Canadian mom pushing for awareness after sepsis nearly killed her after giving birth

An Alberta mom is pushing for more awareness after sepsis left her fighting for her life just days after giving birth.

Kimberely Sidhu was 27 years old and pregnant with her second child when she says her birth experience started to take a turn. The Calgary-born mom, who now lives in Chestermere, had been dealing with a difficult pregnancy before giving birth in June 2024. 

At 38 weeks pregnant, Sidhu underwent a membrane sweep, which she says changed everything. In the following days, she began experiencing green discharge and growing concerns about her health. She contacted her midwives, who she says reassured her that everything was fine.

“We called the midwife pager line, because that’s what we were supposed to do, and they had said, if the baby’s moving, it’s fine. So we had taken that because, with every being in me, I trusted these midwives,” Sidhu said when speaking with Daily Hive. 

Just a few days later, Sidhu went into labour and drove from Chestermere to Rockyview General Hospital in Calgary, where she gave birth to her second daughter within about 30 minutes of arriving. She was discharged later that same day.

That’s when things started to go downhill. Within 24 hours of giving birth, Sidhu says she was experiencing severe symptoms.

“I was turning purple and shaking. My fingers were purple, my lips were purple, and my mother-in-law was putting me under heat sources,” Sidhu explained. “I had like four blankets, and then I would shift to like a really big fever, and I’d be really hot.”

In Alberta, midwives typically provide postpartum visits at home on days one, three, and five after birth, with additional visits if needed.

Sidhu says her midwife came to check on her, but attributed her symptoms to a hormonal drop. By day three, Sidhu says her symptoms had become even more concerning. She was having difficulty breathing and experiencing pain behind her breast, which she says her midwife attributed to her milk coming in.

Later that day, her left leg gave out. She couldn’t put pressure on it, walk, or even lift it. She called her midwife again, who initially told her to return to Rockyview General Hospital, but then called back and said the symptoms didn’t appear to be birth-related and that she should go to any hospital.

Sidhu was already at Rockyview General Hospital when she received the call. She says a nurse quickly recognized the severity of her condition and advocated for her to see a doctor.

“They’re trying to make sure they’re trying to keep me alive because they had urged my husband to start making arrangements. They said ‘if she sleeps, she’s not going to wake up; she’s going to go into heart failure,’” Sidhu said.

Eventually, it was found that Sidhu had invasive Group A Streptococcus (iGAS), which is caused by the same bacteria that can cause strep throat, but occurs when the bacteria infect deeper parts of the body.

In Sidhu’s case, the infection led to sepsis. According to Sepsis Canada, “sepsis is the body’s extreme response to an infection and is a life-threatening medical emergency.”

“I was put in for an emergency hysterectomy, and I was 27 years old. It was one week post-birth, and they gutted me like a fish,” she said. 

Sidhu spent about three weeks in hospital as she recovered from the infection and its complications, including pneumonia and fluid in her lungs that required a back tube.

But the effects of sepsis didn’t end when she left the hospital. Sidhu says she had to pay out of pocket for physiotherapy to relearn how to walk, and she continues to experience issues with her leg today.

Following her experience, Sidhu says she tried to file a complaint with AHS but was told that it could not investigate because the care was provided by midwives during a home visit. She filed a complaint with the College of Midwives in October 2024, and says she has not heard back. 

Now, Sidhu is using her experience to advocate for greater awareness of sepsis, particularly among new mothers and their families. 

“Moms are so hyper-focused on baby that there should be a home support team, like a partner or family who are hyper-focused on mom,” Sidhu said.

She wants people to know the warning signs of sepsis and, most importantly, to recognize when something doesn’t feel right. Her advocacy has included working to raise awareness around World Sepsis Day, which falls on Sept. 13, and pushing for more education about the condition.

Calgarians may even see the Calgary Tower lit up this year, as Sidhu is now part of a team that reaches out to landmarks across Canada to raise awareness for World Sepsis Day.

Sidhu’s goal is simple. She just wants people to recognize the signs before it’s too late, and she says there is an easy way to do that.

“I always say for everyone, if they ask, ‘What’s your lasting message?’ Just learn the TIME acronym.”

The TIME acronym is a tool developed by Sepsis Alliance to help people recognize the warning signs of sepsis:

Temperature: higher or lower than normal
Infection: signs or symptoms of an infection
Mental decline: confusion, sleepiness, or difficulty waking
Extremely ill: severe pain, discomfort, or shortness of breath

An estimated 48.9 million cases of sepsis and 11 million sepsis-related deaths were reported worldwide in 2017. This represents almost 20 per cent of all global deaths. It is also estimated that sepsis costs Canadians $1.7 billion annually, according to Sepsis Canada.