A young Australian mother was 32 weeks pregnant when she began experiencing blurry vision. Having been pregnant before, Oliva Harlow, 25, felt something was wrong and went to the hospital. A medical team cleared her, but her symptoms increased, and she began having persistent headaches. When she was 37 weeks pregnant, she was told her baby, Adeline, had died.
The mother went through the agony of delivering a stillborn baby, but her physical pain didn't go away. Her sister-in-law, Stefanie Harlow, told Today that Liv Harlow died a short time later, and the family is trying to understand how this all happened.
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Her pregnancy seemed typical at first.
Already a mom to daughter Evaliah, Liv Harlow knew a bit about pregnancy and was concerned when she began to have blurry vision. Her doctor reportedly told her that her pregnancy was "high risk" at the 34-week mark and that her vision issues could be a sign of a stroke. She was given a "pregnancy-safe scan" in the emergency room, to check out her head and brain.
"The result was perfectly clear, and nothing was abnormal," Stefanie Harlow told Today. "She was released and sent home to rest and take it easy."
A few weeks later, Liv Harlowe became concerned.
The mother realized Adeline had stopped moving and she went to the hospital, where she received the devastating news that Adeline had died at 37 weeks of gestation. She was released from the hospital after delivering her "forever sleeping" baby, but her symptoms did not subside.
"She was still suffering these intense headaches and blurred vision," Stefanie Harlow told Today.
A reexamination of her scans seemed OK.
The doctors took another look at the scans Liv Harlowe received during pregnancy, and nothing looked concerning. She was sent home, but two days later, her partner found her on the floor unresponsive. After returning to the hospital, doctors found masses in her head and lungs.
Stefanie Harlow recalled, "The doctors were unable to determine what they actually were at the time and what caused them. We were told (the masses) were inoperable and that Liv was already brain dead."
It is unclear what happened to Liv Harlow and Adeline.
Stefanie Harlow said the family is still unsure what caused Liv Harlow's condition and what effect it had on her or her baby. A coroner reportedly told the family it could take two years for a result.
"We have to wait for those answers as we don't know what they were or what caused them," she explained. "Understandably, we are all struggling to come to terms with these tragic losses."
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Stephanie Harlow hopes sharing the family's story will help others.
She encouraged all moms to be their own health advocates. She told Today that she hopes sharing their family’s grief may prevent another family's tragedy.
"We thought it would be a good opportunity to bring some light to the situation so should future women find themselves in a similar position they might have the courage to push harder for further testing to be done," she said, per Today. "I just hope that everyone who presents to a hospital knowing their own bodies and sensing something isn't right have the courage to speak up and they want more done for themselves."
