Dad raises newborn daughter alone after mom dies due to pregnancy complications

By Katie Kindelan

Jasmine Patton of Chattanooga, Tennessee, was thrilled to be pregnant after a long struggle with infertility that included multiple rounds of in vitro fertilization, or IVF, according to her husband Edgar Patton.

As a Black woman who worked in the medical field as a nurse practitioner, Jasmine Patton was also scared about giving birth, according to her husband, as she was well aware of the high maternal mortality rates in the United States that disproportionately impact Black women.

"She was worried about being a good mom and she was worried about giving birth," Edgar Patton told "Good Morning America." "She would watch TikTok videos of some woman having complications, and she was worried about having those complications [herself]."

He continued, "She would begin to cry because she was worried about something happening."

Adding to his wife's concern, Edgar Patton said, was that she had a difficult pregnancy that included extreme morning sickness during her first two trimesters, as well as symptoms like shortness of breath and fatigue throughout her pregnancy.

Georgette Carter

Jasmine Patton is pictured during her pregnancy with her first child.

As her due date approached, Edgar Patton said he noticed his wife's health go "slowly downhill."

"She was more tired than what she normally was. She got to a point where she couldn't eat. All she did was sleep," he said, adding that his wife's moods were off as well. "And it got to a point where she couldn't go to work."

At that point in her pregnancy, Jasmine Patton, 34, was seeing her doctor weekly and brought up her symptoms, according to Edgar Patton.

"She was doing her weekly visits at this point," he said. "And what she was told was, 'It's part of pregnancy.'"

Georgette Carter

Edgar and Jasmine Patton are pictured during Jasmine's pregnancy with the couple's first child.

Edgar Patton said he was at work on Sept. 28, when he got a call that his wife had been taken by ambulance to the hospital.

Shortly after he arrived at the hospital, their daughter Emery was born via emergency cesarean section. Jasmine Patton was under anesthesia during the C-section, according to her husband.

"Once she came out, her condition was not good," he said. "And just slowly, by the hour, [she] just got worse."

Jasmine Patton died Sept. 30, just two days after giving birth to a daughter she never met.

Courtesy Edgar Patton

Edgar Patton is pictured with his newborn daughter Emery.

Her cause of death was liver failure due to acute fatty liver of pregnancy, according to her death certificate.

"It was very unexpected," Edgar Patton said, adding that his wife had no pre-existing complications. "There are a lot of question marks that doctors are trying to figure out."

Acute fatty liver of pregnancy, or AFLP, is a "rare but serious" pregnancy condition in which an excessive amount of fat builds in the liver or liver cells, according to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, which did not treat Jasmine Patton.

The cause of the life-threatening condition remains unknown. It typically begins late in the pregnancy, near the end of the third trimester, and has an improved outcome with early diagnosis and treatment, according to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Looking back, Edgar Patton said his wife experienced many of the symptoms of AFLP, which can include everything from nausea and vomiting to fatigue, confusion, headaches and discomfort.

He said that as he grieves the loss of his wife and steps up as a single parent of their daughter, he is sharing his family's story in hopes of encouraging other pregnant women to listen to their bodies and seek help from multiple sources.

"You know your body better than anybody," he said. "If you feel something is not right, regardless of what they tell you is normal or is common, if you feel it's not right, it's always OK to get a second opinion. That's the biggest thing."

Courtesy Edgar Patton

Edgar Patton is pictured with his newborn daughter Emery.

Edgar Patton, 39, said he plans to keep his wife's memory alive by sharing all about her with Emery, whom he is now raising with the help of his parents and Jasmine Patton's mom.

Emery spent over two weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, following her birth, but is now home and doing well, according to Edgar Patton.

"I want her to know everything about her mom -- who she was, her personality, her love, most definitely, how much she wanted to have a baby and how excited she was when we finally did get pregnant," he said. "I just want her to know her mom really loved her and she was ready to be a mom.... She was scared but she was ready."