A Halifax baby has been called a "miracle" for coming back to life just minutes after she was declared dead.
Robin Cyr was told that her fourth child was dead after she gave birth at Halifax's IWK Health Centre at around 3 a.m. on Saturday, Metro News reported.
The baby, who weighed nine pounds, 14 ounces, became wedged in the birth canal while she was being delivered.
She showed no signs of life until about 25 minutes later, when a nurse came rushing back into the hospital room to let Cyr know that her daughter had started breathing.
A surgeon had no explanation for the baby's recovery.
"He said it’s a miracle," Cyr told the newspaper.
"He said, ‘I’m very sorry I gave up on your baby when I did, because I turned around and she’s breathing on her own.'"
The baby has been named "Mireya," a Spanish name that means "miracle," and she's making a steady recovery, Metro News reported on Tuesday.
An estimated 900,000 babies die of "birth asphyxia" every year, a condition defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "failure to establish breathing at birth," the National Post reported.
It's rare for a baby to come back to life after not breathing for a period of time, but it's happened before.
The Post noted the case of James Engstrom, who was born in Goodfield, Ill. in September 2010 and didn't breathe for 61 minutes.
Engstrom was unresponsive to CPR and doses of adrenaline and oxygen, but his heart kicked in just as doctors were ready to declare him dead.
James's mother Bonnie credited his recovery to Fulton J. Sheen, a deceased American bishop and one of the first televangelists.
Research has found that training midwives and other birth attendants to help babies start breathing right after birth if they need help can prevent stillbirths and newborn deaths in the developing world.
Robin Cyr was told that her fourth child was dead after she gave birth at Halifax's IWK Health Centre at around 3 a.m. on Saturday, Metro News reported.
The baby, who weighed nine pounds, 14 ounces, became wedged in the birth canal while she was being delivered.
She showed no signs of life until about 25 minutes later, when a nurse came rushing back into the hospital room to let Cyr know that her daughter had started breathing.
A surgeon had no explanation for the baby's recovery.
"He said it’s a miracle," Cyr told the newspaper.
"He said, ‘I’m very sorry I gave up on your baby when I did, because I turned around and she’s breathing on her own.'"
The baby has been named "Mireya," a Spanish name that means "miracle," and she's making a steady recovery, Metro News reported on Tuesday.
An estimated 900,000 babies die of "birth asphyxia" every year, a condition defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "failure to establish breathing at birth," the National Post reported.
It's rare for a baby to come back to life after not breathing for a period of time, but it's happened before.
The Post noted the case of James Engstrom, who was born in Goodfield, Ill. in September 2010 and didn't breathe for 61 minutes.
Engstrom was unresponsive to CPR and doses of adrenaline and oxygen, but his heart kicked in just as doctors were ready to declare him dead.
James's mother Bonnie credited his recovery to Fulton J. Sheen, a deceased American bishop and one of the first televangelists.
Research has found that training midwives and other birth attendants to help babies start breathing right after birth if they need help can prevent stillbirths and newborn deaths in the developing world.
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