Hayden Panettiere, who recently released her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, revealed that she nearly died from severe blood loss while giving birth to her and ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko‘s daughter, Kaya. Panettiere spoke about the experience in the memoir and during an interview discussing the book.

Hayden Panettiere was ‘knocking on death’s doorstep’ during childbirth

Scream franchise star Hayden Panettiere recently released her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, where she detailed the harrowing incident of her childbirth. While discussing the memoir with E! News, the actress revisited this chapter of her life, during which she nearly died from severe blood loss while giving birth to her and ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko’s daughter, Kaya, in 2014.

“I was sitting there and getting the C-section, and I knew that I was knocking on death’s doorstep,” Panettiere recalled. She added, “I just had the most motherly moment, though, where I said, ‘God, please let me hear my daughter cry. I just want to know that she is OK and if it’s my time to go, I’m OK with that.'”

The Disney actress recovered with extensive medical assistance, including seven blood transfusions and treatment for an infection. However, the experience made her realize that she was ready to become a mother. She said that she was willing to sacrifice herself for her daughter. “I wasn’t afraid at all,” she added.

Hayden also revealed her struggle with postpartum depression. With the struggle continuing for years, Hayden decided to give up custody of Kaya in 2018. “I don’t ever want her to feel like the postpartum depression aspect was her fault in any way,” she said about Kaya moving to Europe with Wladimir. “I want her to take away that it’s OK to be imperfect and flawed, and you’ll actually realize that you’re not alone in any of your struggles and you don’t have to stay quiet and be sick like I was.”