Woman delivers baby with do-it-yourself c-section

A pregnant Mexican woman performed a caesarean section on herself using a kitchen knife. The do-it-yourself c-section was successful and the woman gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

Experts say this is the first known case of a self-inflicted c-section in which mother and newborn baby survived.

The mother, a 40-year-old, who was not further identified lived in a rural area with no running water and electricity. The nearest hospital was eight hours away.

After losing a previous baby due to labour complications, the woman wasn't about to lose another child.

Dr R Valle, of the Dr Manuel Velasco Suarez Hospital in San Pablo, Mexico said: "She took three small glasses of hard liquor and, using a kitchen knife, sliced her abdomen in three attempts... and then delivered a male infant that breathed immediately and cried."

The woman told one of her children to call a local nurse for help before passing out from shock and blood loss. The nurse first stitched the wound with a sewing needle and cotton thread. After that, the mother and the baby were brought to the nearest hospital for further treatment.

"This case represents an unusual and extraordinary decision by a women in labour who, unable to deliver herself spontaneously, and with no medical help or resources, decided to perform a caesarean section upon herself," Dr Valle said.