Woman, “Who Dreamed Of Motherhood,” Passes Away Nine Days After Giving Birth To Twins

A woman from Utah, USA, Morgan Hughes, tragically passed away just nine days after giving birth to twins. Hughes, 23, had always dreamed of being a mother and was thrilled when she welcomed a boy and a girl, Hudson and Georgia, on December 19. Her recovery after childbirth was smooth, and she was discharged from the hospital.

However, because the twins were born prematurely, they were placed in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for additional care. Hughes and her husband, Sam, visited their babies daily, eager to bring them home soon.

But after a week, Morgan began to feel unwell. Her father, Brian Hodson, mentioned that she vomited and fainted, and it seemed she may have had a seizure. She returned to the hospital, where doctors discovered fluid around her heart and diagnosed her with postpartum cardiomyopathy, a rare form of heart failure that can develop during pregnancy or up to five months after childbirth. The condition can be difficult to detect since its symptoms often mimic normal pregnancy signs, such as swelling and shortness of breath. Despite treatment in the ICU, Morgan’s condition worsened, and she passed away on December 28 after going into cardiac arrest.

Hodson expressed the shock and devastation the family felt, saying, “We certainly weren’t expecting this at all.” He added that Morgan had always wanted to be a mother and was known for her love of babies. “She was known as the baby whisperer, even when she was young,” he shared.

Experts note that peripartum cardiomyopathy occurs in about 1 in 2,000 live births, with risk factors including multiple pregnancies and maternal age over 35. Hughes had also been diagnosed with pre-eclampsia during her pregnancy but was otherwise healthy. Dr. Patrick Ramsey, a specialist in maternal-fetal medicine, explained that this heart condition has been increasing in frequency in recent decades, though the exact reason remains unclear.

In the hours following her death, hospital staff brought the twins from the NICU to Morgan’s room, allowing her family to say goodbye one final time. “It was really sweet, but devastating,” Hodson recalled. The twins are still in the NICU and are expected to be released soon. Morgan’s husband has been caring for them while mourning his wife, and the family continues to visit the babies at the hospital.

Hodson expressed hope that his grandchildren will grow up knowing how much their mother loved them. “That’s all she wanted in life, was to be a mom. She would have loved them more than anything,” he said.

This tragedy highlights the ongoing issue of maternal deaths in the United States. In 2022, there were 817 maternal deaths in the country, according to the CDC. While the national maternal mortality rate decreased in 2022, experts like Dr. Ramsey stress the importance of continuing efforts to reduce these preventable deaths.

Send Us A Press Statement Advertise With Us Contact Us

 And For More Nigerian News Visit GWG.NG