A mother reportedly woke up from a 23-day coma instantly after doctors placed her infant son onto her chest.
According to the Daily Mail, Amanda da Silva, 28, is a mom of three who has suffered from epilepsy since she was a child. When she was 37 weeks pregnant with her youngest child, Amanda suffered an acute seizure and went to the hospital. The seizure put both Amanda's and her baby's lives at risk.
In a lifesaving procedure, doctors sedated Amanda, then delivered her son, Victor, via an emergency C-section. But after further complications, Amanda went into a medically induced coma.
She spent the next 23 days unable to move or communicate.
"The exams showed brain activity," obstetrician Carlos Alencar explained. "But the areas of activity weren't responding to anything specific, not even to the voices of relatives. She didn't move her arms, legs, or anything."
Amanda was unresponsive until a nurse, Fabíola Sá, decided to try something different. She put baby Victor on Amanda's chest.
"As soon as Amanda felt the touch of the baby's skin on hers, tears started pouring down her cheeks," Fabíola said. "It was a cry of love."
Three weeks after holding her son for the first time, Amanda and Victor went home together.
When Amanda was 37 weeks pregnant, she was rushed to the hospital with an acute seizure. The mom of three has had epilepsy since childhood.
Doctors advised her to go off one of her medications when she became pregnant with her youngest child, because the medication posed a risk to her baby.
As a result, Amanda suffered more seizures than usual, including an acute seizure at 37 weeks pregnant that sent her to the hospital.
When Amanda arrived at Ceara's Assis Chateubriand Maternity Hospital, doctors were worried that the seizure could take both her and her baby's lives. They sedated her, then delivered her son by C-section.
The baby, Victor, was just 4.6 pounds. He was taken to intensive care.
Meanwhile, Amanda was put into a medically induced coma. Though she later opened her eyes, she was unable to communicate or move her body.
"Just over a week after she was admitted to hospital, we began removing the sedatives that kept her asleep," obstetrician Carlos Alencar shared. "But she didn't respond as we expected."
Amanda remained in a deep coma for the next 23 days.
The medical team was running out of ideas when one nurse, Fabíola Sá, had a light bulb moment. She suggested placing Victor on Amanda's chest, bringing mother and baby together for the first time.
To everyone's shock, Amanda responded immediately. Her heart rate sped up, tears streamed down her face, and she cried out.
"It was a cry of love," Fabíola said. "More than that it was a cry that said: 'I'm still here, I'm alive, I want to live.'"
"After 23 days in a coma, her reaction was inexplicable. We never expected such a quick change, and everyone on the medical team wept with happiness and relief," Fabíola said.
Amanda doesn't recall giving birth, but she does remember the moment she first woke up.
"The first thing I remember was having Victor in my arms, seeing his little head and smelling his lovely scent," she said. "It was an amazing situation, but at the same time confusing. I asked my dad if the baby was mine. I put my hand on my belly and realized I was no longer pregnant."
Doctors aren't sure exactly why Victor's touch had such an instantaneous effect on Amanda.
"We don't have a scientific answer to what happened, but it's evident we should never underestimate the importance of skin-to-skin contact between mother and child," Fabíola said.
Nearly three weeks after first holding her baby, Amanda and Victor went home together.
The amazing moment is inspiring quite the response from readers, who've been reacting to the news on social media.
Some feel that this story points to the incredible bond between mother and child.
And others feel it's a testament to the power of touch.
However it happened, Victor's touch woke Amanda up.
There's no doubt that this is a case of the miraculous nature of a mother's love!
