Miracle Baby Born 117 Days After Mother Was Declared Brain Dead
A healthy baby girl was born in the Czech Republic nearly four months after her mother, 27, was declared brain dead.
The baby’s mother, whose name has not been disclosed, was rushed to the hospital after suffering a massive stroke in April.
The mother had a history of epilepsy and arteriovenous malformation, according to a media release from University Hospital in Brno, Czech Republic.
Lékaři a zdravotní sestry FN Brno přepsali dějiny medicíny. 117 dnů udrželi vitální funkce u gravidní ženy ve stavu mozkové smrti. Poté porodila zdravou holčičku.https://t.co/83dEHMLYpH pic.twitter.com/YKU0wo3K9k
— FN Brno (@FNBrno) September 2, 2019
The mother was declared brain dead, but her baby, 15 weeks gestation at the time, still had a strong heartbeat.
“Because she had been in good health before her stroke and because of the swift attention from medical staff, doctors determined the fetus — which had a healthy heartbeat when the mother arrived at the hospital — could develop and grow,” the statement read.
A dedicated medical team spent the next 117 days carefully caring for the developing baby while her mother remained on artificial life support.
Medical staff routinely moved the woman’s legs to simulate walking in order to help the baby grow.
The baby had regular ultrasounds and as the video shows, staff routinely placed toys in the mother’s hands, which were then placed on her growing stomach.
“Special attention was paid to nutrition in order to ensure not only the mother’s energy needs, but especially the optimal growth and development of the fetus.” the statement read.
Throughout the summer, hospital staff monitored the baby’s weight and growth development and were encouraged to see signs of healthy growth.
On Aug. 15, when the baby was at 34 weeks plus 3 days gestation, doctors delivered the healthy baby girl by cesarean section.
The girl, named Eliska, weighed 4 pounds, 11 ounces and measured 16.5 inches long, the hospital reported.
Eliska’s unique case is believed to be a record for babies born close to full-term in an artificially sustained pregnancy in a mother who suffered brain death, Reuters reported.
After the baby’s birth, the mother was removed from life support and passed away, surrounded by her husband and family, according to Reuters.
“This has really been an extraordinary case when the whole family stood together … without their support and their interest it would never have finished this way,” Pavel Ventruba, head of gynecology and obstetrics at the hospital, told reporters.
In a statement to the hospital written in Czech, Eliska’s father said the baby’s name was chosen by her mother at the very beginning of the pregnancy.
According to the father’s statement, Eliska will be living with him and her older brother, Matýsek.
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