Baby born to mother brain dead for four months in Portugal
The healthy baby boy weighing 5.2 lbs was delivered by caesarean section after 32 weeks
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Doctors in Portugal have delivered a baby boy four months after its mother was declared brain dead, hospital officials have said.
A statement from Sao Jose Hospital in Lisbon said the healthy baby weighing 5.2 lbs was delivered on Tuesday by caesarean section after 32 weeks.
The infant’s 37-year-old mother was declared brain dead on 20 February following a brain haemorrhage; however doctors said the foetus was healthy, the BBC reports.
The statement added the hospital’s ethics committee had agreed the procedure with the baby’s father and the mother’s family.
The hospital did not state whether the woman remained on life support following the birth.
In Portugal the birth marks the longest a child has survived in the womb after the mother being declared brain dead.
Luis Graca, the head of the Portuguese Society of Obstetricians, said on Wednesday the birth was “an extraordinary feat”.
In January, a baby boy was born in Wroclaw, Poland after surviving in his mother’s womb for 55 days after she was declared brain following a tumour, Al Jazeera reports.
The baby weighed just 2.2lbs at birth and was taken home in April showing “no complications”. The mother’s life support system was turned off hours after the birth.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments