Mom Explains 'Silent' Pregnancy Complication That Caused Son's Devastating Stillbirth at 27 Weeks (Exclusive)

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

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 had a stillbirth.

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

In one video, the 24-year-old used photos to demonstrate the full timeline of her tumultuous pregnancy with her second child, whom she named Oakley. She began with her first scare: at six weeks in, Fish and her husband, Jacob, worried they lost the baby due to “major bleeding,” as she explains in her TikTok post. 

“We were told it was a [subchorionic] hematoma and it was nothing to worry about,” Fish wrote alongside the first slide, which led to a second photo taken when they learned the baby’s sex. Her captions continued, “Had more bleeding up until 12 weeks but you held on strong baby.”

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Later, the expecting parents — who also share 5-year-old daughter Emersyn — returned to the doctor to check in on Fish’s blood pressure and a potential issue with Oakley’s heart rate. They were sent to a high risk doctor, who determined the baby’s heart was fine.

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 had passed,” she wrote.

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

Fish tells PEOPLE that her abruption didn’t cause large amounts of bleeding when it occurred nor when she delivered her son.

“[The doctor] just said that my placenta weakened and it just couldn't carry him anymore, and it ended up tearing fully,” she says.

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

“There are many women that have messaged me on TikTok who have asked for my phone number just to give me a call if needed,” she tells PEOPLE. “I've gotten text messages on my phone saying, ‘I can't thank you enough for sharing your story. I feel less alone.’ ”

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

“We were always in and out of the ER,” she recalls. “Something was always wrong.”

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

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

“Our goal is to see how I'm feeling in the next three months, and then I think we're going to try again if my mental health is stable,” she tells PEOPLE. “We do want to try at least one more time to see where we get."