Doctors told me my newborn baby was brain dead & his organs had shut down… then he lifted his head & looked right at me

A MUM has told how doctors believed her son would not survive the day after all his organs shut down just half an hour after his birth. Clarissa Mansbridge, 34, gave birth to her son William at just 33 weeks and faced the heartbreaking news that he was stillborn and did not have a heartbeat. Clarissa Mansbridge gave birth to her son William when he was just 33 weeks Credit: Cover Images He was stillborn and had no heartbeat for the first 26 minutes of his life Credit: Cover Images While doctors managed to resuscitate William after 26 minutes, Clarissa’s ordeal was sadly only just beginning. Soon after she was told that her son’s organs were shutting down and doctors anticipated that an MRI would show he was brain dead. Sign up for the Health newsletter Thank you! But when the mum finally got to hold him for the first time, he appeared to lift his head and look straight into Clarissa’s eyes. William was diagnosed with severe ischaemic encephalopathy – a brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen at birth – but he defied the odds and eventually made it out of intensive care. The mum was told, however, that if he survived, he may never walk, talk, sit, stand or live independently. Clarissa suffered a placental abruption at 33 weeks pregnant, meaning her son was born seven weeks early. While doctors were able to resuscitate William after he was born with no heartbeat, they told the mum to prepare for the worst. Speaking about the ordeal, she said: “The doctor told me: ‘You have an hour with him, you need to call your entire family, every organ has shut down. Most read in Health “He needs an MRI but we are expecting it to show he is globally brain dead’.” But when William lifted his head despite being heavily sedated, Clarissa said “that’s what kept me fighting, because I saw the light in his eyes”. William’s MRI showed less damage than doctors had expected, but Clarissa said she was still repeatedly warned that if he survived he would require round the clock care for the rest of his life. Clarissa’s son remained in intensive care for weeks after his birth before he eventually showed signs of improvement and was transferred into high dependency care. William was diagnosed with a brain injury from a lack of oxygen to his brain Credit: Cover Images What to know about placental abruption Placental abruption occurs when the placenta, the tube that sends oxygen and nutrients to your baby during pregnancy, detaches from your uterine wall. This is a medical emergency requiring immediate care at a hospital. Typically, the placenta stays connected to your uterine wall until shortly after you give birth. It then detaches with the afterbirth. But in the case of an abruption, the placenta partially or totally disconnects before delivery. It can be a life threatening event to mother and baby. What are the symptoms of placental abruption? Symptoms of placental abruption may vary depending on how completely your placenta has separated from your uterus. A placental abruption can be partial or total, and you’ll need medical care in either case. Other symptoms include: cramping abdominal pain back pain contractions changes in your baby’s heart rate Source: Healthline She stayed nearby the hospital and received repeated calls saying William was suffering terrifying episodes where his oxygen levels and heart rate plummeted without warning. Clarissa said: “I was called at 2.30 in the morning, and they said they had lost him, but they’ve managed to get him back again. “His oxygen would go right down from 100 to 30 within seconds… his heart rate would drop down to the 30s. That happened 16 times every two hours, like clockwork.” Eventually, William was transferred to a specialist paediatric hospital, where these episodes remarkably stopped. He was finally discharged two months after he was born and was allowed to go home with his mum. But as a single mum, Clarissa struggled with fear, anxiety and PTSD. Speaking about her fears when they first returned home, she said: “I would constantly check his monitor, and zoom in on the baby monitor to see if he’s breathing. “I remember laying in the bath, and I had an iPad up, and it was just watching him 24/7 over the camera. I honestly wanted to just drown at that point.” Thankfully, William’s condition continued to improve and today he is three years old and living a life much like any other child. Aside from some hearing loss, he walks, talks, runs and loves construction vehicles and dinosaurs. William is now three years old and lives a healthy life apart from some hearing loss Credit: Cover Images Despite what doctors thinking he would not survive, William can now walk, talk and run Credit: Cover Images “Every single day this kid surprises me. Every single day. I am so blessed,” she said. Throughout the ordeal of William’s early life, Clarissa knew she had to leave her demanding entertainment career to be there for her son. She said: “In the hours when I couldn’t even touch my own child, I had to think about the future. “About money and about what kind of work could sustain us regardless of how complex his needs became.” So, Clarissa built an AI– generated influencer built around luxury lifestyle content and she now earns £4,500 a month while working around William’s childcare. Speaking about how far they’ve come, she said: “His third birthday just feels like a blessing. “I can’t wait to see what he does next.” Comment now