A baby thought to have been stillborn revives while in a hospital fridge.
A stillborn Israeli baby who was pronounced dead by doctors “came back to life” yesterday after spending hours in a hospital refrigerator.
The baby, weighing only 600 grams at birth, spent at least five hours inside one of the hospital’s refrigerated storage units, before her parents, who had taken her to be buried, began noticing some movement.
“We unwrapped her and felt she was moving. We didn’t believe it at first. Then she began holding my mother’s hand and then we saw her open her mouth,“ said 26-year-old Faiza Magdoub, the baby’s mother.
The baby was pronounced dead several hours earlier, after doctors at Western Galilee hospital in northern Israel were forced to abort her mother’s pregnancy because of internal bleeding.
Ms Magdoub was 23 weeks into her pregnancy.
“We don’t know how to explain this, so when we don’t know how to explain things in the medical world we call it a miracle, and this is probably what happened,“ hospital deputy director Moshe Daniel said.
The baby was then taken to the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit for further treatment, but doctors were not sure how long she would live.
Motti Ravid, a professor of internal medicine, told Israel’s Channel 10 that the low temperature inside the cooler had slowed down the baby’s metabolism and likely helped her survive.
“Aw man.. Ok, which one of you guys took the baby out of the fridge?! Come on, I had my name on it and everything..“
Man, reading that though, I can just see anti-abortion activists clutching newspaper clippings about it and shouting “See? See? We were right!!“... Ugh.
“Aw man.. Ok, which one of you guys took the baby out of the fridge?! Come on, I had my name on it and everything..“
Man, reading that though, I can just see anti-abortion activists clutching newspaper clippings about it and shouting “See? See? We were right!!“... Ugh.
I actually feel more bad for the kid. If she survives this, how would her parents describe her birth (I know Jocelynn asks about it anyway).
“Well…we were aborting you….and you just wouldn’t die!“
JERUSALEM: A premature baby girl who was declared stillborn and survived six hours in a hospital morgue refrigerator has died despite efforts to save her.
The baby had been delivered in the 23rd week of pregnancy at a weight of just 454g and was initially declared dead and placed in the morgue, doctors in Israel said.
When the parents came to collect the tiny body for burial yesterday, they found the baby breathing and showing a faint heartbeat. She was rushed to the intensive care unit.
Hospital deputy director Moshe Daniel said the child died early today. He told Army Radio the specific cause of death would only be known after a post-mortem examination.
“Aw man.. Ok, which one of you guys took the baby out of the fridge?! Come on, I had my name on it and everything..“
Man, reading that though, I can just see anti-abortion activists clutching newspaper clippings about it and shouting “See? See? We were right!!“... Ugh.
I actually feel more bad for the kid. If she survives this, how would her parents describe her birth (I know Jocelynn asks about it anyway).
“Well…we were aborting you….and you just wouldn’t die!“
At least it wasn’t as though they were intentionally trying to kill the baby. They figured the baby was already a lost cause and were trying to save the mother; I imagine that they would have been thrilled to have had the baby survive.
You’re right Acci. I cannot even imagine how the mother is taking this. First she believes her baby is stillborn and begins to mourn that loss, to have a measure of sudden joy and hope over a seeming miracle, only to have the baby die yet again. That, ladies and gentlemen is a horror I would not visited upon even an enemy.
Hospital deputy director Moshe Daniel said the child died early today. He told Army Radio the specific cause of death would only be known after a post-mortem examination.
Hospital deputy director Moshe Daniel said the child died early today. He told Army Radio the specific cause of death would only be known after a post-mortem examination.
Pneumonia…?
I think you are joking about it, but it was actually due to the fact that the baby was so premature. At 23 weeks gestation, survival is slim. 37 weeks is considered full term. I dont know if any baby has survived long at that gestational age. If the baby had survived, there would certainly be a lot of issues as he/she grew up. Mental problems, health issues, etc.
The poor mom though. Having to lose her baby not once, but twice. A miscarriage itself is devastating, but to have that glimmer of hope dangled in your face only for it to be ripped away again is much to devastating on a mom. I hope the parents can heal from this quickly.
It is rather sad, though. A woman I worked with had a due date close to mine when I was pregnant with Jocelynn. She gave birth at 24 weeks. Because the baby isn’t really finished at that age the development is quite different. So when Jocelynn was 3 months old and her baby was about 6 months old they were just starting to hit the same milestones. What was really sad, though was that b/c the mom had gestational diabetes & had been on some kind of bed rest prior to the birth she used up all her maternity leave & when the baby was born, she had to return to work a WEEK later. I would have quit my job if they’d told me I had to go back that early.
