Being pregnant is an incredible experience, and there’s nothing quite like welcoming your new baby into the world. But not every birth story has an uncomplicated or blissful ending. Childbirth can have a host of complications that vary from minor to life-threatening. Jennifer Choate had a great pregnancy, and everything seemed perfect. But things changed in an instant during her labor and delivery, and it nearly cost the mother and her baby their lives.
Choate told CBS News that she arrived at the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center emergency room a few weeks shy of her March 2025, due date with a terrible headache and high blood pressure. The 27-year-old was a first-time mom and didn’t want to take any chances. Suspecting preeclampsia, doctors decided to induce labor. Suddenly, Choate felt extremely ill.
“It was not painful, but it felt like someone was squeezing me as hard as they possibly could. I felt like my head was going to explode,” she said.
She told the nurse at her bedside, Arianna Bortle, “Something has gone wrong.”
Bortle told CBS News she’d been a nurse for less than two years, but Choate’s words terrified her. “She was talking to me, and then she wasn’t,” Bortle said. “She didn’t have a pulse.”
Choate experienced an amniotic fluid embolism, a rare complication that can have catastrophic outcomes. The Amniotic Fluid Embolism Foundation explains that the condition occurs in several different scenarios.
“It is believed to be an allergic-like reaction to the amniotic fluid that enters the mother’s bloodstream. Amniotic fluid entering the bloodstream is a normal part of the birth process. An AFE usually occurs around the time of labor, delivery, or c-section, but can also occur during an amniocentesis or D&E procedure,” per the organization.
While information is limited, studies show that anywhere from 20% to 60% of women survive, according to the foundation.
“Outcomes can vary a lot. Some women may recover quickly, while others may suffer serious complications like a stroke, brain injury, organ failure, or, sadly, may pass away within hours of showing symptoms,” the foundation notes.
Miraculously, Choate survived. Doctors transferred her to the University of Maryland Medical Center for advanced intensive care. When she awoke, she feared the worst.
“I was like, ‘If I have a tube in my throat, there’s no way she survived whatever happened … there’s no way that a baby that is measuring 7 or 8 pounds is alive right now,'” she told CBS News.
She wanted to be with her daughter, Teagan, but had a lot of work ahead of her before she could go home.
“I was like, ‘I need to go home. I have to go home right now. I need to be a mom,'” Choate said. “They kept telling me I was a miracle. I was like, ‘I don’t care about being a miracle. I want to be a mom.'”
Choate got physically stronger and, despite horrific pain, made daily strides.
“It was hard. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It was painful, and I was crying. I was in so much pain. But when you have a baby, all of that pain just gets pushed to the side. My pain level was 1000 over 10, and I did not care,” the mom said, per CBS News.
Now, more than seven months later, the whole family has taken to a new normal. Choate lives each day to the fullest as Teagan thrives.
“I’ve never taken my life for granted, but it is scary to think that anything can happen,” she shared with the news outlet. “Sometimes I wonder, like, did this actually happen to me? I almost feel like I’m living in a different universe.”
Our moms always told us that giving birth to a baby is no joke. This is just another example of how life can change so quickly. We’re so glad this mom had an attentive nurse and an incredible team of doctors who saved this sweet little family.
