Houston: In a miracle, a 36-week pregnant US woman, who was technically dead as her heart had stopped, has delivered a “normal” baby. In February, Erica Nigrelli, a teacher at Elkins High School in Missouri City, was teaching English when she felt faint, placed her hands on a table to steady herself and then passed out.

Her colleagues immediately grabbed her. They kept her alive until paramedics arrived and rushed her to a hospital. Nigrellis husband, Nathan, also a teacher at the school, was just two doors down. He rushed into the room.”I opened the door and walked in. Erica was lying on the floor, she was foaming and making gurgling sounds and just staring up”,he said. By the time 32-year-old Erica was rushed to the hospital, doctors could not find a pulse. Her heart had stopped.

Doctors delivered the baby by emergency cesarean section. Technically, it was a post-mortem delivery because Ericas heart was not beating, the report said. But then something remarkable happened. The doctors turned to Erica and soon her heart started beating again.Now three months later, doctors said her baby – named Elayna – is getting healthier. “She is just a baby, a normal baby,” said Erica.

Its a miracle considering how Elayna came into this world, doctors said, adding Nigrelli technically died, gave birth, and was brought back to life.”Nine times out of ten most people die from the initial collapse,” said Erica. “It was literally a ticking time bomb, it just happened when I was 36 weeks pregnant.” Now, the mother and the baby are both home and doing great, the report said.