It has now been confirmed that a woman has died just moments after giving birth to quadruplets conceived through IVF.
Erica Morales, 36, and her husband, Carlos, underwent fertility treatment in a desperate attempt to conceive, and on Thursday, Mrs. Morales delivered three girls and one boy at Banner Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona — one month before the due date.
Hours later, she passed away before she got a chance to meet her children: Carlos Jr, Paisley, Tracy and Erica.
The children are all alive and healthy. Now, doctors have launched an investigation to determine her cause of death, as that is still unknown. On Tuesday, Morales went into the hospital with a swollen foot, and tests showed her blood pressure to be 190/90.
She shared with friends and family on Facebook:
[The Doctor] will keep me and he ordered some labs.
He will push delivery up or stall it to to 34 weeks. I’m 31 tomorrow. He said I did phenomenal. A poster child for quads. He wish they could all go this way but this last part we have to do it carefully because u can stroke out with bad blood pressure. I’m sure I won’t but he looking at how to finish things.
…sometimes you just have to sit back and thank God for blessing up to this point and put it fully in his hands. Thanks for the prayers and everything else.’
Morales knew she would be having her children prematurely, but she and her husband, who friends and family describe as having “a fairy tale” marriage since 2007, had no idea her life was in jeopardy.
Her cousin and best friend, Christina Todman, spoke to Fox 10 news in Phoenix.
Nicole Todman has set up a GoFundMe page to help raise money for Mr. Morales, who now faces bringing up four children on his own.
The page reads:
My best friend and her husband Carlos have tried for the last few years to have a baby and with their Dr’s help they were blessed with not 1 but 4 beautiful children, but with that blessing came the most unimaginable tragedy my best friend was lost.
The expense of raising 4 children alone is quite daunting for any middle class family now the with the loss of Erica’s income her husband will need all the help he can get.
This is an extremely emotional time, Erica’s passing is tramatic and my goal is to help ease the financial worry as much as possible so every dollar helps if it’s $1 or $1000 it will all be used to provide for the beautiful babies Erica fought so hard to have and in the end gave her life for.’
To donate to the Morales family, click here.