Jazmyn McGee, 29, had a ‘perfect’ twin pregnancy until her heart failed during a nightmare C-section

It was the perfect twin pregnancy that shocked doctors until a C-section nightmare left a new mum with just 45 per cent heart function for life.

When the epidural didn’t work a northern suburbs mum felt every cut the doctors made during a caesarean section until her heart failed.

Jazmyn McGee had the perfect twin pregnancy – even her doctors were shocked – but things took a turn for the worst on the operating table.

The 29-year-old from Evanston Park described her pregnancy as “easy” and said she avoided all the common complications that often come with carrying twins.

“Throughout my whole pregnancy I was completely healthy,” Ms McGee said.

Three month old twins, Luca and Kiarah with dad Louis and mum Jazmyn McGee. Picture: Ben Clark

“My blood pressure was perfectly fine and I was able to carry my twin pregnancy for its full term of 37 weeks.

“All the doctors were shocked because usually twin pregnancies never go so smoothly.”

But when Mrs McGee went in for a scheduled C-section on December 11, her heart felt like it was “exploding”.

“The epidural and the spinal blockage didn’t work very well, so I could feel everything the doctors were doing to me – I was in agony just crying,” she said.

“My body started to freak out, and my heart rate skyrocketed and then it just plummeted.

“The nurses were trying to give me the baby and I was just like: ‘I can’t do this.’”

Mrs McGee and husband Louis McGee, 29, welcomed a boy Luca and girl Kiarah, but the new mum was too sick to hold her newborns.

“I had wanted to do the whole picture thing,” she said.

“I wanted to hold my newborn children after birth and take photos to keep as a token for life. Obviously we never got the chance to do that.”

Evanston Park twins Luca and Kiarah. Picture: Ben Clark

Mrs McGee stayed in hospital for four days after the traumatic birth, but symptoms – chest, back pain and intense swelling – did not subside.

“I had swelled up like an elephant,” Mrs McGee said.

“I remember the day the hospital released me, I could hardly walk because of how swollen and tender my legs were.”

Just a few days later Mrs McGee returned to the hospital as her symptoms worsened.

“After what felt like endless testing they finally diagnosed me with heart failure – peripartum cardiomyopathy,” she said.

“I ended up only 45 per cent of my heart function in the end and I’ll be locked into cardiology appointments and taking medicine for the rest of my life.”

But if you ask the mum of three it was all worth it for the safe arrival of her beautiful twins who have been nominated in The Advertiser’s Cutest Summer Baby competition.

Ms McGee said she “constantly counts” her blessings that she is alive to see her husband, twins and their big brother Nicholai, 4, everyday.

“The twins are so interesting to observe and they are so different,” she said.

“Kiarah is very sassy, she likes to use her voice a lot and she will kick around and be active.

“Whereas Luca is very placid, very mellow. He has this Mickey Mouse that sits on his bouncer and he quietly talks to that.”

It’s not too late to nominate your baby in the search for South Australia’s cutest baby born in December, January or February. Entries close at 8am Tuesday, March 12.

Originally published as Jazmyn McGee, 29, had a ‘perfect’ twin pregnancy until her heart failed during a nightmare C-section