Natasha Sokunbi was 37 weeks pregnant when she suddenly experienced severe chest pains and difficulty breathing. Concerned for her health, she called 111 and was advised to go to the hospital.
After arriving at Royal Stoke University Hospital by taxi, Natasha collapsed in the waiting room due to cardiac arrest. Doctors immediately worked to save both her and her unborn baby. She was rushed into emergency surgery, where her baby was delivered via C-section just four minutes later.
While one medical team performed CPR, another worked to safely deliver her child. Hospital staff spent over 30 minutes resuscitating Natasha before placing her in an induced coma. The next day, she woke up to a shocking discovery—she had given birth during her near-death experience.
“My heart wasn’t beating when the doctors delivered Beau. I was basically dead when they pulled her out,” Natasha recalled.
“The next thing I remember was waking up in intensive care, and my husband walked over with a photo of Beau, saying, ‘It’s a girl.’”
Since they had chosen not to find out the baby’s gender before birth, the news came as a complete surprise. However, Natasha was too weak to see Beau right away, and her daughter was in the neonatal unit. It took a few days before she was finally able to meet her.
A Miraculous Survival
Natasha and her husband, Ayo, had been preparing to welcome their second child when everything took a terrifying turn on December 3rd. She had been feeling unwell for weeks due to a chest infection, and the strain of pregnancy may have worsened her pre-existing heart condition.
She remembered collapsing in the waiting room, falling forward onto her baby bump, and even recalling the doctors performing CPR. She also vaguely remembered feeling pain during the C-section, but then everything went black.
Meanwhile, Ayo was at home looking after their first daughter, Love, when he received a call from the hospital. Initially, he thought the doctors were calling to tell him their baby had been born—he never expected to hear that his wife had been clinically dead for 14 minutes.
Grateful for a Second Chance
Natasha is incredibly grateful to the medical team that saved her and Beau, calling them “all fantastic.”
“The doctors told me I had been dead for 14 minutes. They saved my baby and they saved me.”
In recognition of their heroic efforts, the hospital staff involved in Natasha and Beau’s care were honored with the Chief Executive Award. Dr. Andrew Bennett described the event as “one of the proudest moments this department has ever seen.”
Now, Natasha is focused on recovery and cherishing every moment with her miracle baby.
