By: Elizabeth Corridan

PITTSFIELD/SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB) -- Entering into motherhood has been anything but a typical experience for Jamie Delaney.  The new mom was admitted to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield last summer to deliver her first son. 

Before her planned C-section, Jamie began experiencing chest pains.  She knew she was at risk.  Her father died of a heart attack at 39. 

Jamie says, "I was wondering if I was having a heart attack and I was just so afraid I was going to die like he did."

Without a moment to lose, doctors delivered Jamie's healthy baby boy Jax Emory.  She got to hold him briefly before being taken by helicopter to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.  Dr. Daniel Engelman, a cardiac surgeon, determined Jamie's aorta had ruptured and blood was surrounding and compressing her heart. 

According to Dr. Engelman, most patients in her situation die within an hour.  Jamie was remarkably stable.  "Childbirth is known to cause your blood to clot very well to prevent post-childbirth hemorrhage.  In Jamie's case, it held together just long enough to get her to the operating table," says Dr. Engelman.

Once on the operating table, the real challenge began.  Jamie's body was cooled to the point that her heart stopped beating, the blood flow to her entire body stopped and her brain shut down.  Then doctors worked quickly to replace her damaged valve and ruptured aorta and restore blood flow.

More than five hours later, Jamie was awake and asking for her little boy.  She says Jax saved her life.  "It's a miracle.  If I wasn't pregnant and already in the hospital, I would not have made it," says Jamie.

After a few minor setbacks, Jamie continues to recover at home and says she is beginning to feel like her old self again.  Jax has a small birthmark on his left foot in the shape of a heart.  It's a constant reminder of the bond he shares with his mom.