents to son Moon, five, and welcomed baby number two - a daughter named Mars - during a home birth at their residence in Hawaii on May 22.
Their first child was born inside a hospital via C-section, but the influencer wanted the 'magical' experience of giving birth naturally and at home, she explained during an interview with People published on Friday.
'This is my second kid, my last pregnancy. Let me challenge myself and go for this,' Albrecht told the outlet.
Kate saw both a midwife and OB-GYN during her second pregnancy and after nearly 24 hours of labor - their baby girl was born.
Afterwards, the mom-of-two went to the hospital for a checkup and to get stitches after suffering a tear amid labor. Kate was told she was 'fine' by doctors - but two weeks later the star had a horrifying health scare that initially had gone undetected: eclampsia.
She began to suffer different symptoms at the beginning of her postpartum journey, including headaches and pain around her mid-back area.
'I was so tired and so sore. I felt like, "Wait, this is supposed to be easier. I'm supposed to recover from a natural childbirth easier than a surgery," but I was bedridden,' Kate recalled.
Her husband Joey - who also joined in on the interview - explained that she had been seeing an OB but was told '"This is the healing process."'
When she also saw doctors over her stitches, the media influencer opened up about the pain she was feeling but, '[They] just said, "Oh yeah, well, you went through natural childbirth. Oh, you're a migrainer. You have headaches."'
Kate had been at home one day with her newborn baby girl and a family friend when she decided to take a nap due to not feeling well.
The star remembered falling in the hallway and into a wall. Her friend helped her into bed and soon reached out to Joey - who was away with son Moon at a party.
He wasn't too far away and soon arrived home - and noted to the outlet a film crew was shooting a scene nearby on the same street.
Joey emotionally recalled entering their bedroom to find Kate 'unconscious' and 'blood coming out of her mouth.'
After not being able to wake her up, he called 911 and sent the friend outside to see if there was a medic on set of the film - and luckily there was.
The medic arrived to find Kate had begun to have a seizure and after being quickly updated on the situation, the medic speculated she had eclampsia.
According to Mayo Clinic, postpartum preeclampsia is a 'rare condition' that 'sometimes develops up to six weeks or later after childbirth.'
It also 'can cause seizures and other serious complications' if it is left untreated.
She was intubated upon arriving to the hospital and Joey explained, 'At that point, she was then in a medical coma.'
Following tests, Kate did not have any brain bleeds and was transferred to the ICU. Joey left the hospital late that night, but even at home, would call nearly every hour to get any updates.
The next day, she awoke and was able to breathe on her own. Her husband said, 'I was like, "You had eclampsia. Yeah, the babies are fine." You're like, "What's eclampsia? What's that?"'
A blood clot had also been found on one of her kidneys, which had caused the pain she had been experiencing in her back.
Last month on June 9, Kate was discharged from the hospital and was happy to return home to see her son and newborn daughter.
The couple explained that they felt like they had been 'prepared' for everything - and never thought she would suffer from the rare medical condition.
She had even done tests that check for preeclampsia during her pregnancy, but those had also turned out 'fine' at the time.
Kate admitted that the situation 'was literally my worst nightmare' but offered a positive update.
'My family is okay. They're thriving. My baby's thriving. She's fine, and I'm good and getting better every day. I'm trying to make this into a positive, trying to find the positive in this horrendous experience.'
Over on Instagram, she also gave a message to their fans and followers on Friday.
Along with sharing photos of herself with baby Mars, Kate penned: 'I know a lot of you have seen the People article and have been worried and sending your love and we are so thankful for you! We are OK!
'We just posted the entire raw and real birth video on our YouTube channel (link in bio). It's the most raw video we've ever made.'
She added, 'Birthing naturally was by far the hardest thing and I really didn't think I could pull it off, but I did!
'Mars, Moon and Dada @joeyzehr and I are happy, healthy and healing now! We are working on a second video to tell the rest of the story.'
The mom-of-two concluded with, 'We are so thankful for all of you. The Creative Weirdo family is literally the best community on the internet! ❤️❤️.'
Mr. Kate first began as a blog in 2009 and has since blown up to a successful YouTube channel which currently has 3.79 million followers.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
18 minutes ago
- The Independent
RFK Jr. looks to boot panel that decided which HIV and cancer screenings would be free: report
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is reportedly planning to remove all the members of an influential health task force that helps determine what preventative care services insurers must cover for free, after removing all members of a vaccine advisory board last month. Kennedy wants to clean house at U.S. Preventative Services Task Force next because he believes its 16 members have become too 'woke,' The Wall Street Journal reports. Under 2010's Affordable Care Act, the task force makes evidence-based, public recommendations on a variety of treatments, ranging HIV prevention to prenatal care to mental health, that insurers must cover at no cost to patients. Health and Human Services has said the secretary hasn't made a final decision regarding the task force. The Independent has contacted the agency for comment. Kennedy's reported dissatisfaction with the group comes after the American Conservative magazine accused the task force of being a 'festering corner of woke bureaucracy' in an article earlier this month. 'The task force is packed with Biden administration appointees devoted to the ideological capture of medicine,' the author argued, pointing to 'sinister' recent task force actions committing to removing racial inequities in health care and using more inclusive language around gender. Earlier this month, a July meeting of the task force was postponed. At the time, a letter from over 100 health organizations warned about the politicization of the task force's work. 'The loss of trustworthiness in the rigorous and nonpartisan work of the Task Force would devastate patients, hospital systems, and payers as misinformation creates barriers to accessing lifesaving and cost effective care,' the letter reads. 'When something works well and helps inform doctors about how to take care of their patients, to postpone the task force's work just doesn't make any sense,' Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, president of the American Medical Association, told The New York Times after the meeting was postponed. 'This flies in the face of what is good for the country's health.' In June, the Supreme Court upheld the task force's ability to recommend free coverage for preventative services, in the face of a challenge from individuals and businesses objecting to the body's recommendation regarding HIV prevention medication. Concern over the fate of the task force comes after Kennedy removed all the members of a vaccine advisory board, replacing them with some members who share the secretary's vaccine skepticism.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Ben Askren reveals devastating impact of double lung transplant in heartbreaking new health update
Ben Askren has revealed the incredible toll his health episode has taken on him in a new social media post on Saturday. UFC cult hero Askren, regarded as one of the world's top lightweight fighters during the peak of his career, has been the subject of widespread concern among the MMA community after being hospitalised with pneumonia. Askren, 41, required a double lung transplant to save his life and returned home from hospital this week. He has been told by doctors that he s fully capable of living a lengthy, healthy life. But for now, the American former wrestler has a long journey to a full recovery, revealing on Instagram that he struggles to lift a five-pound dumbbell, such is his lack of strength post health crisis. 'I've been home for four days now,' he began. 'It's awesome. I get to sleep in my own bed, eat my own food, hang out with my family, it's great. 'That being said, I've still got so many physical challenges to deal with. I'm still down abot 35 pounds from where I should be. I can't walk. This five-pound weight, it's actually hard for me to curl. 'Right before I had to go to the hospital I was feeling strong, I was able to curl 45 pounds. I was out doing hill sprints.' However, Askren, who struggled to speak at certain points of video and had to catch his breath, is determined to improve his condition. 'I am where I am now,' he said. 'But I know I'll be somewhere different in a month.' Askren previously revealed that he had died four times before his life-saving transplant. 'So, I only died four times. The ticker stopped for about 20 seconds,' he said. 'But, I got the double lung transplant and made it out to the other side of it. I was actually 147lbs. I haven't been 147lbs since 15-years-old. 'The thing that was most impactful to me was the love I felt from everybody. It was almost like I got to have my own funeral. 'The outpouring of love from the wrestling community was just amazing. It felt so good. So I'm more motivated than ever to get back and do what I can to help out. 'I love you guys and I appreciate you guys. This has been tough. Not only on me but on my whole family and community. 'I hope you guys appreciate the update and sometime down the road maybe Amy and I can detail everything a little more'. More to follow. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ben Askren (@benaskren)
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Woman left BLIND after performing 13 cartwheels in a row
A fun day at the beach turned into a months-long medical ordeal for a Seattle teenager who went temporarily blind after doing cartwheels with friends. Deborah Cobb, now 42, was just 19 when she decided to see how many cartwheels she could perform in a row while having fun with her friends on a summer day in 2002. But after completing 13 consecutive cartwheels, the young woman fell over feeling 'super dizzy' and quickly realized something was terribly wrong with her eyesight. 'I decided to see how many cartwheels I could do in a row just for fun,' Cobb told Newsweek in a recent interview. 'So I started doing them and got to 13 and fell over super dizzy. My eyes were kind of spinning so it took a moment to realize that my eyes weren't focusing.' At first, she thought she was just dizzy but panic quickly ensued when she realized she could no longer see anything clearly. 'Looking at her [friend's] face, it was a giant orange blur. My eyes wouldn't fully focus,' she said. 'There was no pain, and my peripheral vision was fine, but everything I looked directly at was blocked by an orange blur.' Cobb first tried to play it cool and didn't immediately tell her friends how scared she was. 'I was panicking inside, but not outwardly so my friends didn't think anything of it,' she said. But her vision has not improved by morning. That's when she went to the hospital. 'My central vision was completely gone... I couldn't drive, I couldn't read, I couldn't see myself in the mirror... which meant I couldn't put on makeup... I couldn't even watch TV,' she said. At the hospital, doctors initially thought she had simply 'sunburned' her retinas. But when she saw a retinal specialist, she got a far more serious and rare diagnosis. 'I had hemorrhaged in both of my maculas and it was going to take three to six months to fully heal,' she said. Experts say the condition is extremely unusual in someone so young. 'In healthy individuals, especially young people, this occurrence is quite rare,' Dr. Rajesh C. Rao, an ophthalmologist who specializes in surgery of the retina, told the outlet. 'The head being upside down abruptly or repeatedly can also increase pressure in veins in the retina, and some at-risk individuals can be prone to macular hemorrhage.' Cobb said it took a while for reality to truly hit her. 'I started sobbing,' she told the outlet. It was the first time it fully hit me how limited I was and how dependent I was on other people for simple things like reading—which I had completely taken for granted.' While her vision did return after about three months, the bizarre injury still causes issues. Even decades later, Cobb still suffers flashes of light and dark floaters caused by retinal jelly detachment. 'The only option is surgery,' she said, 'but surgery almost always causes cataracts, which would only mean another surgery. So I'm okay to just live with it.' Despite the traumatic ordeal, Cobb remains grateful for all the joys in her life. 'We so often focus on what's going wrong in our lives, that we miss all of the things that are going right. 'There are so many simple gifts that could be bringing us joy every day, if we just learned to appreciate them. That's what this experience taught me: never stop being grateful.'
