Unexpected Turn in Pregnancy for Jennifer Choate

Jennifer Choate had a smooth pregnancy, but things took a sudden turn about two and a half weeks before her due date on March 6, 2025. The 27-year-old found herself in the emergency room at the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center, feeling unwell with headaches and elevated blood pressure.

Doctors suspected preeclampsia and decided to induce labor. Her fiancé hurried to be by her side, and Choate was able to chat with him and her medical team as everything seemed to be progressing as expected. Then, without warning, a severe pressure gripped her chest and head.

“It wasn’t exactly painful, but it felt like someone was squeezing me as tightly as possible. My head felt like it might burst,” Choate recalled. Turning to Arianna Bortle, a labor and delivery nurse, she said, “Something has gone wrong. I don’t feel good.”

Bortle, who had only been nursing for about 18 months, felt a jolt of alarm at Choate’s words. She quickly alerted her supervisors. Tragically, as they returned to the room, Choate’s heart had stopped.

“She was talking to me one moment, and then she wasn’t,” Bortle described. “There was no pulse.”

Understanding Amniotic Fluid Embolism

Doctors later diagnosed Choate with an amniotic fluid embolism, a rare and dangerous condition where amniotic fluid enters the bloodstream, triggering a catastrophic response that can lead to multiple organ failure, according to Dr. Nicole Scott, an associate professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at Indiana University.

While the exact cause remains largely unknown, this life-threatening incident occurs in about 1 in 40,000 births. Typically, they follow the breaking of the water and come without prior warning, causing rapid deterioration in the patient’s condition, heart failure, clotting issues, and severe bleeding. Complications like strokes and seizures can also happen.

According to Dr. Scott, the mortality rate for women experiencing this condition is roughly 50%, and the risks for their babies depend on various factors, including the stage of labor.

Survivors may face long-term health complications, like neurological issues from inadequate blood flow to the brain or musculoskeletal problems due to blood clots. In some cases, a hysterectomy might be necessary, and survivors often deal with significant emotional trauma as well.

The Journey to Recovery

Fortunately, Choate was revived, and her daughter made it safely into the world through a cesarean section. Doctors employed blood transfusions and other techniques to manage Choate’s significant blood loss and stabilize her condition, explained Dr. Pablo Argeles, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at UM BWMC.

After being placed on a ventilator, she was transferred to the University of Maryland Medical Center for intensive care. When she regained consciousness, Choate was in a fog, uncertain of what had transpired and worried about her baby’s fate.

“I thought, if I have a tube in my throat, there’s no way she’s okay. There’s no way a baby that size could survive all of this,” she recalled.

After a painful wait, she learned her baby was alive and well. Once a doctor detailed the events, she realized how fortunate she had been; both she and her daughter had come through without lasting medical issues.

Nonetheless, as Choate healed, the experience lingered with her. She Googled amniotic fluid embolisms and was appalled by the grim statistics. Although she managed to see her baby briefly, the separation affected her deeply. “I need to go home. I have to be a mom,” she expressed. “They kept saying I was a miracle, but I just wanted my baby.”

As she recovered, Choate pushed herself, working on mobility to show staff she was ready to go home. “It was tough. The hardest thing I’ve done, painful and emotionally draining. But having a baby put everything into perspective—I didn’t care about the pain,” she admitted.

Her determination paid off; after nine days in the hospital, she was able to go home.

A Warm Welcome Home

When Choate returned, the house was a flurry of cards, gifts, and support from family. Bortle even came to visit. Now with her seven-month-old daughter, Choate shared a lighthearted moment, joking that her baby was well-behaved and taking it easy on her.

“She doesn’t cry about anything. I say, she knows what I’ve been through,” she laughed.

Yet, despite life moving forward, Choate finds herself reflecting on her traumatic experience “every single day.”

“I’ve always valued my life, but it’s a reminder that anything can happen,” she pondered, feeling as though it was all surreal. “Sometimes I wonder if it actually happened to me. Am I in a different universe?”

Yet, in the midst of her concerns, love for her child quickly drowns out those darker thoughts.

“I got the one most important thing out of this,” Choate said. “My child is alive.”