Laura Salpietro, 30, and her baby are both in critical condition in an Italian hospital, after two doctors in the emergency room fought over how the baby should be delivered.

The fight began when gynecologist Vincenzo Benedetto and maternity unit doctor Antonio De Vivo, at the Messina Polyclinic in Sicily couldn't agree on whether to deliver Salpietro's first child naturally or by caesarean.

The argument led to thrown punches and almost an hour's delay which caused Salpietro to suffer severe blood loss and a hysterectomy.

Salpietro's husband, Matteo Molonia, 37, says he doesn't understand why this happened.

"Now my wife and my baby are fighting for their lives and it's because of these two doctors. Because of the hysterectomy, my wife and I can no longer have children," he said.

Their newborn son Antonio had two cardiac arrests and both mother and baby were admitted to intensive care while medical staff said they could not rule out brain damage to the baby as a result of the delay in treatment.