Alberta mother urges sepsis awareness after life-threatening postpartum infection

Kimberley Sidhu, a Chestermere mother originally from Calgary, is calling for greater awareness of sepsis after a severe infection shortly after the birth of her second daughter in June 2024. Sidhu, then 27, says she had a difficult pregnancy and became concerned after a membrane sweep at 38 weeks.

She says she contacted her midwives after developing green discharge and was reassured. Sidhu delivered at Rockyview General Hospital in Calgary and was discharged the same day, but says she developed shaking, discolouration and fever within 24 hours.

By the third day after delivery, Sidhu says she was short of breath, had chest pain and lost the use of her left leg. She returned to Rockyview, where she says a nurse recognized the seriousness of her condition. She was diagnosed with invasive Group A Streptococcus, or iGAS, which led to sepsis.

Sidhu underwent an emergency hysterectomy and spent about three weeks in hospital, where she was also treated for pneumonia and fluid in her lungs. She says she later paid for physiotherapy to relearn how to walk and continues to have leg problems. She says AHS told her it could not investigate care provided during a midwife home visit, and that she filed a complaint with the College of Midwives in October 2024 without hearing back.

She is now promoting sepsis education, including the Sepsis Alliance TIME acronym: abnormal temperature, signs of infection, mental decline and feeling extremely ill, including severe pain or shortness of breath. Sidhu is also involved in efforts to mark World Sepsis Day on Sept. 13.