Kiwi mum's scary near death experience after giving birth

Sera Lilly's world changed forever when the mother-of-five almost died following the birth of her fifth baby.

The fashion designer turned fitness blogger told The Hits Sarah, Sam and Toni how she developed a rare condition known as Ogilvie Syndrome, suffering a perforated bowel after giving birth via C-section.

"It was like someone had stabbed me with a knife," Sera told the trio, describing the pain of her burst bowel, which turned out to be life-threatening.

After battling with doctors who initially misdiagnosed her, she says she finally received life-saving surgery.

Since then Sera claims she has gained a new perspective on life and has had the courage to chase her dreams while recovering from the "traumatic" experience.

"It made me realise what I wanted to do with my life," she said.

"There are a lot of things that I hadn't done because I was scared to [but now it's like] screw it just do it."

Sera is now a qualified personal trainer and her goal is to inspire other women to get fit, happy and healthy. She has even launched her own fitness app.

"To me, fitness isn't a number on a scale or a clothing size – it's a lifestyle."

This story originally appeared on The Hits and has been republished with permission.