Mom delivers baby on her bathroom floor. Then the real nightmare began

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story said that a baby received a blood transfusion. It was, in fact, her mother, Carolina.

Carolina Villagra didn’t think things could be that much worse after she delivered her daughter on the floor of the bathroom in her Burnaby apartment.

But the real nightmare began during her recovery, when baby Valentina had to be taken to hospital.

“I didn’t think it could have gotten worse than that. But it did,” she told Global News.

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Villagra, 21, visited Burnaby Hospital for post-pregnancy procedures. Complications arose during that visit which required another trip to hospital, and surgery.

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Then Valentina developed a fever, which necessitated a visit to the pediatric unit at Royal Columbian Hospital.

“Totally pale, she just looked sick,” Carolina’s mother Paola told Global News.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Totally pale, she just looked sick," Carolina's mother Paola told Global News.

The girl’s fever eventually subsided.

But doctors soon turned their attention to Carolina — she was told to go to emergency, where staff said she had a hemoglobin level of 63; no one was supposed to be discharged with levels below 80.

Carolina received a blood transfusion and her hemoglobin level was raised to 84.

READ MORE: Why women shouldn’t feel pressured to wait to announce their pregnancy

Fraser Health did not provide a spokesperson or speak to the case due to privacy reasons, but said it would contact the Villagras to hear their concerns.

Carolina, meanwhile, will file a patient quality care complaint.

“It was a very terrifying moment for me, because obviously I don’t want to, like, pass away after giving birth,” she said.

“I want to be there for my daughter.”

Both mom and baby are safe and healthy now, after a rough start to motherhood.