Baby Aya Born Two Days After Mom Died

Aya, born two days after her mother died, is a sort of miracle baby.

• "Baby born after mother declared brain dead"
  Reuters (January 13, 2009)
  • "LONDON (Reuters) - A premature but healthy baby has been born to a woman who had been declared brain dead two days previously, media reported on Tuesday.
  • "Doctors at Oxford's John Radcliffe hospital delivered the baby last Friday by Caesarean section at 25 weeks, weighing just over 2 lb (0.972 kg)....
• "Ice skater Jayne Soliman gives birth after being declared brain dead"
  TimesOnline (January 12, 2009)
  • "Doctors have delivered a baby girl two days after her mother, a former ice skating champion, collapsed from a fatal brain haemorrhage.
  • "Jayne Soliman was declared brain-dead but doctors managed to keep her heart beating until they had delivered her daughter, Aya Jayne, by Caesarean section. ...
• "Baby girl born to 'dead' mother"
  BBC News (January 12, 2009)
  • "An ice-skating star's baby has been born two days after she collapsed and died from a brain haemorrhage, a hospital has confirmed.
  • "Doctors at Oxford's John Radcliffe hospital kept Jayne Soliman's heart beating until they had delivered her baby daughter Aya Jayne on Friday....

"The baby's father Mahmoud Soliman, 29, is reported to have said: 'It was Jayne's one true wish to be a mum. She would have been a great mum. In the space of 48 hours I have experienced joy at the birth of my child and endured torment over losing my wonderful wife.' "
(BBC)

Interesting Times, These

At the age of 25 weeks, counting conception as 'zero time,' Aya's lungs weren't ready to handle air. So, her mother got "huge doses of steroids to help the unborn child's lungs to develop." That sort of thing isn't good for people, as a rule, but since Jayne's brain was already dead, getting Aya's lungs ready seems like a good idea.

The BBC pointed out that postmortem Cesarean deliveries have been done before, citing an example in Spain, back in 1999.

Actually, babies being delivered after their mothers' death - and surviving - go back at least to 1500.

"Recoveries After Postmortem Cesarean Deliveries?!

Times have changed since then. "During the 1980s, several authors reported unexpected maternal recoveries after postmortem cesarean deliveries...." ("Perimortem Cesarean Delivery" (eMedicine (August 14, 2007))

That's right: "...maternal recoveries after postmortem cesarean deliveries...." ("I thought you were dead!" "I was, but I'm better now.")

Sadly, it looks like Jayne Soliman's brain was injured when a tumor ruptured a major blood vessel. Damage from that sort of hemorrhage is something we can't seem to fix, yet.