Kylie Ogg claims that skin-to-skin contact brought her baby back to life. Image: Channel Seven.
Australian mother Kate Ogg claims that she brought her 'dead' baby back to life through skin contact.
Little Jamie Ogg was pronouned dead by doctors after his premature birth at 27 weeks, weighing just two pounds. His twin sister Emily survived.
Doctors tried to resuscitate Jamie for 20 minutes before passing him to is parents to say their goodbyes.
After being handed her limp baby, Kate unbuttoned her hospital gown and held Jamie against her chest. Over two hours Kate and partner David then spoke to their baby, increasingly noticing signs of life.
As she told Channel Seven's 'Today Tonight' program,
"I took my gown off and arranged him on my chest with his head over my arm and just held him. He wasn't moving at all and we just started talking to him. We told him what his name was and that he had a sister. We told him the things we wanted to do with him throughout his life."
Jamie's occasional gasps for air were dismissed by doctors as a reflex action, or 'death throes'.
"After just five minutes I felt him move as if he were startled, then he started gasping more and more regularly," said Kate.
"I thought, "Oh my God, what's going on?" A short time later he opened his eyes. It was a miracle."
"'I told my mum, who was there, that he was still alive. Then he held out his hand and grabbed my finger.
'He opened his eyes and moved his head from side to side."
The parents sent news to the doctor who had delivered Jamie but he dismissed them, claiming it was impossible. A midwife continued to film the movements, and once given breast milk on his mother's finger, he began breathing regularly.
"At that point the doctor came back. He got a stethoscope, listened to Jamie's chest and just kept shaking his head," recounted Kate.
"He said, 'I don't believe it, I don't believe it."
David said, "Luckily, I've got a very strong, very smart wife."
"She instinctively did what she did. If she hadn't have done that, then Jamie probably wouldn't be here."
Skin-to-skin contact has been recognised as a vital step in the bonding process, however, premmie babies are only usually given this opportunity once their vital signs are stable, which can be days or weeks after birth.
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