'Bachelorette' alum Andi Dorfman details surgery after giving birth to 1st child
Former "Bachelorette" star Andi Dorfman shared that she was hospitalized days after welcoming her first child with husband Blaine Hart.
On Saturday, Dorfman posted her health update via her Instagram story, revealing that after returning home with her baby girl, Harper Bell Hart, who was born on Dec. 20, she began experiencing "a ton of pain."
"It was getting worse by the day," Dorfman wrote. "Despite the internet saying recovery takes time, I still felt something was wrong and finally after trying every home remedy, called my doctors and they told me to come right in."
She continued, "Turns out I had one large and one small hematoma that were the cause of the pain. Within a few hours we were at the hospital and prepped for surgery. A very straight forward procedure but still pretty terrifying having a 6 day old baby (plus loads of hormones still lurking)."
A hematoma is a collection of mostly clotted blood that forms in an organ, tissue or body space, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
It is typically caused by a broken blood vessel damaged during surgery or an injury, the NIH states. Hematomas can occur anywhere in the body, including the brain. While most are small and resolve on their own, some may require surgical removal.
Dorfman concluded her post on Saturday by sharing the lesson she learned from her medical experience.
"All this (over) sharing to say… trust your body, trust your instinct and trust that your doctors do truly care about your health and well being and don't be afraid to reach out to them," she wrote. "I felt some guilt worrying about myself instead of my daughter but realized she's no good if I'm no good. Hope this helps anyone out there doubting their own post partum recovery."
Dorfman announced the arrival of her first baby on an Instagram story on Dec. 20 before revealing the name of the newborn in a post on Dec. 22.
"Introducing … Harper Bell Hart 💗 Our sweet girl came into this world at a solid 7lbs 13 ounces and towering tall like her Daddy at 20.5 inches!" she captioned the post featuring photos of herself, Hart and their newest addition. "We are more in love with her than we could ever have imagined. I cry on the spot just looking at her and Dad is completely wrapped around her cute little finger."
"He even chose her middle name which is short for Bellissima, the Italian word for 'beautiful.' An ode to a place that has been a magical part of so many milestones in our lives and now will continue to be a part of her for forever," the caption read. "Thank you for all the amazing well wishes you have sent and an enormous thanks to our girl for making us the most mushy, proud, sappy parents ever! This is truly the best gift we have ever received 💕🥹🙌🏻."
