A mother's love for her child is something that many cannot question. Karisa Bugal, a mother from Colorado, demonstrated her unconditional and sacrificing love for her son when she made a choice to do the surgery to save her son's life, even if it will cost hers.
Bugal was supposed to have a standard caesarean section but it was found out that she had an Amniotic Fluid Embolism. Before the discovery of her condition, the doctors already noticed that the heart rate of her unborn son began to slow down, which also placed his life at risk, Little Things learned.
The mom had two choices. One, a c-section with an anesthesia that could save her life but kill the baby or two, the same surgical procedure - however, her being awake - that will save the baby but cost her life.
The last thing Bugal asked following the surgery was how much did her son weigh. Then she passed away.
This left Wes Bugal, her husband, in a perplexed state. He said he thought of how he was going to explain things to their son, Declan that his mom died giving birth to him.
Amniotic Fluid Embolism or AFE is an obstetric emergency wherein the fluid surrounding the baby penetrates the blood stream of the mother, which can cause the organs to shut down threatening the life of a mother. In the United States, this condition causes 7.5 percent to 10 percent maternal mortality rate, Medscape reported.
In addition to the above-mentioned reported data, 50 percent die within an hour of the symptom's onset. Maternal survival is rare but for those who survives, Pulmonary Edema may occur.
Mothers who survive AFE may also have left heart failure as a complication. The risk of AFE's recurrence is still unknown but there are reports of successful succeeding pregnancies.
There are a few AFE risk factors, which have been reported. These include advance age of the mother, several pregnancies and trauma.
