http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25798323-661,00.html
Flu mum in coma for birth
Grant McArthur
July 18, 2009 12:00am
A SWINE flu-stricken mother has given birth to a miracle daughter while fighting for her life in an induced coma.
Doctors performed an emergency caesarean to save Meeya Wright, 25, and relieve pressure on her lungs after they failed two days after she was placed in an induced coma at Box Hill Hospital.
It was only six days later when she awoke, still battling serious swine flu complications, that Meeya found out she had given birth to baby Jada two months early, but in perfect health.
"It is still sinking in that I could have died, and everyone is telling me there are times when they thought I was not going to make it," the Croydon South mother said.
"It's just so hard to understand how serious it became, but I am slowly starting to comprehend it."
Born after 32 weeks gestation on July 2, Jada was immediately placed in isolation until tests revealed swine flu had not been passed on to her.
She is now in the hospital's special care nursery overcoming minor complications from her premature birth.
Meeya is out of intensive care and recovering from a punctured lung, which requires a pump to keep it inflated, as well as overcoming weakness from eight days in a coma.
But while Meeya is still trying to come to terms with all that has happened, her husband Sam Wright, 25, is just thankful the nightmare ended safely for him and their other children Sienna, 3, and Levi, 1.
"I have never cried so much in my life," he said.
"We only found out it was swine flu on the day Jada was born, and before that it was completely out of the blue.
"They just kept telling me 'she is very, very sick, it is very, very bad'.
"A couple of people had died of swine flu by then, so that was when it sank in."
Last night another four pregnant women were being treated in Victorian intensive care units for swine flu, some of whom had also had emergency caesareans.
Victoria's deputy chief health officer Dr Rosemary Lester said although pregnant women were more vulnerable to the virus, the number facing serious illness was very low and there was no need for widespread alarm.
"I don't think it is necessary for pregnant women to isolate themselves totally for the nine months," she said.
"We need to keep it in perspective that there are a lot of pregnant women out there and this is still a very small number who are ill, even though it is concerning to have such serious illness in pregnant women."
The national swine flu death toll was 31 last night, with 191 people being treated in hospitals.
Flu mum in coma for birth
Grant McArthur
July 18, 2009 12:00am
A SWINE flu-stricken mother has given birth to a miracle daughter while fighting for her life in an induced coma.
Doctors performed an emergency caesarean to save Meeya Wright, 25, and relieve pressure on her lungs after they failed two days after she was placed in an induced coma at Box Hill Hospital.
It was only six days later when she awoke, still battling serious swine flu complications, that Meeya found out she had given birth to baby Jada two months early, but in perfect health.
"It is still sinking in that I could have died, and everyone is telling me there are times when they thought I was not going to make it," the Croydon South mother said.
"It's just so hard to understand how serious it became, but I am slowly starting to comprehend it."
Born after 32 weeks gestation on July 2, Jada was immediately placed in isolation until tests revealed swine flu had not been passed on to her.
She is now in the hospital's special care nursery overcoming minor complications from her premature birth.
Meeya is out of intensive care and recovering from a punctured lung, which requires a pump to keep it inflated, as well as overcoming weakness from eight days in a coma.
But while Meeya is still trying to come to terms with all that has happened, her husband Sam Wright, 25, is just thankful the nightmare ended safely for him and their other children Sienna, 3, and Levi, 1.
"I have never cried so much in my life," he said.
"We only found out it was swine flu on the day Jada was born, and before that it was completely out of the blue.
"They just kept telling me 'she is very, very sick, it is very, very bad'.
"A couple of people had died of swine flu by then, so that was when it sank in."
Last night another four pregnant women were being treated in Victorian intensive care units for swine flu, some of whom had also had emergency caesareans.
Victoria's deputy chief health officer Dr Rosemary Lester said although pregnant women were more vulnerable to the virus, the number facing serious illness was very low and there was no need for widespread alarm.
"I don't think it is necessary for pregnant women to isolate themselves totally for the nine months," she said.
"We need to keep it in perspective that there are a lot of pregnant women out there and this is still a very small number who are ill, even though it is concerning to have such serious illness in pregnant women."
The national swine flu death toll was 31 last night, with 191 people being treated in hospitals.