Alexa Bliss thought something was seriously wrong after giving birth, but the warning signs apparently didn’t look alarming enough on paper at first. Three days later, she was back in the hospital hearing doctors talk about possible heart and kidney failure — and being warned just how badly the situation could have ended.
During her conversation with Stephanie McMahon on What’s Your Story?, Bliss was asked whether she and Ryan Cabrera were thinking about having another child. Her answer quickly turned into the story of a frightening complication from her first pregnancy that she says doctors initially missed.
“I had preeclampsia, but they didn’t catch it.”
Stephanie immediately stopped her there, asking, “How did they not catch that?” Bliss said part of the problem may have been that she naturally has low blood pressure. Her mother, who has a doctorate in nursing, noticed that Bliss’ readings were unusually high for her and told her to have them checked again. The numbers had jumped significantly, but Bliss said they were still sitting within the normal range for most people.
“I don’t know. Because, I naturally have low blood pressure. And so when I was going to the doctor, I was like, my mom, she has a doctorate in nursing, so she’s very on top of everything. And she’s like, ‘Have them check your blood pressure again. Like, this is high for you.’ But I was still in normal range for, like, a normal human being. And so it shot up by, like, 30. And they were like, ‘Oh, it’s probably just because you’re in pain,’ and whatever.”
Things got scary after Hendrix was born. Bliss’ daughter had to return to the hospital because she was jaundiced, and around the same time, Bliss started swelling badly and noticed something much more disturbing — lying down made her feel like she was drowning.
“And so when Hendrix was born, she had to go to the hospital because she was jaundiced. The hospitals were connected, like the women’s and the baby. And so as we left, we took her to this side of the hospital. And then I started getting really swollen, and I kept telling everyone, I was like, ‘I feel like I’m drowning.’ When I lay down, I feel like I’m drowning. And I started getting real big and everything.”
Three days after giving birth, Bliss sent pictures of her swollen face and ankles to her neighbor April, who happened to work at the hospital. April suggested she get some blood work done, so Bliss walked across the connecting bridge to get checked. That little walk suddenly turned into a hospital admission.
“So I waddled myself over there because it’s just a connecting bridge. Get my blood work, and immediately they’re like, ‘Okay, we need to admit you. Not to freak you out, but you could be in heart failure, could be in kidney failure,’ and all this stuff.”
Then doctors gave Bliss a warning that scared the hell out of her. According to Bliss, she was told that some mothers who arrive with the same problem don’t end up going home with their partners and babies. Doctors then gave her Lasix, and Bliss said she lost eight pounds of retained water in the first hour.
“And they were like, ‘We’re going to keep you because,’ and this is what they said to me, they’re like, ‘Well, we’re so happy you’re here because a lot of times the mommies who come in with this, the daddies and babies leave without a mommy if they don’t stay.’
And I was like, ‘They said that to you? Excuse me?’ I was like, ‘I’m going to stay. You don’t need to scare me into staying. I’m here. I’m good.’ And then they gave me Lasix. Ended up getting, like, peed out eight pounds of water in the first hour. And they were like, ‘Oh yeah, you’re good. You’re fine.’ I was like, ‘What?’”
Even Stephanie couldn’t believe how quickly the conversation had apparently gone from a terrifying warning to Bliss being told she was okay.
“Wait, you tell me that daddies and babies leave often without the mommy ever making it, and then I pee for eight hours and now you’re letting me go?”
Bliss clarified that she actually remained in the hospital for another 48 hours while doctors monitored her heart. Once she was finally cleared, though, the whole ordeal had understandably changed how she felt about going through another pregnancy.
“So I was in the hospital for, like, another 48 hours, just to monitor my heart and all that stuff. And they were like, ‘Yeah, you’re good.’ And I was just like, so I told my husband, I was like, ‘I think we’re one and done.’”
Cabrera apparently wouldn’t mind having another child, but Bliss isn’t nearly as convinced. Beyond everything she went through medically, she also has to think about what raising two children would look like while continuing to travel for WWE.
“I think he wants more, but I’m like, ‘I think we’re good.’ Especially on the road. Like, I can do one. I can’t do two on the road. I just, like, I could, but I was just like, man, I don’t know.”
Bliss went from thinking something felt wrong to being told she could potentially be dealing with heart or kidney failure in a matter of days. After spending another 48 hours being monitored and hearing just how dangerous the situation could have become, it’s not surprising that “one and done” suddenly sounds pretty good to her.
Do you think Alexa Bliss opening up about what happened gives fans a different perspective on everything she went through after becoming a mother? Let us know what you think in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
