30-year-old mother was “clinically dead” for 45 minutes “at that time I thought I would never see my child again but thank God a miracle appeared to us” …see more

A mom from Texas is sharing how she forgot that she gave birth to her triplets after she was declared “clinically dead” for 45 minutes following her cesarean section.

After welcoming her triplets back in August at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center North in Houston, Marisa Christie suffered a rare post-birth complication, according to the Today show.

“The doctors had pulled all three [babies] out. Actually, they were resting them on my stomach to do a delayed cord clamping,” Christie told the outlet. “My arms flew up, and that was when my heart stopped.”

The 30-year-old had experienced an amniotic fluid embolism, which according to the Mayo Clinic is “a rare condition that happens when the fluid that surrounds the baby during pregnancy, called amniotic fluid, or fetal material such as fetal cells enters a pregnant person’s bloodstream.” 

Christie spent a week unconscious following her planned cesarean section and when she awoke, she learned about the birth of her little girls.

Jennifer Bruse

Woman Diagnosed with Brain Tumor Told She’s Unable to Have More Kids — Then She Welcomes Triplets (Exclusive)

“My husband was like, ‘Hey, so we had the babies. They’re healthy and great,’ ” Christie, who is also mom to a 4-year-old son, told Today. “I was absolutely terrified … How could I not remember having my babies?”

Meeting her little ones — Charlotte, Kendall and Collins — for what was essentially the first time when they were already more than a week old was also “very surreal” for the mom of four. 

“I remember thinking, ‘I don’t know these babies. This is very strange. They feel like they’re not real. They feel like they’re not mine,’ ” she said. “It took a little bit to get that connection with them.”

The triplets were delivered by Christie’s maternal-fetal medicine physician, Dr. Amber Samuel, but it was Christie’s anesthesiologist, Dr. Ricardo Mora, who noticed that she was seizing because he had seen another mom experience an amniotic fluid embolism while giving birth 15 years earlier.

Marisa and Dylan Christie with their baby girl triplets — Charlotte, Kendall and Collins. 

“She [was] essentially gray. I knew something terrible just occurred,” Mora told Today, adding of the complication, “It’s pretty catastrophic. When it occurs, it’s about 80%, 85% fatal.”

“I asked Dr. Samuel what she had done. She related to me that she had just started pulling the placenta out and that’s usually the time when this occurs — the separation of the placenta and uterus,” he continued.

“She wasn’t breathing,” Mora said. “We started CPR because she had no pulse.” 

Triplet Mom Reveals Nearly $2 Million Bill for Birthing Babies and NICU Stay: ‘It’s Rough Out Here’ (Exclusive)

Christie was also placed on ECMO, a machine that works for the heart and lungs to help the body recover, by Dr. Stephen Maniscalco, a cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon, according to Today

“She essentially lost what we consider her whole blood volume,” Mora said. “We replaced her blood volume. So, for 45 minutes, she was clinically dead.”

“You can do the best CPR in the world, but if you don’t get enough blood to the brain, essentially they are alive but with brain damage,” he added. “I needed her to live to raise her kids. So, it was a personal thing for me.” 

Doctors tried to prevent Christie from having a hysterectomy, but after she experienced uncontrolled hemorrhaging they ultimately had to remove her uterus and she was left with an open wound so she wouldn’t have to undergo further surgeries, per the outlet.

Nine weeks later her wound finally healed and a week after returning home the first of her babies also joined her, with Kendall and Collins following shortly after.

Marisa Christie with two of her triplets at the Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center in Houston. 

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Though thankful to have come through the ordeal, the experience was a life-changing one for Christie, she said.

“I feel very disconnected to whoever [I] was before,” she said. “I’ve gotten stronger, but I’ve also changed so much because going through a traumatic experience like that changes the way you view things.” 

“It’s rare, but it does happen,” she said. “There were so many miracles that led up to me living instead of dying and we’re grateful.”

A GoFundMe campaign set up by Christie’s brother Bryce Hansen to support her and her husband Dylan has so far raised more than $21,000.

Christie’s ordeal came months after a new mom in Ohio also experienced an amniotic fluid embolism after welcoming a healthy baby boy in February.

Ashley Zinn began experiencing “shortness of breath and chest pains” 45 minutes after giving birth and was placed in a medically induced coma, according to aGoFundMeGoFundMe campaign set up for her family. 

“I remember telling the staff, ‘I’m dying,’ ” Zinn told NBC affiliate WLWT. “The last thing I remember after that was being hauled away to CT.”

Jenn Weinstein, rabbi of Congregation Simchat HaLev in Woodbury, N.Y., separately told PEOPLE earlier this year how her wife, Andrea Termotto, died in May after welcoming identical twin daughters.

The 35-year-old suffered an amniotic fluid embolism and spent 10 hours fighting for her life, but doctors couldn’t save her.

“Her story is that she gave her life to give life. And it sucks, but even that is who she is, and who she was,” Weinstein said.

Related Posts

SAD NEWS: After Indian Bollywood star “Saif Ali Khan” was attacked by an intruder at his apartment in Mumbai, he was seriously injured after trying to protect his family and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition but unfortunately, he could not be…read more

SAD NEWS: The latest news after Actor “Saif Ali Khan” was attacked by an intruder at his apartment in Mumbai, he was seriously injured and had to be taken to…

Read more

BREAKING NEWS: The world’s leading lithium battery manufacturing facility in California caught fire, an employee was lucky to escape the fire, recounted ‘I was working when suddenly I heard a loud explosion that threw many people away, causing them to… see more

A fire broke out at the world’s largest lithium battery storage facility near San Francisco Bay, forcing about 1,500 people to evacuate over fears of toxic gas. A massive fire broke…

Read more

TRISTE NOTICIA: Hace apenas unos minutos, unos malhechores irrumpieron en la casa de la estrella india de Bollywood, Saif Ali Khan. El actor hizo todo lo posible por proteger a su hijo, pero lamentablemente fue apuñalado durante la pelea, lo que lo dejó gravemente herido y lo obligó a… ver más

Han surgido más detalles sobre el impactante incidente en el que el actor Saif Ali Khan fue apuñalado en su propia casa en la madrugada del jueves. El actor recibió…

Read more

Saif Ali Khan stabbing latest news: Suspect caught on camera; first CCTV footage released leaves fans shocked as it reveals horrifying truth…. see more

Breaking News: Saif Ali Khan Stabbing Incident – CCTV Footage Reveals Shocking Truth The entertainment world has been shaken by the shocking news of Saif Ali Khan being involved in…

Read more

SAD LOSS :Hollyoaks star Paul Danan was due to appear in court on the day of his tragic incident at the age of 46. It has been widely reported that the cause of the incident was a mystery as he had… see more

Hollyoaks Star Paul Danan Faces Court Over Tragic Incident at 46 Paul Danan, best known for his role in the popular British soap opera Hollyoaks, has found himself in the…

Read more

At 52, Dwayne Johnson has finally come clean about something we’ve all suspected… see more

Dwayne Johnson at 52 Finally Admits What We All Suspected Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, a name synonymous with strength, charisma, and resilience, has long been a towering figure in Hollywood…

Read more

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *