Baby Delivered From Dying Mom

A baby girl was in stable condition in a hospital Saturday, two days after her mother drove her car into a river and died.

Courtney Gamble was delivered by Caesarean section at 32 weeks - eight weeks premature, doctors at D.C. General Hospital said. She weighed three pounds, 12 ounces.

Her mother, Lila Gamble, 39, died after her car plunged into the Anacostia River on Thursday. Doctors said they couldn’t save her because of water damage to her lungs. She died about three hours after the baby was born.

Courtney spent Friday in critical condition, but doctors said she had improved by Saturday.

Relatives speculated that Gamble, a diabetic, may have gone into insulin shock and lost control of the car.

“We are devastated. We are in shock. We knew this was a high-risk pregnancy for her, but she sacrificed to give her daughter a chance to live in this world,” said Gena Williams Lowe, Gamble’s sister.

Gamble lived with her husband, Hayes Gamble, a D.C. correctional officer, and their 7-year-old son, Hayes III, in Temple Hills, Md.