'Nurses told me she was my daughter and I didn't believe them': The moment mother who gave birth in coma met her child for first time
- Emma Mynors, 23, was rushed to hospital and fell into a coma and suffered two strokes after contracting pneumonia
- The married mother gave birth to 3ls 5oz daughter Amy while unconscious
- Nurses carrying out routine checks discovered Mrs Mynors was in labour when they saw the baby's head emerge
- Mrs Mynors had no recollection of even being pregnant when she was told she had given birth to a daughter
A mother has spoken of her shock at waking up from a month-long coma to discover she had given birth.
When Emma Mynors regained consciousness she did not even remember being pregnant let alone any details of the labour.
The 23-year-old fell into a coma and suffered two stokes after developing pneumonia, but managed to give birth naturally a fortnight later to daughter Amy whilst still unconscious.
Emma Mynors sees her newborn daughter for the first time after regaining consciousness from a deep coma
Nurses at Colchester General Hospital only realised she had gone into labour, prematurely at 29 weeks, when they saw the baby's head emerge.
Mrs Mynors has described the birth of Amy, who weighed a tiny 3lb 5zo, as a 'miracle'.
She said: ‘When I woke from my coma, the nurses kept showing me photographs of this baby girl, and I had no idea who she was.
‘They told me she was my daughter and I didn’t believe them. I had no recollection of being pregnant. I knew I had a husband and a son, but I had no idea about being pregnant again.
‘Yet here were the nurses showing me all these photographs of a baby that they were telling me was my daughter.
She added: ‘It seemed incredible to think that I had given birth naturally whilst I was still in a coma.
'I hadn’t consciously pushed or experienced a single contraction, yet my little girl was here and she was healthy. It just seemed like a miracle.’
Mrs Mynors, who lives in Clacton on Sea, Essex, with husband Dean, 27, was told at her 20 week scan that she was having a baby girl and the couple were delighted.
Emma Mynors woke up from the coma with no memory of giving birth or even that she had been pregnant
Her pregnancy had progressed smoothly to this point, but a few weeks after the scan she developed a cold and a cough.
The following morning she started complaining of feeling light headed and was struggling to catch her breath.
She said: ‘I thought it must have been an infection I had picked up from my son Conrad, who is three. I thought I couldn’t breathe because the baby must have pushing on my diaphragm.
‘But as the day progressed I started feeling worse and my breathing was getting more and more shallow, so my husband called an ambulance to take me to hospital for a check up.
‘I was only 29 weeks pregnant, so I wanted to check that everything was ok with myself and the baby.’
Doctors quickly diagnosed pneumonia and rushed her to hospital where she fell into a coma. During this time she suffered two strokes and her body swelled so much that doctors had to cut her wedding ring from her finger.
She said: ‘I was terrified, as I didn’t know what it would mean for the baby. They showed me the x-ray pictures and I could see all this white fluid covering my lungs. My vision kept blurring and I was feeling terrible.’
Shortly afterwards, Mrs Mynors fell into a coma, and she remained unconscious for four weeks.
Little Amy Mynors was born prematurely at 29 weeks weighing just 3lb 5oz while her mother was in a coma
When the nurses showed her photographs of her tiny daughter lying in her incubator, she had no idea that the baby was hers.
She said: ‘I had remembered that I was married and I had a son, but I had no idea that I’d been pregnant. The nurses were congratulating me, and I didn’t know what they were talking about it.
‘They showed me photographs that they had taken and told me that the baby was mine. I told them they were mistaken, that I didn’t have a daughter.
‘Then they showed me a scrap book that they had put together during the two weeks since her birth. I just couldn’t believe it.’
The nurses explained to Mrs Mynors that her daughter had been born prematurely. They had only realised she was in labour when they examined her and saw the baby’s head had already started to emerge.
Mrs Mynors was allowed to hold her daughter a few days later when she had regained some of her strength.
Proud mother Emma Mynors, pictured with Amy and son Conrad, said the birth seemed like a miracle
She said: ‘I really wanted to see my daughter, but it took a while before I bonded with her, as I hadn’t even remembered giving birth to her. At first, it seemed like she belonged to someone else.
‘It took two months before I really felt as though she was mine.’
Mrs Mynors was finally allowed home a month after giving birth. She can now recall some moments of her pregnancy, but she still has no recollection of the birth.
She said: ‘I can remember having a bump and I can remember choosing the baby’s name and buying some pink babygros. But I can’t remember giving birth to Amy at all.
‘I did enjoy cuddling her and doing things for her, but it did feel strange for a while. It took me a few months to get used to being a new mum again.
‘It’s amazing to think how Amy came into the world. Even when I was unconscious, my body knew what to do. I’d love to be able to remember giving birth to her, but I’m just grateful that we are both alive and healthy now.’
A spokesman for Colchester General Hospital said: ‘It is extremely unusual for a woman in Emma’s circumstances to deliver normally and without the need for a Caesarean section.
‘We are pleased that she has made a full recovery and send her and her daughter our best wishes for a happy and healthy future.’
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