Healthy baby boy born four months after mother declared brain dead

A baby has been born safe and well almost four months after its mother was declared brain dead — one of the longest such cases in Europe. The boy, who weighed 2.35kg (5lb, 3oz), was delivered in a Lisbon hospital by Caesarean section after 32 weeks. His 37-year-old mother was declared brain dead in February but doctors concluded the foetus was healthy.

The foetus appeared to be in good health so the decision was taken with the family to follow through with the pregnancy.

Hospital statement

The baby’s father and mother’s family all agreed with the procedure, according to a statement from Lisbon’s Sao Jose Hospital. Luis Graca, the head of the Portuguese Society of Obstetricians, said on Wednesday the birth was “an extraordinary feat”. It is the longest a child has survived in the womb of a brain-dead mother in Portugal.

brain dead baby