Pregnant woman excited for 35-week check-up—not knowing it will be her last

A New Jersey mom was excited for her late-pregnancy appointment, not knowing it would be her last. 

Karen Brennan, 38, went to the doctors for a check-up when she discovered the devastating news that her baby boy, due in a few days, no longer had a heartbeat.  

Brennan, who was almost 35 weeks pregnant at the time, told Newsweek about the day it happened. Her provider struggled to find a heartbeat with the doppler and suggested moving to an ultrasound.  

“She said, ‘I’m so sorry, Karen’ [and] that’s when I knew something was really wrong,” Brennan said.  

Hours later, she and her partner, 38-year-old Michael Johnson who share daughters Kya, 12, Dakota, 10, and Aria, 7, were sent to the hospital to deliver their son—knowing he was already gone.  

On July 1, 2025, Brennan delivered her baby boy and learned the cause: not one but two “true knots” in his umbilical cord, a rare complication occurring in roughly one percent of pregnancies. 

Brennan now believes the signs were there long before that final appointment. Looking back at her pregnancy, she recalled that her son’s femur measurements were in the 11th percentile at the 20-week anatomy scan—technically within normal range, but something she now understands was an early indicator he was smaller than expected.  

“Another major indicator was I didn’t feel him move a lot,” Brennan said. “I would feel him move for one day than not feel him move for two or three days, and [the doctor] told me that concerned her.” 

Each time, she was reassured after a doppler check that everything was fine, and no additional testing was ordered. Her research since the loss has left her grappling with moments she believes were missed by those overseeing her care.  

Ten days before her 34-week scan, an ultrasound performed while her doctor was on vacation included a 3D image in which she now clearly sees a cord knot. At the time, without knowledge of what a true knot looked like—and without anyone flagging concerns—she assumed everything was normal.  

Even the day before her son passed, an elective 3D ultrasound at a boutique studio left her uneasy when she noticed the cord in front of her baby’s face. “I can crop it for the picture,” the technician had told her. 

“Now, when I look back at those photos, you can see the knot was right in front of his face,” Brennan said. “I never heard about a true knot before so I had no clue what to look for.” 

The mom of three is eager to raise awareness of her story. She explained that she had four of the five known risk factors for true knots: being over 35, carrying a baby measuring below average, reduced fetal movement and multiple prior deliveries. Only the fifth—expecting twins—did not apply.  

“When I talked to my doctor, she told me I wasn’t showing any of the signs,” Brennan said. “I literally laughed and told her I had every single one of them except for one. She quickly told me I had to talk to the ultrasound people.” 

Now, Brennan copes through gratitude for her three healthy children, and her faith. “In my mind, I have to keep telling myself to trust God’s plan,” she said. “I go down a rabbit hole trying to ease my mind; telling myself that knots form from seven to 12 weeks. It was there the whole time.” 

Brennan said she will always wonder whether more attentive monitoring could have changed the outcome, but is determined that sharing her experience may spare another family from similar heartbreak.  

“For me to go full-term 34 weeks and it end like this is a complete tragedy,” she said. “Things like this should have never happened—all of the technology these days. Women just need to be more aware of things that could still happen.”