Woman gives birth but can't remember

It should have been one of the most joyous moments of her life, but Rebecca Doig from Sydney, Australia, was tragically indifferent when she became a mother last week. At just 31, Mrs Doig has rapid-onset Alzheimer's disease. She is one of the youngest sufferers in the world and the first to give birth.

So fast has been her mental degeneration that the once-vibrant young woman, who found out she was expecting while having scans to investigate her memory loss, has little comprehension of giving birth. Her healthy daughter Emily was delivered by caesarean section at Hornsby Hospital on Tuesday. Rebecca hasn't been able to hold her yet.



Husband Scott, who helplessly watched his wife's health deteriorate for nine months, now has the burden of caring for his child and a mother who can no longer care for herself. "Emily is perfect," Mr Doig said. "She's a very beautiful little thing and very healthy.

"The road ahead is going to be extremely difficult - there's no two ways about it. We take every day as it comes because there is not a lot that we can do about it. If you sit there and start thinking about things, you will just get depressed. I can't do that because I've got a wife and now a little girl to look after." Mrs Doig was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of Alzheimer's last August. She is believed to be the first female patient to be afflicted by it.