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From the Associated Press: ATLANTA (AP) — The baby of a woman in Georgia who was declared brain dead and has been on life support since February was delivered early Friday morning, her mother said.
April Newkirk told WXIA-TV that 31-year-old Adriana Smith’s baby was born prematurely by an emergency cesarean section early Friday, the Atlanta station reported Monday night. She was about six months into her pregnancy. The baby, named Chance, weighs about 1 pound and 13 ounces and is in the neonatal intensive care unit.
“He’s expected to be okay,” Newkirk told the TV station. “He’s just fighting. We just want prayers for him.”
Newkirk said her daughter had intense headaches more than four months ago and went to Atlanta’s Northside Hospital, where she received medication and was released. The next morning, her boyfriend woke to her gasping for air and called 911. Emory University Hospital determined she had blood clots in her brain and she was declared brain-dead. She was eight weeks pregnant, according to WXIA.
Smith, who was a metro Atlanta nurse, was declared brain dead on February 19, when she was eight weeks pregnant. The hospital has kept Smith on life support for nearly four months, since she was pregnant, and delivered her baby by emergency C-section on Friday.
Smith, who just turned 31 on Sunday, also has a 7-year-old son.
She was reportedly taken off life support on Tuesday.
Oddly, Smith’s family is complaining that the hospital kept her on life support so the baby could be saved, saying they were given no choice in the matter.
The family has also voiced concern that they will be stuck with the medical bills.
11Alive’s Jennifer Bellamy spoke with April Newkirk on Monday. Here is a transcript of that conversation. https://t.co/Lvv0GS3X2E
— 11Alive News (@11AliveNews) June 17, 2025
Adriana Smith, the brain-dead woman who Georgia kept on life support to continue a pregnancy, gave birth via c-section on Friday.
Smith’s mother said they plan to take her off of life support today. “It’s kind of hard, you know. It’s hard to process.”https://t.co/L8a2ChnYbe
— Alanna Vagianos (@AlannaVagianos) June 17, 2025
READ MORE from the Associated Press.
