Mother is awakened from a coma by her newborn baby

CONCORD, NC (WABC) -- For Shelly and Jeremy Cawley of North Carolina, what should have been one of the happiest moments of their lives took a near fatal turn.

Shelly had to go in for an emergency c-section, but during the surgery, a blood clot broke in Shelly's leg, sending her into a coma.

"I was a mess. I was numb. I didn't know what to think anymore," said Jeremy.

The couple's newborn daughter, Rylan, was alive and healthy but doctors told Jeremy that his wife just wasn't waking up.

The doctors explained to him that they put Shelly on the 'last chance' ventilator. They told Jeremy that they tried all the medicine and machines they had, but were not seeing any progress.

Nurses decided to try connecting mother and daughter through their skin by placing Rylan on her mother's chest. Jeremy says the bond for Ryland was instant, and she fell right asleep on her mom. She was so content the doctors had to make her cry so that Shelly would hear her baby and wake up from a coma.

"They saw a spike in my vitals when she did cry. They think that me hearing her subconsciously gave my body and my subconscious a reason to fight," says Shelly.

Shelly says she believes that mother/daughter bond is what made her fight to stay alive.

"I'm still here because of her, and I just can't wait to tell her that. I can't wait to tell her that she saved my life," she added.

Now the Cawleys say everyday, no matter how difficult, is a blessing.

Ryland and her family celebrated her first birthday last week.