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“When I saw the specialist team at NUH waiting to help me I broke down in tears
A woman who, at 25 weeks pregnant, thought she may never walk again has returned to Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) to thank the team who helped her and to reassure other women with blood clots in pregnancy that they are not alone.
Natasha Cole went from feeling fit and healthy to sudden debilitating pain down her left leg. She said: “It came out of nowhere.”
Pregnant with her second child, she knew instantly things were far from right and after her leg swelled dramatically and turned purple, a visit to A&E in November 2025 confirmed an extensive blood clot.
Overnight her husband became her full-time carer. He even devised the only way of getting her to the toilet, by pulling her on a blanket across their wooden floor at home.
Natasha recalled just how terrified she felt: “At one point I genuinely didn’t think I would ever be able to use that leg again. It was really scary and really painful.”
Natasha was eventually put under the care of a specialist team which included a consultant haematologist, a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) specialist nurse, consultant obstetrician and a senior midwife.
Natasha recalled the moment she walked into Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) and was greeted by this specialist team: “My mental health was at rock bottom at this point.
“I had no idea what was going on or what the prognosis was so seeing a team who knew exactly what was happening and what was needed was so overwhelming and I just broke down in tears.”
NUH Specialist Haematologist, Dr Emily Millen, vividly remembered the day when Natasha arrived for that appointment: “She was in a wheelchair because she was in so much pain and she really needed us to get on top of that pain for her.”
The risk of blood clot for women becomes higher when pregnant but the risk in pregnancy over all is about two women in a thousand.”
“The symptoms of blood clot for Natasha in her leg would be pain or swelling and that leg could be quite firm and hot.”
QMC Labour suite midwife, Hannah Slack, delivered Natasha’s baby, Evelyn, in February this year. It was not the first time Hannah and Natasha had met as by total coincidence, Hannah had been the midwife who delivered Natasha’s first baby, Henry.
Hannah said: “I knew Natasha was being induced with Evelyn because she was on the blood thinning injections, but I didn’t know the whole story, so hearing it from Natasha today is really shocking and it’s good to know the context.
“She was very much in advanced labour when I went to collect her. Within about half an hour she had delivered the baby, so it was really quick for both of us.”
As Natasha revisited the labour suites at QMC she reflected on how difficult it was at the time to find other women who had experienced blood clot in pregnancy. “I only managed to find one woman in Canada.”
Natasha hopes that by sharing her story she can help other women going through it by reassuring them that there is help out there and that they shouldn’t feel alone.
Dr Millen said: “I think Natasha’s story shows that if you feel you have symptoms that you are worried about then please ask for help.”
NHS Advice:
During pregnancy, a blood clot can form in a deep vein (Deep Vein Thrombosis or DVT) or travel to the lungs (Pulmonary Embolism or PE).
Key warning signs include swelling, pain, redness, and warmth in one leg, or sudden breathlessness and chest pain. If you notice these symptoms, contact your midwife, GP, or NHS 111 immediately.
