Hayden Panettiere recalls severe hemorrhage and near-death experience after daughter’s birth

Hayden Panettiere is sharing new details about the life-threatening complications she experienced while giving birth to her daughter, revealing she “almost didn’t make it through” the traumatic delivery.

During a recent interview with E! News while promoting her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, the 36-year-old actress recalled suffering severe hemorrhaging during the 2014 birth of her daughter, Kaya, whom she shares with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko.

“I was sitting there and getting the C-section, and I knew that I was knocking on death's doorstep,” Panettiere said.

The actress remembered focusing solely on hearing her newborn daughter cry amid the medical emergency.

“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 okay and if it's my time to go, I'm okay with that,’” she shared.

According to the outlet, Panettiere underwent seven blood transfusions and later recovered from an infection following the birth. Despite the terrifying ordeal, she said she was prepared to sacrifice herself to ensure her daughter survived.

“I wasn't afraid at all,” the actress added.

Panettiere later reflected further on the experience during an appearance on CBS Mornings with Gayle King, admitting the physical trauma was soon followed by a difficult battle with postpartum depression.

“I had a really rough birth to the point where I almost didn't make it through,” she said. “And then the postpartum depression started.”

The Nashville star said she struggled emotionally despite having what she described as a “wonderful pregnancy.”

“There I am with this beautiful, healthy, beautiful baby girl and this very fortunate life, and I could not for the life of me be happy,” Panettiere explained. “I was so depressed and I just couldn't find my way out [of] the dark.”

Panettiere also opened up about her relationship with Kaya, now 11, who lives in Ukraine with Klitschko after the actress relinquished custody in 2018 while seeking treatment for mental health and substance abuse struggles.

Despite the distance, Panettiere said they remain close and regularly communicate through FaceTime.

“I'm so blessed to have a great relationship with her,” she said. “I fly over there as much as I can. I'm on FaceTime with her all the time.”

The actress also shared a lighthearted moment involving her daughter referencing Panettiere’s role as Britney Allen in Bring It On: All or Nothing.

“She actually called me and FaceTimed me the other day, and she calls me ‘Britney,’” Panettiere said, explaining that Kaya’s friends recently became fans of the film.

Panettiere’s comments come shortly after she addressed criticism surrounding her custody arrangement during an appearance on On Purpose with Jay Shetty, where she rejected claims that she had “given away” her daughter.

“The idea that anybody would think that I would just give away my child and be okay with it is heartbreaking,” she said. “Couldn't be farther from the truth.”

The actress described herself as a “mother lion” and said choosing treatment while allowing Kaya to remain in Europe with her father was one of the most painful decisions of her life.

“That was incredibly difficult,” Panettiere recalled. “The fact that my child wasn't going to be with me all day, every day was... you can't put words to it.”