Heart pump saves Layton mother after she delivers baby
Alisa Bernard tired easily and struggled to breathe, but figured it was because she was pregnant with her fourth child and close to her due date. But due to a rare condition that affects women in their last weeks of pregnancy or in the months following delivery, her heart was barely moving. It was functioning at 5 percent capacity, which is why she would also wake up in the middle of the night gasping for breath. Once the problem was diagnosed, the Layton mother was shocked to learn she had a 50 percent chance of dying. And because the oxygen level in her blood was low, her baby was at risk, too.