Phoenix Woman, Erica Morales, Dies After Giving Birth To Quadruplets Conceived Through IVF

A Phoenix, Arizona, woman, Erica Morales, 36, died Thursday, soon after giving birth to quadruplets she conceived through IVF procedure. She died before she was able to meet her babies. Her husband, Carlos Morales, now faces the challenge of raising the four children alone.

The childless couple, Erica and Carlos Morales, who married in October 2007, had spent years trying hard to conceive. The finally underwent in vitro fertilization procedure to fulfill their dream of becoming parents.

The IVF treatment was successful, as Erica, a real estate broker originally from Memphis, Tennessee, become pregnant last year. And on Thursday, January 16, one month before her due date, she gave birth to quadruplets — three girls and one boy — at the Banner Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix.

She gave birth to the quadruplets, after she was rushed to the hospital Tuesday with swollen feet and a blood pressure measurement of 190/90.

After doctors said she would have to be admitted to hospital ahead of her due date, she updated her Facebook page with the information.

“He [doctor] said I have to get admitted until delivery. Its [blood pressure] been down lower today but it’s too late. He will keep me and he ordered some labs.

“He will push delivery up or stall it 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’s looking at how to finish things.”

She explained that her doctor told her that the quadruplets would be born premature.

“I always want more but 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.”

Although the quadruplets were born one month premature, they are alive and in good health. But tragedy struck, and the family’s joy became sadness, when Erica passed away before she was able to see her babies, Carlos Jr., Paisley, Tracy, and Erica.

The hospital management has launched an investigation into what caused her death.

Erica’s cousins, Christina and Nicole Todman, told Fox 10 that the couple had so desperately wanted to become parents. They were excited when they learned that Erica had finally become pregnant, and prepared a nursery to welcome their babies.

“It is so hard to know she fought so hard for her children. She will never get to brush their hair, hold their hand, watch them get married, none of that will ever happen for her. She never got to hold them, she never got to see them.

“We’ll have to remember her, we’ll have to tell her kids who she was, we’ll have to make sure they know how wonderful a person she was, how loving and how much she wanted them, and how much she loved them.”

Now her husband, Carlos, faces the challenge of raising the four children on his own.

But, meanwhile, grieving family members have launched a fund raising drive for Carlos. Nicole established a GoFundMe page to raise money for him. The page explains that the goal is to help relieve Carlos’ trauma following the loss of his wife Erica by easing his financial worries.

“The expense of raising 4 children alone is quite daunting for any middle class family now 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 traumatic 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.”

You may donate to Carlos Morales and the quadruplets here.

[Images: Facebook]