I waited 17 years to have a second baby because doctors warned me I could die due to a rare condition
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A mother-of-two has a rare disease which means pregnancy could kill her - and has been warned she may die if she has a third baby. Rebecca Smith, 35, from Lancaster, Lancashire, suffers from peripartum cardiomyopathy - a rare disease which affects the function of the heart in the third trimester.
![[Nathan was born on April 21, 2007, at the Hull Royal Infirmary, weighing 7lbs 4oz but Rebecca was immediately rushed to intensive care after she started struggling to breathe]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/14/10/94069337-14281935-image-a-13_1736849665673.jpg)
The rare heart condition was missed by medical professionals during her first pregnancy and only caught after she had given birth to her eldest son, Nathan, now 17. 'It's crucial for pregnant women to catch this early,' said Rebecca. 'I'll have to be on my treatment regime for the rest of my life.
![[After giving birth to Nathan (pictured), Rebecca collapsed and a scan found two clots in her lungs and one clot, the size of a 'pigeon egg' on her heart. Eventually she was diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/14/10/94069339-14281935-After_giving_birth_to_Nathan_pictured_Rebecca_collapsed-m-17_1736849862508.jpg)
'There's such little knowledge of this disease - I was even told I had anxiety, the first time around. But I wasn't anxious, I was dying.'. At the time, Rebecca, a clinical support worker, suffered with swollen feet, fatigue and shortness of breath - all symptoms of both heart failure and pregnancy.
![[In 2024, Rebecca convinced herself that her heart was 'fine' and she decided to get pregnant again but at 36 weeks and two days, she was re-diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/14/10/94069343-14281935-image-a-15_1736849712152.jpg)
Nathan was born on April 21, 2007, at the Hull Royal Infirmary, weighing 7lbs 4oz but Rebecca was immediately rushed to intensive care after she started struggling to breathe. Rebecca Smith (pictured) from Lancaster, Lancashire, suffers from peripartum cardiomyopathy - a rare disease which affects the function of the heart in the third trimester.
![[Her second child, Rowan (pictured), was born at Manchester St. Mary's Hospital at 12.41pm, on November 27, 2024 - weighing 5lbs 12oz]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/14/10/94069335-14281935-image-a-16_1736849716104.jpg)
Recalling the traumatic birth story, Rebecca said: 'I was still a child myself. 'My mum rushed in as they brought me through to ICU - I was hooked up to all these machines. No one knew what was wrong with me, I had this fast heartbeat and pneumonia in my lungs.
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