Birth with mother in coma

Twenty-four-year-old Barbara Blodgett of Yakima, Washington, USA, was three months pregnant when she was injured in a car accident on June 30, 1988. Despite being in a coma for five months, Barbara gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Simon, on December 9. The day after her son's birth, she began to emerge from the coma.

Doctors weren't sure why Barbara regained consciousness, but they suspected hormonal changes after giving birth were responsible. While she was recovering from a brain injury sustained in an accident that had left her somewhat disabled, Barbara Blodgett spelled out a message for USA Today readers, pointing out the letters that spelled out "Never give up."

In January 1998, despite being in a coma for seven months, 21-year-old Ledy Minguzzi gave birth to a healthy baby girl at Lugo Hospital in Rome.

Ledy suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in her second month of pregnancy while preparing for labor. Neurosurgeons performed a complex surgery on her that put her in a state known as "alert coma." In this state of consciousness, Ledy was paralyzed, but she could communicate with doctors by blinking her eyes.

After the cesarean section, Dr. Marco Mattucci placed the 2.3-kilogram (5.5-pound) baby girl on Leda's chest. He said a tear of joy rolled down Leda's cheek. According to Dr. Mattucci, this was a sign that Leda understood what had happened. The Vatican newspaper "L'Osservatore Romano" called the operation performed by Dr. Mattucci and his team "the work of a lifetime."