‘Clinically Dead’ Mother Gives Birth to Triplets in Texas

Yes, you read that right. A Texas woman gave birth to triplets, but there was a complication during the birth in which the woman began seizing and lost consciousness for an entire week!

The Terrifying Good News

Today.com tells the story of Marisa and Dylan Christie from Tomball, TX who were trying for two years for a second child. They already had a 4-year-old son at home.

Eventually, the couple became pregnant again. This time, Marisa was carrying not just one baby, but the bonus prize of triplets.

There was a fourth baby, a twin of one of the three who was sharing a sack with one of them, that never received a heartbeat but was still taking some blood flow from its surviving twin. Doctors were able to remove the underdeveloped twin without a heartbeat so the other could survive.

Marisa's physician, Dr. Amber Samuel successfully removed the triplets during birth, but it was apparent that Marisa was undergoing a seizure and needed immediate medical attention.

Amniotic Fluid Embolism

It turns out that what Marisa was experiencing was an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE), a rare and highly dangerous childbirth complication that affects about one in every 40,000 women in America.

Essentially what happens during an AFE is amniotic fluid enters the bloodstream during childbirth. This isn't the problem, as this process is normal during childbirth. The issue is that some women are allergic to the fetal cells and tissue found within the fluid, basically putting their body into shock.

As Marisa eventually lost her pulse, CPR was administered and doctors were constantly replacing her lost blood.

"She essentially lost what we consider her whole blood volume," Dr. Ricardo Mora, the anesthesiologist, said. "We replaced her blood volume. So, for 45 minutes, she was clinically dead."

The good news is that the triplets were all born healthy, and when Marisa finally recovered she was able to meet her babies and they instantly recognized their mother.