Baby’s birth helped bring man out of coma after his heart stopped for 2 hours

A couple is speaking out about an 'unbelievable' moment which occurred after the dad-to-be's heart stopped to raise important awareness.

In April earlier this year, just days before Emma King was due to give birth, she woke up in the middle of the night to find her husband Sam's heart had stopped.

It had been her last day at work and the pair had gone out to the pub to celebrate after with some friends.

Sam recalled on This Morning that he'd run there as was training for a half marathon, had a Guinness Zero and ran back.

The pair had dinner and went to bed, as they normally would. "And that's all that I can really remember," Sam added.

Indeed, at around 3am, after getting up to go to the loo, Emma then sat up scrolling for a while, Sam even waking around an hour later and the pair having a quick chat.

"Ten minutes later he's gasping for breath, like three huge gasps, and then his eyes go to the back of his head," Emma explained.

Emma realised Sam's heart had stopped and immediately called 999 (ITV/ This Morning)

Thankfully on her phone already, Emma quickly called emergency services and despite being 39 weeks pregnant, performed CPR for 15 minutes as instructed by the call handler.

The ambulance then arrived and attended Sam for two hours, Sam noting his heart had stopped 'for two hours,' not producing a pulse or blood pressure but still 'fluttering' prompting medical professionals to keep up hope.

Emma added she forced herself to 'stay calm' to protect her baby, trying her best to ensure her heart rate didn't rise.

The soon-to-be dad was then rushed to hospital where he was put into an induced coma by doctors to reduce any additional strain on his body.

Given his condition, Sam was transported to a hospital in London, Emma told he was one of the top five sickest patients across the country.

Staying in a hotel nearby, Emma ended up going into labor at 4am in the morning three days after.

The pair's newborn baby Sophie helped wake Sam up out of his coma (ITV/ This Morning)

Four hours after the baby, named Sophie, was born, the midwife helped her and Emma go to visit Sam.

Emma noted the medical team had been lowering Sam's sedation to see how he was getting on, but still didn't know if there was any 'brain activity or cognitive understanding'.

But miraculously, as the midwife lifted Sophie in front of Sam, Emma recalled 'tears coming down from the side of his eyes'.

"It was the craziest experience of my life," Emma reflected.

Sam added: "It was like a dream. I half remember it. There are certain ways people say things that kind of flash back to your memory, but it's unbelievable."

Sam is now 'normal,' adding he's back to sports and has been given a defibrillator just incase.

Testing remains ongoing, with Sam wearing a heart monitor for a week and undergoing genetic and exercise tests too.

Emma stressed the pair decided to share their story to raise awareness of the necessity of knowing when - and learning how - to give CPR, Sam adding Emma had previous training and 'saved [his] life'.