Solrød first sought medical attention at the hospital in Harstad after waking up with severe head pain, nausea, and visual disturbances.
Medical staff determined she had preeclampsia, a pregnancy complication marked by high blood pressure and signs of damage to another organ system, typically the liver and kidneys.
Transferred to Tromsø by air ambulance, her condition escalated rapidly during a Wednesday afternoon shift. Blood began flowing uncontrollably, and medical personnel realized the placenta had detached from the uterine wall—a life-threatening emergency requiring immediate delivery.
“I understood: OK, I’m going to die now,” Solrød told NRK.
Surgeons performed an emergency cesarean section to deliver the baby boy ten weeks ahead of his 37-week term. Solrød received a blood transfusion after losing close to two liters of blood during the procedure.
The newborn went straight to the neonatal intensive care unit at UNN, where approximately 100 premature infants are admitted annually. Due to his extreme prematurity, the infant required respiratory support and placement in an incubator.
Fathers and mothers at the unit often face psychological hurdles, including severe guilt and fear for their child’s survival. Mariann Hansen, head of section at the neonatal department, said that the constant presence of medical machinery and the open-ward environment can strain early emotional bonding between parents and infants.
Once discharged, she experienced persistent anxiety, fear of infant mortality, and postpartum depression, prompting her to seek help from a psychologist and the peer support group Blues Mothers.
Medical staff at UNN work to address these psychological strains by providing access to clinical social workers and psychologists on site. Nurses spend significant time helping parents navigate feelings of guilt and the trauma associated with sudden premature deliveries.
“On June 1, Ine Mariel was able to place her hand on her little son for the first time,” NRK reported, marking the beginning of the family’s transition toward recovery at home.