New mum in a coma days after giving birth

Arlene Padawag-Cosme, 37, had a brain aneurysm four days after giving birth and is now in a coma. Pictured here with her husband Rayan Cosme and daughters Gracee, 10, and Ayene, 5. Photo / Givealittle

The weeks after the birth of Rayan Cosme's third child should have been one of the happiest times in his life but instead it is one of the worst.

His wife Arlene Padawag-Cosme, 37, collapsed four days after giving birth to a beautiful baby girl and has been in an induced coma ever since.

The North Shore mother-of-three gave birth to her third daughter, Grayan, on November 20 and all was well when the family went home the next day.

The following morning Padawag-Cosme started complaining of a sore neck but the couple thought nothing of it.

Two days later, on November 24, Cosme got the news that would bring his world crashing down. He got a phone call at work saying his wife had collapsed and was being taken to hospital.

When Cosme arrived at hospital he found his wife conscious and talking. Her midwife had performed CPR and called for help when she collapsed.

She complained of a severe pain in her head so she was taken for a CT scan - but she collapsed again.

Doctors rushed her in to surgery and confirmed it was a brain aneurysm. They put a drain in to remove some of the fluid from her head.

They operated again the next day but the injury was so severe there was nothing much they could do. She has been sedated ever since.

"She's slowly deteriorating. It's only a miracle [that will save her]," said Cosme through tears. "I don't know how I can raise these kids alone."

Grayan Claire Cosme was born on November 20. Four days later her mother suffered a brain aneurysm.

Cosme said the children were the world to his wife, who also worked as a nurse at North Shore Hospital.

She was much loved by her co-workers who came to visit her in hospital every day, he said.

Cosme said he was amazed by all the support being shown for him by the Filipino community who had set up a Givealittle page for the family.

At 5pm today just over $4000 had been raised for the family.

"Thank you to all the people that have helped me with the trials. I'm still asking for prayers that maybe they will give us the miracle for my wife," he said. "That's all I want. Maybe the prayers can make a healing."

All the funds donated on Givealittle would go towards covering the costs Arlene's family is facing while she is in hospital and anything left would go to her three children - 10-year-old Gracee, five-year-old Ayene and 11-day-old Grayan.