California Mother in Coma Gives Birth to Baby Boy

Thirty-nine-year-old Melissa Carleton of San Francisco was left in a comatose state 26 weeks into her pregnancy due to a seizure from a benign brain tumor, leaving her hospitalized and unable to speak. However, on Thursday, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl by C-section at full-term.  

"I know that being able to love this little guy is going to be a wonderful experience, but I also know it's going to be very hard for me to know that I am going to be the one to hold this baby first," said Brian Lande, her husband, via KFSN-TV.

Doctors discovered Carleton's tumor into the second trimester of her pregnancy. She started having terrible headaches that landed her in the emergency room. 

Though the couple had hoped to wait until the baby was born to undergo tumor removal, Carleton's health deteriorated further at a rapid pace. She was soon unable to walk. Shortly following, a seizure due to the tumor resulted in brain damage that caused the coma. Officials then performed emergency surgery to remove the tissue.

Yet family members remain hopeful for Carleton's recovery. Following time spent with her new baby, West, she will be undergoing rehabilitation at a local facility.

Even now, things seem a bit brighter.

"She was more awake than she has been," said her Carleton's mother, Lawanna Farrell, via the Fresno Bee. "She reached for Brian and puckered her lips so she could kiss him."

Carleton has also been breastfeeding her new baby with assistance.