Laura Zhang/
After 11 long years without children, 36-year-old Mdm Chen Yinghua was finally pregnant with a long-awaited daughter especially since experiencing a traumatic miscarriage in the past. To the dismay of Mdm Chen and her husband, the difficult birth of their premature baby has been even more traumatic as Mdm Chen has slipped into a coma following the delivery.
On 18 July, Mdm Chen – a secretary from Malacca who was working in Singapore – experienced severe bouts of vomiting along with a fever. She decided to go to the gynaecologist for a check-up where she was told that she had an abnormally high blood pressure and that her foetus’ heartbeat was unusually slow. She was then immediately admitted to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
Her 32-year-old brother, Chen Junliang, tearfully told reporters, “The doctors told my sister that they have to do a C-section immediately to deliver the baby or both she and the baby would be in danger.”
An emergency C-section was conducted to deliver the premature baby, who weighs only 800g. The baby is currently still in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) but luckily, her condition has stabilised.
However, the mother was not able to share the good news – it was discovered that Mdm Chen was suffering from a bacterial infection, which led to a liver failure and eventually coma.
Her brother described the illness as a shock. He said even though she had Hepatitis B, she was healthy before the pregnancy. He said, “On the day she gave birth, she (my sister) was still talking to us, shortly after (she) suddenly spoke incoherently. She fell into a coma the following evening.”
According to the Chinese daily, Mdm Chen needs an urgent liver transplant to keep her alive. Her family are appealing for a suitable donor and financial help to cover the medical charges.