MOUNT ORAB, Ohio — A Mount Orab mother is fighting for her life after suffering a rare birth complication.
35-year-old Shawnta Brock is experiencing an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE). This occurs when the baby's amniotic fluid, enters the mother’s bloodstream, triggering serious reactions.
It started during a scheduled induction in early April.
According to Brock's family, after 2 days in labor, something went terribly wrong.
"She never came out. It's really hard. You're waiting to see a baby and you get a bad phone call that your loved one is probably not going to make it," Brock’s sister Christine said.
Brock suffered an amniotic embolism and went into cardiac arrest.
"First time they were able to bring her back pretty quick, “ Brock's mother Tonya said. “Second time it took an hour and 12 minutes. The human brain isn't meant to be that long without oxygen. Then, she coded again two nights later. She was out again for another 45 mins before they got her back. "
Doctors did an emergency C-Section to deliver her baby, Maddox. The family said the child is healthy.
"He's a little miracle too,” Tonya said. “They tell me my daughter is a miracle and I can’t give up on a miracle.”
Brock remains in critical condition on life support with severe brain damage. Her family started a GoFundMe to help with medical expenses and her four children.
Her family wants other women to be aware of the rare condition she suffered from during childbirth.
“I hope her story can get doctors more educated on her condition so this can never happen to another mother ever again," Christine said.
The family said they are worried Brock’s induction led to her condition. The Mayo Clinic’s website lists medically induced labor as a possible cause. However, there’s not much research on the condition. According to the Amniotic Fluid Embolism Foundation website, although poorly understood, it is thought to be the result of an allergic-like reaction to the amniotic fluid that enters the mother’s bloodstream, a normal part of the birth process. It most often occurs during labor or shortly after delivery.
