Husband's chilling warning after wife forced to give birth in coma due to flu
A husband has posted a confronting warning after his heavily pregnant wife was put into an induced coma so she could deliver her baby via cesarean after contracting the flu while pregnant.
Gillian Wright, 28, from Byford, southeast of Perth, woke from her coma more than a week later, not meeting her newborn until eight days after giving birth, Seven News reported.
Her baby girl, Kayleigh, was born in April with influenza and was immediately transferred to the Intensive Care Unit where she spent more than a week.
Ms Wright’s husband, Adam took to his Facebook page following his experience, urging his friends and families to get their flu shots.
“Please take this flu season more seriously and make sure you all get your flu shots especially the kids,” he wrote.
“I almost lost my wife Gillian and daughter Kayleigh from this virus floating around, and 14 other families have not been as lucky as us.”
Ms Wright said she and her husband were upset to have missed the first moments of their baby’s life.
“I felt quite robbed, like I felt I'd missed out on the first important things, like meeting her and giving birth,” Ms Wright said.
“And it wasn't nice knowing that she was sick and I couldn’t be there for her,”
She said her husband had been told to “prepare for the worst” as doctors feared the new mother might not survive the ordeal.
Ms Wright was not aware she had the flu when she presented to Armadale Hospital at 36 weeks pregnant.
She had not been vaccinated against the flu, but wished she had have been.
Ms Wright’s doctor, Dr David New, said she could have “easily lost her life and the baby as well”.
He said by removing Kayleigh, Ms Wright’s lungs were able to open up a little easier.
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