# Could a woman in a coma give birth?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-woman-in-a-coma-give-birth/613924>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 25, 2012, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-woman-in-a-coma-give-birth/613924 "2012-02-25T05:31:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-woman-in-a-coma-give-birth/613924/1 "2012-02-25T05:31:57Z")

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Let us suppose a woman in a coma is impregnated, she has required amounts of nutrition and water and care with the small factor the caregivers will not perform a C section or assist in the birth in any way. Excluding the usual risk pregnancy poses would the birth have the same chance of success as a normal woman?

I guess I am asking whether a woman actually needs to do anything during labor and delivery, or whether it is all automatic.

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**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-woman-in-a-coma-give-birth/613924/2 "2012-02-25T08:04:06Z")

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I’ve heard stories of comatose women regaining consciousness due to child birth, which I doubt would happen with just a C section.

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**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-woman-in-a-coma-give-birth/613924/3 "2012-02-25T08:22:13Z")

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I know I’ve heard of comatose moms giving birth so a quick Google search tells me that there have been a dozen or so brain-dead women who have given birth in the U.S. This indicates to me that there have been many more women giving birth who are in a coma, but not brain dead.

> **[Mom in Coma Gives Birth to Healthy Baby](https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3179755&page=1#.T0iYNocgcoI)**

I’m guessing that a Caesarian birth is common in such cases.

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**Author:** ![kemosabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6de8d8/32.png) [@kemosabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kemosabe)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-woman-in-a-coma-give-birth/613924/4 "2012-02-25T09:14:32Z")

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Coma in childbirth…is this another way to get out of changing the baby? Why didnt I think of that!

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**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-woman-in-a-coma-give-birth/613924/5 "2012-02-25T20:27:21Z")

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[It happened in Rochester, NY in 1995](http://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/18/nyregion/woman-who-gave-birth-in-a-coma-dies.html). She was impregnated while in a coma, an the NYT article says this is the only known case of that happening.