Amniotic Fluid Embolism Awareness Day

If you search “Amniotic Fluid Embolism” (AFE) on google, you will see this. “…the leading cause of death during labor or shortly after birth”.

Those are the first words Josh read when he wanted to know what an AFE was… as I was being life flighted away from him. He had never heard of it before, my family had not known of its existence. And yet some case studies will show a 90% mortality rate of anyone who suffers this. My discharge diagnosis in 2012 was as follows;

—  Amniotic fluid embolism

—  Cardiopulmonary failure

—  Disseminated intravascular coagulation

—  Intra-abdominal hemorrhage after uterine rupture

—  D&E of 21 week old fetus

—  Total abdominal hysterectomy

—  Septic ovarian thrombophlebitis

—  Factor V heterozygote

—  IVC filter placement and removal

Most of these are only found on a death certificate. AFE is so rare but so hurtful to every single family that comes in contact with it. Families are left without a mother and/or baby, survivors are left in a persistent vegetative state or lifelong physical and emotional scars. Today my family and friends are wearing blue and pink- to raise awareness, to help the AFE foundation spur clinical research for this poorly understood complication.

If you wear one of these colors, tag me and #1in40000 #AFEAwareness and I will love you forever! And probably cry. XoXo…