For a young couple, what was supposed to be a straightforward second birth became a nightmare as the pregnant wife experienced multiple issues before to, during, and following delivery. When she encountered her final difficulty, it was her husband who made the call.
Jared Wilson did not anticipate an unthinkable catastrophe when he took his pregnant wife, Caitlyn, to a hospital in Buffalo, New York, to give birth to their baby, Gabriel. Rather than bringing their baby home, Jared had to deal with his wife’s passing.https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fcaitlyn.hirschi%2Fposts%2F10224344382851830&show_text=false&width=500
The Initial Struggles Caitlyn Faced That Fateful Day
Jared, a resident in anaesthesiology, dropped his wife off for her scheduled induction on December 12, 2022. After that, he went home to take care of Lincoln, their one-year-old kid. He met up with his wife at the hospital later that evening.
At first, labour went without incident. An obstetrics (OB) resident came to burst Caitlyn’s water shortly after she had an epidural at around one in the morning. But what transpired next shows how easily things can go out of hand, even when everything seems normal at first.https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fphoto%2F%3Ffbid%3D10221251966423352%26set%3Da.1492404864735&show_text=false&width=500
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development states that labour and delivery can involve a number of common difficulties. These consist of:
- Slow or Stalled Labour: The cervix may not open adequately, or contractions may become weaker. Doctors may give medicines or perform a C-section if labour doesn’t proceed.
- Tearing: The vagina or surrounding tissues may rip as the baby emerges. Small tears typically mend on their own, but larger ones or surgical wounds (episiotomies) need to be sutured by a physician.
- Umbilical Cord Problems: The cord might wrap around the baby’s neck or get pinched. Doctors carefully manage these scenarios to keep the baby safe
- Problems with the Baby’s Heart Rate: During labour, a baby’s heart rate may fluctuate. Repositioning the mother often helps; if not, a C-section or episiotomy would be required.
- Too Early Water Breaking: Usually, labour starts shortly after the water breaks. Otherwise, physicians might induce labour. Doctors keep an eye out for infection if the water bursts too soon, especially before 34 weeks.
- Lack of Oxygen (Perinatal Asphyxia): Insufficient oxygen during pregnancy, labor, or after birth can pose serious risks to the baby
- Shoulder Dystocia: One shoulder may become trapped following the delivery of the baby’s head. To safely release the baby, doctors use certain measures.
- Heavy Bleeding: One of the leading causes of maternal fatalities globally is severe bleeding, which frequently results from a uterus that is damaged or not contracting properly. Misoprostol is one medication that can help lower this risk.
“There had been no warning signs about the baby’s position,” Jared explained. But the OB resident found Gabriel’s arm up close to his face during delivery, with the umbilical cord behind it.
Gabriel’s arm slipped into the delivery canal as the resident moved to help, compressing the umbilical cord between his head, neck, and the uterine wall as the amniotic fluid drained.https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fphoto.php%3Ffbid%3D10215256206493101%26set%3Da.1492404864735%26type%3D3&show_text=false&width=500
Jared summed up the result by stating, “That leads to a condition called uterine cord prolapse, which has a really, really high mortality rate [for the baby] because he immediately starts to suffocate.”
Nurses and chief residents hurried to assist as soon as the prolapse was discovered. The chief resident quickly began an emergency caesarean section after inserting her hand into Caitlyn’s uterus to remove Gabriel off the cord.https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fcaitlyn.hirschi%2Fposts%2F10211421658391795&show_text=true&width=500
“Things were happening really fast,” Jared recalled. At 2:02 a.m., he texted both sets of parents, asking for prayers as Caitlyn was wheeled into the operating room. Just minutes later, surgeons returned with timestamped photographs from 2:12 a.m., showing Gabriel’s safe delivery.
As Jared put it, Gabriel was “screaming,” “healthy,” and “all signs looked good.” But when doctors switched Caitlyn to general anaesthesia, further issues surfaced. She still had sensation in her belly due to the recent administration of the epidural, which made intubation necessary for the urgent surgery.
Aspirating stomach contents into the lungs is one of the intrinsic dangers of general anaesthesia, according to Jared. This risk is increased in emergency situations and particularly for expectant mothers. With a full-term baby and water intake throughout the day, Caitlyn had elevated lung and stomach pressure.
Caitlyn’s mouth produced large volumes of water and stomach acid during intubation. The amount of fluid that had already entered her lungs was a concern, even though the medical staff worked hard to suction the fluids and secure the breathing tube.https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fphoto.php%3Ffbid%3D10208219022487899%26set%3Da.1492404864735%26type%3D3&show_text=false&width=500
The procedure was considered successful, and she was taken back into her room about two hours later with little oxygen support. In order to prioritise the baby’s safe delivery, Jared saw that during the caesarean, the doctors sutured rapidly and firmly, skipping the customary delicate separation of tissue layers.
“That increases her recovery time, and it’s very difficult and very painful, particularly when you feel like you’ve swallowed a swimming pool because Cait was coughing really, really hard,” Jared continued. He added that Caitlyn had previously dealt with mild bronchitis and had airways that were noticeably inflamed and reactive.https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fcaitlyn.hirschi%2Fposts%2F10210990487492792&show_text=false&width=500
His wife struggled to cough effectively because her “stomach felt like it was going to tear open. She got a lot out, and Gabriel was healthy and he was safe, and Caitlyn seemed safe and healthy,” Jared remembered thinking.
“She looked like she was probably going to struggle for a little bit, and she started antibiotics to make sure she didn’t get any kind of pneumonia from the fluid,” he added. “But the plan was she’s a healthy 27-year-old with no other health conditions whatsoever.”
Jared noted, “People aspirate food in their lungs all the time when they get drunk and fall down, or they vomit and pass out. A healthy 27-year-old should bounce back really quickly.” Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse.
What Went Wrong?
In the days after delivery, Jared noticed several complications, though obscured by what he called a “perfect storm of aspiration, emergency surgery and [sic] pregnancy.” Caitlyn remained in the labor and delivery unit so her oxygen levels could be monitored, though she focused on returning home to her children.
She was in severe discomfort, even under care. Jared saw that she was experiencing severe physical strain from a number of reasons, including an elevated heart rate and swelling in her lower thighs.
These included the hormonal changes brought on by milk production, the caesarean section, and the emotional strain of being hospitalised and away from her family and her baby. Over time, her condition deteriorated to the point that she needed more oxygen assistance.
While Jared took newborn Gabriel home, she was moved to the critical care unit (ICU). Caitlyn was put on the highest non-invasive oxygen support level possible in the intensive care unit.
She needed more oxygen every day. She did, however, stay conscious and talkative, and her pain was adequately controlled. Due to increasing lung irritation, Caitlyn consented to intubation on December 21, Jared’s 30th birthday.
Jared recalled her readiness, saying, “She was tired of running this marathon and [sic] I could see it in her.” Soon after intubation, more complications arose.
Caitlyn had only been on low-dose painkillers and drugs for constipation and acid reflux up to that point. Notably, Jared stressed that she had been “the healthiest person in the ICU.”
He explained that her condition deteriorated immediately after intubation. “The minute we intubated and she desaturated, we could not keep Caitlyn up,” he said. Despite the ventilator’s precise design to mimic human respiration, it failed to stabilize her.
Her previously consistent test findings also underwent a significant alteration at the same time. Within eight hours, her white blood cell count—a crucial sign of infection—rose alarmingly from 10 to 40.
Jared revealed that his wife’s health quickly deteriorated once she gave up control and agreed to medical assistance. The physiological implications of pregnancy were largely to blame for her blood pressure dropping and becoming uncontrollable.
Among these was increased vascular permeability, which led to fluids being supplied leaking into muscles and tissues instead of remaining in blood arteries. Her lungs were seriously at risk because of this.
However, since she was dehydrated, had low blood pressure, and had lost a significant amount of blood, requiring both fluid and blood transfusions, withholding fluids was not an option. At least two blood clots were discovered in her legs by further imaging, which also indicated that a larger clot might have made its way to her heart.
Thick clusters of blood cells and other substances that develop in vessels are known as blood clots, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Although clots usually aid in halting bleeding during surgery or trauma, they can occasionally result in potentially fatal side effects. Severe COVID-19 is one of the variables that can raise the risk of clotting.
Age also matters, particularly for people 65 and older. Obesity, cancer, and pregnancy can all raise the risk. Other concerns include smoking, hormone therapy, and the use of birth control tablets. The inability to move about for extended periods of time can increase the risk of blood clots.
According to the doctor’s findings, Caitlyn had obstructive shock, for which fluid restriction is the mainstay of care. She struggled with septic shock at the same time, necessitating vigorous fluid therapy.
In order to treat the clots, she also required blood thinners, which was a dangerous course of action given her massive blood loss and recent caesarean delivery. Even though she was pale and exhausted, Jared thought that Caitlyn was still a powerful, talkative presence until December 21.
Caitlyn experienced her first episode of cardiac arrest twelve hours later, but she was resuscitated. As her team battled to keep the sepsis under control and preserve blood pressure and oxygenation, indications of permanent organ damage emerged by midnight.
The staff tried everything, but they were unable to stabilise her. Jared clarified that in an effort to maintain organ function, their last resort was dialysis to remove white blood cells and acid from her blood.
Dialysis, however, also eliminates fluids, which poses a risk to a patient in septic shock, where maintaining fluid balance is essential. Caitlyn experienced her second heart arrest at 6:56 a.m. on December 22. When Jared got to her room at 6:59 a.m., the staff was already doing chest compressions.
He made a tragic choice while wearing the same clothes as the other doctors just as they were about to provide additional epinephrine. As a hospital anaesthesiologist, Jared was allowed the privilege of spending every night by his wife’s side.
He was present in the room while the resuscitation was being performed, dressed in the same uniform as the other medical professionals. Jared formally called the cardiac arrest himself and urged the team to halt. He held Caitlyn in his arms as the room emptied and the machines were shut off. He was fortunate to have his family’s and other people’s support thereafter, though.https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fphoto%2F%3Ffbid%3D10227306578117789%26set%3Da.10202229835214889&show_text=false&width=500
The Aftermath
Jared and his sons journeyed to Utah in the weeks after Caitlyn’s passing to remain with her parents until the burial, which took place on January 15, 2024. He was really appreciative of his parents, who gave up a lot to help him.
To travel from Utah to Buffalo and assist him in caring for Lincoln and Gabriel, they sold almost everything they owned, including three homes and two cars. “They started this process the day I told them Caitlyn might not make it,” Jared said.
He acknowledged that he had not given much thought to how he would manage to raise two small children by himself while working a demanding 75-hour workweek on a resident’s income. When Jared thought back on his early years with Gabriel, he recognised the significant contrast to Lincoln’s birth.
He had witnessed Lincoln’s birth and the immediate bond formed as Caitlyn held their first son. With Gabriel, the experience was starkly different. “They delivered Gabriel to me in a bundle that night. He could have been anybody’s baby. I hate to say that,” he acknowledged.https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fphoto.php%3Ffbid%3D10229700280318848%26set%3Da.1548616042908%26type%3D3&show_text=false&width=500
During Caitlyn’s hospitalization, Jared and Gabriel had little opportunity to form the usual early bond. “When taking him home, I just remember crying the whole way,” Jared said, mourning the joyful moments they missed.
Reflecting on his wife’s ordeal, Jared expressed profound gratitude toward the hospital staff, describing them as “angels and heroes in my eyes.” He emphasized that Caitlyn received the best care, saying, “She required no real treatment besides oxygen for days, and then it just went south so quickly.”https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fphoto.php%3Ffbid%3D10229700281798885%26set%3Da.1548616042908%26type%3D3&show_text=false&width=500
He admitted that as an anaesthesiologist, he carefully discusses Caitlyn’s problems with his patients on a daily basis. “She received the absolute best of care,” he confirmed, adding that the weight of unresolved questions was lessened by his professional understanding.
Though he continues to mourn, Jared finds solace in the time they have shared. “Three and a half years with this amazing woman” was, to him, a lifetime’s worth of love. He acknowledged the heartbreak that his sons would not know their mother fully, but he remained committed to preserving her memory.
Jared reflected, “True love, as sappy and as fairytale and cheesy as it sounds, is real, and it absolutely transcends any boundary of death, life, distance, or mom.” He believes their love will sustain him and ensure his sons grow up knowing about their mother.
“Her family loves, and misses, and honors her daily,” he added, noting their efforts to memorialize Caitlyn and teach Lincoln and Gabriel about the extraordinary woman she was.
Resilience is demonstrated by Jared’s path, as he raises their sons with unshakeable love while paying tribute to his wife. He still finds strength in the life they created together, despite loss and adversity.
