An Australian mom who came down with influenza while pregnant was placed in a medically-induced coma, and her baby girl was delivered via c-section. Thankfully, mom and baby are both safe and healthy, though the two were not able to be reunited until eight days after birth.
Kiri Sheehan told 7News that she was 30 weeks pregnant with her fifth child when her entire family contracted influenza, commonly referred to as the flu. Influenza is a respiratory disease which causes infection in the nose, throat, and lungs; it can be deadly, particularly for at-risk groups like the elderly, people with compromised immune systems, or pregnant women. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that over 47,000 people died from influenza in 2022.
Sheehan said she had a cough, severe chest pain, and trouble breathing. Worried about her preborn baby girl, Luna, she went to the emergency room. After arriving at Perth’s Joondalup Health Campus, she was diagnosed with pneumonia and a collapsed lung.
“After that I kept passing in and out (of consciousness), I pretty much can’t remember anything from that moment on,” she said. Within just hours, doctors placed her in a medically-induced coma in an effort to help Luna continue to grow and develop inside the womb, and to help Sheehan’s condition stabilize.
But the situation quickly turned even more dire; the next day, doctors realized that Sheehan’s placenta had ruptured. They quickly performed an emergency c-section, and Luna was born. “(My partner) Scott was very worried. Staff played it nice and calm because it was so serious. They didn’t know if I would wake up,” Sheehan said.
Luna was born 10 weeks before her due date, weighing just three pounds.
Five days later, doctors began the process of waking Sheehan from her coma. “It was quite full-on but they told me Luna is OK, that she was safe,” she said. At first, she was only able to see Luna through video calls, but eight days after Luna was born, Sheehan finally was able to meet her daughter in person.
“It was an instant connection. There was love, relief and it gave me more motivation to get out of hospital,” Sheehan said. “It was so beautiful, but really scary as well. She had so many cords and tubes and it was overwhelming but all I could have asked for.”
Previously, the couple had been pregnant and lost a baby boy, Eddy, at 22 weeks.
Sheehan continues to have chest pain and difficulty breathing, but she has been able to go home, while Luna remains in the hospital. A GoFundMe page was set up to support the family by Sheehan’s brother, as her partner has had to stop working in order to care for their other three boys, as well as spend time in the hospital.
“Her [three] boys not only get their mother back soon but they also get a beautiful little sister in Luna. It is still quite a journey for Kiri and Luna to get back to full health,” the page said. “This [GoFundMe] has been an absolute Godsend for the family as Scott doesn’t need to stress about the finances and going back to work and instead can focus on helping Kiri and Baby Luna get all the support and care they need.”
