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By Daniella Gray
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A new mom almost died after going to the hospital for what she thought was just a pulled muscle.
Thirty-two-year-old Nikki Bahan, who was newly postpartum, told Newsweek that the pain, centered in her midback near her rib cage, wrapped around to the front of her body. Within a day, it escalated to something she could no longer ignore.
"I couldn’t lay flat without feeling like I was drowning," the mom of three said.
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While Bahan tried to rationalize it, those around her were far less convinced. Her husband, Dylan, and her mom grew increasingly concerned, especially given that Nikki had previously suffered from kidney stones and the pain sounded similar.
When her breathing worsened and the pain refused to let up, they insisted she go to the emergency room. "Looking back, I’m so grateful they trusted their instincts," Nikki said.
At the hospital, her mother-in-law stayed by her side throughout the night. Initial tests focused on the most-obvious suspects—her kidneys and gallbladder—but scans showed no stones.
It was her recent postpartum status that prompted doctors to dig deeper. The weeks following childbirth are considered a high-risk period for blood clots, and physicians ordered a D-dimer blood test to rule out a more-serious cause.
The result was alarming. "The scan showed multiple blood clots in my right lung, along with pneumonia and a pleural effusion," Nikki said. "I was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism and was given blood thinners and antibiotics right away."
A postpartum pulmonary embolism occurs when a blood clot, often formed during or after pregnancy, travels to the lungs and obstructs blood flow.
Pregnancy itself increases clotting risk, a natural safeguard against hemorrhage during delivery, but one that can become dangerous in the weeks that follow.
In Nikki’s case, doctors believe the combination of postpartum changes and pneumonia created a perfect storm, with a COVID-19 infection during her third trimester possibly contributing.
The condition can masquerade as something far less serious. Pain from a clot in the lungs can radiate into the back or rib area because the lungs and diaphragm share nerve pathways with those regions. Breathing or lying down can intensify the discomfort, making it feel deceptively like a pulled muscle.
Recovery was both physically and emotionally grueling. Nikki began with daily abdominal injections of blood thinners for a week, followed by months on warfarin. She was also monitored closely by a hematologist for three months to ensure no new clots were forming.
"Emotionally, it was just as hard as the physical recovery," Nikki said. "I’ve never been so afraid in my life. Pulmonary embolisms are rare, but they can be fatal—and that reality hit me hard."
Nikki shared her story in a clip on TikTok (@nikkisplate), which has amassed over 1.2 million views.
Now 34, Nikki said she is doing well, though the experience has permanently altered her perspective. She suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to the ordeal and continues to work through the emotional scars with professional help.
"Healing isn’t linear, but I’m on the recovery side now, and that’s something I never stop being thankful for," she said.
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