Nicole Gallacher: Heartwarming update for young mum who lost her baby after suffering a near-fatal stroke while cleaning her house

A woman who lost her baby after suffering a stroke during pregnancy gave birth to a baby boy just three years after the near-fatal episode.

Nicole Gallacher, 33, and her husband Dave of Mount Evelyn, Victoria, welcomed Angus Michael Andrew Gallacher on December 6, 2022.

The healthy baby boy weighed 2.78kg and was named after the surgeon who saved Ms Gallacher's life in March 2020: Professor Augusto 'Gus' Gonzalvo.

His middle names are Michael and Andrew, in tribute to the paramedic and ICU doctor who were crucial in caring for the young mother after the stroke.

Dr. Gonzalvo worked with specialist doctors for nine hours to remove a blood clot from her brain a tangle of blood vessels bursts.

Mrs Gallacher gave birth to her son Ned at 22 weeks, who unfortunately did not survive.

The healthy boy weighed 2.78kg and was named after the surgeon who saved Ms Gallacher's life in March 2020: Professor Augusto 'Gus' Gonzalvo

Mrs Gallacher said they decided to name their son after the three medics because they saved her life.

“It was important to me because without them he wouldn't be here, and I wouldn't be here either,” she says told Yahoo News.

'Until he was born we didn't know if he was a boy or a girl. But when we found out it was a boy and we could use the name, we would have loved a girl anyway, but we were really happy to use the name, and it gave it so much meaning.”

Ms Gallacher said she contacted medics for permission to name her newborn baby after them and they all agreed, with some having already met Gus in person.

Dr. Gonzalvo joked that “you haven't made it until you have a baby named after you.”

The couple have been raising awareness about the risks of strokes since Mrs Gallacher lost her first baby Ned at just 22 weeks.

She was cleaning her house when she first felt a pain in her head.

Mrs Gallacher first tried to call her husband before finally reaching her parents, but broke down mid-call.

Paramedics broke down the door and found her face down and unresponsive on the living room floor, and rushed her to the hospital.

The then 30-year-old underwent emergency surgery due to a brain hemorrhage.

Doctors worked for more than nine hours to save Mrs Gallacher (pictured) but could not prevent the birth of her baby, Ned, who was stillborn at 22 weeks

The couple (pictured) have since raised awareness about the risks of strokes

Mr Gallacher was told by doctors to prepare for the worst, just three hours after the painstaking nine-hour operation to remove the clot.

“One of the surgeons said to me at that point, 'I have to make it very clear that this is a seriously life-threatening situation – you have to be prepared that she might not make it to the next morning,'” he previously told Daily. Australia Post.

“I think I had a can of Coca-Cola in my hand and I threw it across the street and burst into tears.”

His wife's lungs had become dangerously unstable after she unconsciously swallowed her own vomit, forcing surgeons to 'wash' her lungs to improve airflow.

Tragically, doctors had no choice but to deliver the baby during surgery, which unfortunately led to Ned being stillborn.

Although Mrs Gallacher could not physically see her child at the time, her husband placed Ned on her stomach while she lay in a coma in intensive care.

Mr Gallacher said the hardest part of the ordeal was seeing her ask where their baby was a week later when she could communicate through hand gestures.

It wasn't until her intubation tube was removed and she was able to respond verbally that he decided to tell her the heartbreaking answer.

In addition to welcoming a baby boy, the young mother has made a full recovery.

The couple is raising money for the Heart Research Institute where scientists work to prevent patients like Ms Gallacher from disappearing under the radar again.