Mum’s ultimate sacrifice saves baby’s life

A devastated father has shared the tragic story of how his pregnant wife saved the life of their unborn baby in her final seconds.

Mr De Martino urged others not to take time with their loved ones for granted.

A devastated father has told the tragic story of how his pregnant wife used her final seconds to save their unborn daughter.

Charlotte De Martino, 31, had been living a “perfect life” with husband Michael De Martino, 32, daughters Freja, three, and Astrid, one, when she suffered a deadly brain bleed.

It started out like any ordinary Saturday when Mr De Martino took his daughters to a local park on March 6 to play while Ms De Martino rested at home after a long week of studying to become a dental assistant and working at IKEA.

Charlotte De Martino with her daughters Freja, three, and Astrid, one.

Charlotte and Michael were preparing for the birth of their third child.

Despite showing no symptoms, Ms De Martino had an undiagnosed condition that caused a deadly build-up of pressure in her brain.

“The pressure builds up and you might feel a bit of a headache but then suddenly it just bursts,” Mr De Martino said.

“You essentially drop after that.”

Remarkably, Ms De Martino, sensed something was wrong and called an ambulance before falling unconscious.

“The call to the ambulance is literally the only reason why I am able to see my daughter each day,” Mr De Martino said.

Paramedics rushed Ms De Martino to Monash Medical Centre where Mr De Martino was told an emergency C-section was needed to save his unborn daughter’s life.

“I’m sitting there thinking, what the hell are you talking about? She’s 27 weeks pregnant, how is she that bad that you need to take the baby out at this point?” he said.

Doctors told him that his wife was the “sickest person in the hospital” and it was unlikely that she would survive.

Mr De Martino’s mother launched a GoFundMe so her son could support his young family.

“I hadn’t been at the hospital for even an hour when they told me that,” he said.

Ms De Martino needed emergency surgery within five minutes to save her life but it took three hours before surgeons were able to operate.

She survived throughout the night but brain activity had ceased.

Doctors told Mr De Martino that there was little chance of survival and after two weeks without signs of life the heartbreaking decision to turn off Ms De Martino’s life support was made.

Their unborn daughter, Runa, miraculously survived after the emergency C-section and is still in intensive care, six-weeks after the tragedy.

Ms De Martino, sensed something was wrong and called an ambulance before falling unconscious.

She will be kept in hospital until she is able to breathe on her own with Mr De Martino visiting her everyday.

The most difficult part of the tragedy for the widowed husband was explaining to his three-year-old daughter, Freja, that her mum wouldn’t be coming home.

“The daily conversation that I have to have is that mummy was sick and the doctors couldn’t fix her.

“But she’s also got hope that she’s just going to come home one day.

“Sometimes it really feels like I have to relive it everyday.”

Mr De Martino said the most difficult part of the tragedy was explaining to his daughter, Freja, that her mum wouldn’t be coming home.

Mr De Martino said he urges people to not take time with their loved ones for granted.

“One of the reasons I feel so open about talking about Charlotte is that she knew how much she meant to me because I would tell her.

“You really don’t want to be in my position and have a life filled with regrets, wishing you had told someone how you felt about them.”

The couple met on an online friendship website before meeting in person in South Korea.

“We met on the third of May 2014 and it was the best day of my life.”

They quickly fell in love and Ms De Martino moved to Australia from Sweden in 2014 before getting married in 2017.

“We were the perfect match,” he said.

“Words can’t describe how much she meant to me.”

Friends and family from around the world joined a livestream of Ms De Martino’s funeral on March 31, providing support for the young family she left behind.

Mr De Martino’s mother, Linda De Martino, launched a GoFundMe to provide support for her son’s family, raising close to $80,000 as of April 21.

The money will be used to reimburse $20,000 spent on flights for Ms De Martino’s parents to attend their daughter’s funeral from Sweden and to provide ongoing support for three little girls who must grow up without their mother.

“That generosity that people have shown over this unbelievably difficult time is appreciated so much,” Mr De Martino said.

To donate to the family, click here.