A Queensland mother who gave birth to her triplets while in a coma has described the ordeal, thanking the nurses and doctors who saved her life and her babies.
Mother Leonie Fitzgerald was diagnosed with the rare but extremely dangerous eclampsia of pregnancy when she suffered a seizure while at Mater Hospital in Brisbane.
Her children, Liliana, Isabella and Charlotte were born while she was in a medically induced coma.
Fitzgerald had eclampsia which caused a seizure before childbirth, endangering her life and the twins. (new)
“Luckily, I was at Mater Hospital, I was scheduled for a cesarean the next day,” Fitzgerald said.
The mother was in a coma for 16 hours while doctors worked to save her.
His partner, Peter Fitzgerald, said the wait was unbearable as the father felt he could lose his new family at once.
“Leonie just says‘ something is wrong ’,” he said of the incident.
“Your mind is just playing ideas, ‘well, I could be doing all this alone.’
“I could have lost all four.”
Peter Fitzgerald feared he would lose his wife and children at the same time. (new)
Leonie Fitzgerald said Mater Hospital staff made her family go through the difficult part and its consequences.
“We spent five weeks at the NICU and they were great with the girls,” he said.
Two years later, she refers to her children, who were conceived by IVF, as miracle babies.
“It took us almost seven years to get pregnant,” Fitzgerald said.
During Maters Day of Giving tomorrow, each donation made by the public will be tripled by corporate donors, with funds helping to help other patients.
The Mater Foundation executive officer said the donations played an important role in caring for patients and supporting new research.
“It’s about improving our equipment, improving research and training doctors,” he said.
Fitzgerald said he is forever indebted to the hospital staff.
“At the end of the day, they saved the lives and lives of our girls for me,” she said.