BY: SHALLON S. GONLOR / shallonsgonlor@gmail.com
Saclepea, Nimba County – A mother has died shortly after giving birth to triplets at the Saclepea Comprehensive Health Center in Saclepea, Lower Nimba County. The incident tragically occurred Wednesday, August 6, 2025.
A nurse at the health facility reports that the deceased mother successfully delivered three babies but tragically passed hours later. “This is an unfortunate moment for the family and for us as a health facility,” said a nurse who spoke under the condition of anonymity. “She was a strong woman, and we were all hopeful after the successful delivery. We can only pray for peace for her soul.”
The exact cause of her death remains unknown, and health authorities are reportedly conducting an internal review to determine what led to the unfortunate incident. However, health experts say the maternal death is as the result of ‘Amniotic Fluid Embolism’ – one of the catastrophic complications of pregnancy.
It is a life-threatening childbirth emergency in which amniotic fluid enters the blood stream of the mother, triggering a serious reaction which results in heart and lung collapse and massive bleeding.
The rate at which it occurs is 1 instance per 20,000 births and it comprises 10% of all maternal deaths.
The disease is extremely rare, but life-threatening complication that affects pregnant women shortly before, during, or immediately following labor and childbirth. According to medical consultants, most instances occur during labor in the case of the young babies’ deceased mother.
In this disorder, it is speculated that a pregnant woman has a severe, allergic reaction to amniotic fluid or other fetal material such as fetal cells, which enter the mother’s bloodstream. “Amniotic fluid embolism is unpredictable and no risk factors have been identified,” some medical experts said.
The emphasized that amniotic fluid embolism can cause a severe, rapid decline in the mother’s health.
The health gurus believed it is amniotic fluid and fetal cells that cause obstruction within the mother’s blood vessels – adding that now research also shows that mother’s immune system reacts to the amniotic fluid and fetal cells causing an overwhelming immune system response, which ends up harming the mother and the baby.
Breathing problems, cardiac arrest, and excessive bleeding are some of the life-threatening complications that can occur. Medical researchers do not fully understand why amniotic fluid or fetal cells entering the mother’s bloodstream causes this reaction in some women.
Amniotic fluid embolism is a medical emergency that develops suddenly and rapidly and can be fatal. Early recognition and prompt supportive treatment are essential. When a woman dies in pregnancy, childbirth, or the postpartum period, it means there is an infant who will never know his or her mother.
There is a tremendous sense of loss, grief, fear, and blame, as well as new, unexpected responsibility for the other parent and the family’s extended community.
Parents of twins, triplets and quadruplets face unique caring and financial challenges when raising their little ones, especially during the early years.
While their experience is joyous, multiple-birth parents can also be incredibly isolated and financially challenging. Community members in Saclepea meanwhile expressed total shock and sorrow – rallying support from kind-hearted individuals and institutions toward care for the triplets survival.
