The baby born to a brain-dead mother: Foetus survives from 15 to 27 weeks while mother is on life-support before being delivered by C-section

31-year-old Hungarian mother suffered a stroke when 15 weeks pregnant

Tests revealed she was brain dead but the foetus was still healthy

Rather than switch the life support machine off, doctors left it on until the 27th week of pregnancy, when the mother's physical health declined



Baby born by Caesarean and mother's life support turned off 2 days later

Despite weighing only around 3lb, baby is now doing well, doctors say



A baby which was 15 weeks old when its mother was declared brain-dead was delivered by Caesarean section at 27 weeks, after doctors kept the mother alive on life support.



The Hungarian doctors who delivered the baby in July believe the birth is one of only three such cases in the world.



The family has asked for privacy and has not released the identity or sex of the baby.



A foetus which was 15 weeks old when its mother was declared brain-dead was delivered by Caesarean section at 27 weeks, after doctors fought to keep it alive. The Hungarian doctors who delivered the baby in July believe the birth is one of only three such cases in the world. (File picture)

The child was born three months after its 31-year-old mother suffered a stroke. Her life support machine was switched off two days after the Casearean section.



In the spring, she had been rushed to hospital, operated on but was declared brain-dead. She was kept on life support and doctors were able to see through an ultrasound that the foetus was moving.



‘In the first two days we struggled to save the mother’s life and it was proven... that circulation and functions stopped,' said Dr. Bela Fulesdi, president of the University of Debrecen Medical and Health Science Centre .



'On the second day when [other] examinations were carried out, we found the baby was alive and kicking well in its mother’s body.’



During the pregnancy, the father of the baby and grandmothers visited the hospital to rub the mother’s stomach and talk to the baby. A music therapist was used to help stimulate the foetus.

Doctors had to fight numerous infections and would turn the woman over to avoid bedsores.



The University of Debrecen Medical and Health Science Centre, where mother and child were treated. The mother's life support machine was turned off two days after the baby was delivered

While they were hoping to keep the baby in the womb as long as possible, in the 27th week, the woman’s circulation became unstable and doctors decided to deliver the baby because the womb was no longer safe.

Head of the Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Department Dr. Csilla Molnar was in the delivery room with a select number of doctors while the family waited in the operating theatre.



‘The aim was not just to deliver a child but to deliver a healthy child,’ she said.

She added that there were three reported cases of births when the mother was declared brain-dead 15 weeks into her pregnancy - but one of those babies did not survive.



And that from those three cases, this instance is the only one in which organs were transplanted donated from the mother.



The woman’s liver, two kidneys, pancreas and heart were donated to four patients.

Typically, people are kept on life support for one or two days after being declared brain-dead before organs are donated.



Dr Fulesdi added: ‘Our case is special because we were helping the baby [live] and additionally we could preserve… five organs of the mother to be transplanted.’

The baby weighed about 3lb (1.5kg) when it was born and initially needed respiratory support. Despite this, Dr Molnar was confident it would survive.



‘When the baby was born it was a fantastic moment, it immediately cried out, it was kicking. …it was an unforgettable moment for all of us who took part in the treatment.’



The baby was discharged from the hospital last month but doctors wanted to wait to make the announcement about the delivery until they were sure the baby would survive.

