It was a bittersweet moment for the family of new mum Melissa Carleton when her beautiful baby arrived into the world yesterday.
Melissa, 39, slipped into a coma in March after suffering a seizure caused by a benign brain tumour.
Although she’s been unable to move or speak since she was 26 weeks pregnant, Melissa carried her baby boy to full term and delivered him by C-section yesterday in San Francisco in the US.
Melissa’s dad and new grandfather John said his heart has been broken since his pregnant daughter went into a coma more than 10 weeks ago, but the baby has brought them much joy.
“She’s wanted to have a child for years,” he said. “Today, I can’t begin to tell you how happy we are. It’s indescribable."
Melissa’s husband Brian has barely left her side the whole time, and says he’s hopeful it won’t be long before his wife gets to cuddle their new son.
"I know that being able to love this little guy is going to be a wonderful experience, but I also know it's going to be very hard for me to know that I am going to be the one to hold this baby first,” Brian said before the birth.
Doctors discovered Melissa’s tumour after she complained of crippling headaches during the second trimester of her pregnancy.
The new mum decided to wait until the baby was born to undergo surgery to remove the tumour, but her health deteriorated too quickly.
In March, she struggled to walk from the hospital car park to its doors, stopping frequently to rest on the ground.
The following morning, Melissa had a seizure that damaged part of her brain and doctors performed emergency surgery to remove the tumour.
"She was also terrified that she would miss the baby and something would happen to her and she wouldn't get to meet our son and she wouldn't get to participate in being a mother," Brian said.
The surgery went fine, but the seizure left her “unable to fully wake up,” said her husband.
Although Melissa is in a coma, she’s been showing signs of recovering, and has even opened her eyes and squeezed her husband’s hand.
Once Melissa recovers from surgery, she will be moved to a rehabilitation facility, where doctors hope she'll come out of her comatose state.
“Though we have a daughter that is in the state that she’s in right now, we will also have a grandchild,” her dad John said just minutes before the birth. “To be here at this point is a great gift for her. It’s a great gift for us. It’s a great gift for her husband, Brian. It’s going to be easy today to be joyful and happy.”
