A Victorian woman who contracted influenza A and put in a coma has finally awoken to discover she’d given birth three months ago.
Sarah Hawthorn came down with influenza A in August while pregnant with her first child in country Victoria.
The 33-year-old was put in an induced coma by doctors after the severe flu caused complications and they delivered her baby early.
The family confirmed Ms Hawthorn is both awake and in a stable condition and her baby is doing great.
“After three months in intensive care, Sarah’s condition has improved and she is now stable,” the Hawthorn family said in a statement to Nine.
“It has been a big journey for our family. We’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity of the community, and all the kind wishes we received.
“We would like to thank everyone at The Alfred and especially the team in ICU for their dedicated care.”
The family also set up a GoFundMe in September to cover exorbitant medical costs. It reached it’s $20,000 goal in less than a day and surpassed its goal by over $1,000.
“Her baby boy has never had the chance to lay with his Mum, snuggle into her chest or hear her infectious laugh,” the page read.
“If nothing less, we hope this raises awareness at the high risk of the Flu during pregnancy.”
Pregnant women have a far higher risk of mortal complication from influenza than the normal population. Babies are also at risk of bad outcomes if their mother contracts the disease during pregnancy, including premature delivery and growth restriction.
