Mum reunited with crew after cardiac arrest

Baby Bryan spent 60 days in the neonatal unit and is now thriving. The family credits the fast response of emergency services and the dedicated care of the hospital staff for saving both Nwadimma and Bryan.

A mother has been reunited with the ambulance crew who helped save her and her baby boy when she had a sudden cardiac arrest.

Nwadimma, 37, was seven months pregnant when she collapsed at her home in Corby, Northamptonshire, at about 12:30 BST on 1 July.

Her husband Charles said he heard a "sharp scream" before he found his wife gasping for air and having a seizure and then stop breathing.

After being reunited with the East Midlands Ambulance Service, Charles said: "Because of them, my wife is alive and our son is here with us."

Their sons, Richard, nine, and Kesean, eight, rushed in to help and while Charles and a relative carried Nwadimma downstairs, Richard calmly spoke to the emergency services.

"I ran outside to start the car, thinking I might have to drive her to the hospital myself" Charles said.

But, police officers patrolling the area arrived within minutes and began CPR while waiting for ambulance crews.

Duty Commander Matthew Crawford said: "I think it is the call that anyone working in the ambulance service would dread to see though these are very rare."

He thanked the family, officers and ambulance crews for helping Nwadimma.

She was taken to Kettering General Hospital, where doctors performed an emergency caesarean to deliver baby Bryan.

Nwadimma spent three days in ICU and had a pacemaker, to prevent a repeat occurrence of the collapse, fitted within a week.

"It took me a while to piece things together about what happened that day through the help of my husband and children," she said.

"I am now focused on moving forward and I want to use my experience to help others."

Charles added: "Because of them, my wife is alive and our son is here with us."