Mom Explains ‘Silent’ Pregnancy Complication That Caused Stillbirth (Exclusive)

• Brilyn Fish suffered a miscarriage at 27 weeks due to silent placental abruption, a rare complication that occurs when the placenta pulls away from the uterine wall.
• Since giving birth to her stillborn son, the 24-year-old has shared her devastating story in a series of TikTok videos that have reached millions of viewers.
• The grieving mother spoke to PEOPLE about her loss and how she hopes her viral videos will comfort and educate women like her.

On March 3, Brilyn Fish celebrated her growing family with a baby shower. Four days later, she had a silent placental abruption. On March 8, Fish gave birth to a stillborn baby.

In the months following her devastating pregnancy loss, Fish shared several TikTok videos chronicling her heartbreak and explaining the rare complication that caused her baby boy’s death at nearly 27 weeks.

In a video, the 24-year-old used photos to show the full timeline of her tumultuous pregnancy with her second child, whom she named Oakley. It began with her first scare: At six weeks, Fish and her husband, Jacob, were worried they would lose the baby due to “major bleeding,” as she explained in her TikTok post.

“We were told it was a (subchorionic) hematoma and nothing to worry about,” Fish wrote alongside the first slide, which led to a second photo taken when they learned the sex of the baby. Her captions continued: “I had more bleeding until 12 weeks but you held on baby. »

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Later, the expectant parents, who also have a 5-year-old daughter, Emersyn, returned to the doctor to check Fish’s blood pressure and a possible problem with Oakley’s heart rhythm. They were sent to a doctor specializing in high-risk conditions, who determined the baby’s heart was in good condition.

After a slide celebrating the baby shower, Fish explained what happened when she stopped feeling her son move. “I used the Doppler to find you and I couldn’t, I knew you were dead,” she wrote.

The TikTok ends with photos taken after Oakley’s stillbirth, which Fish attributed to placental abruption, which occurs when the placenta pulls away from the uterine wall. In Fish’s case, the detachment occurred with little to no symptoms indicative of an emergency, hence the “silent” occurrence.

Fish tells PEOPLE that her abruption did not cause significant bleeding when it occurred or when she gave birth to her son.

“(The doctor) just said my placenta had weakened and couldn’t carry it anymore, and it ended up completely tearing,” she said.

In the comments, women expressed support for Fish and shared their own experiences with pregnancy loss. The Iowa-based mother says the app has helped her connect with several other grieving parents.

“I’ve had so many women message me on TikTok and ask for my phone number so they can call me if they need to,” she tells PEOPLE. “I’ve gotten texts on my phone saying, ‘I can’t thank you enough for sharing your story. It makes me feel less alone.’”

Fish hopes her videos will also help other women learn about irregular pregnancies and the possible complications that can occur with or without symptoms. Looking back on her placental abruption, Fish tells PEOPLE that her pregnancy with Oakley was “very traumatic from the beginning.”

“We were constantly in the emergency room,” she recalls. “There was always something wrong.”

In another TikTok post, Fish shared advice for expectant parents based on what she learned from her baby’s death. She told viewers to “follow (their) instincts” and “never feel embarrassed about going to get checked.”

Fish is currently being treated for postpartum depression and psychosis, but as her emotional well-being continues to improve, she hopes to welcome another baby one day.

“Our goal is to see how I feel in the next three months, and then I think we’ll try again if my mental health is stable,” she told PEOPLE. “We want to try at least one more time to see where we stand. »