Chennai: Pregnant woman with COVID-19 delivers baby, recovers with doctors' help

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], September 24 (ANI): A COVID-19 positive woman who gave birth to a baby in her 28th week of pregnancy here, has recovered from the disease along with her daughter due to the efforts of the medical staff of the hospital.
"The baby was delivered in 28th week of pregnancy. The baby's lungs were not fully developed and had contracted an infection. The mother and her newborn are fine now," Dr Sridhar, Head of ICU Department, Kauvery Hospital, Chennai said.
Priyadarshini, who had tested positive for COVID-19 on August 17, 2020, was brought to Kauvery Hospital during the early hours of August 21, 2020, with complaints of breathlessness and discomfort.
Shortly after admission, Priyadarshini, who was in her 28th week of pregnancy, required ventilator support as the oxygen levels in her blood dropped. Generally, in cases of extreme hypoxia, doctors place the patients in a prone position, but the doctors ruled out this option as the woman was pregnant.
To ensure the safety of the mother and the baby, the team of doctors recommended an emergency C-section, but risk was involved in it as the mother was in the 28th week of pregnancy and the baby's lungs were not fully developed. Nevertheless, determined to save the lives of both mother and child, the team of doctors obtained consent from the family.
The patient was wheeled into the theatre for an emergency C-section and the baby was shifted to the neonatal ICU after delivery. Subsequently, the mother was taken to the ICU and placed on ventilator support.
In a week's time, the mother gradually improved and the ICU doctors shifted her to the ward and allowed her to see the child for the first time in NICU. After she recovered from COVID-19, the mother was allowed to feed her baby as well.
Expressing gratitude towards the doctors, Priyadarshini said: "Before getting affected by COVID-19, life was calm. My whole family was infected by COVID-19. I was seven months pregnant when I got affected. It was a scary situation for me."
"I thought I had to go to the hospital and get treated. My oxygen levels were low. The doctor performed scans. As a mother, I would advise every pregnant woman to take care in these difficult times and take all precautions. The doctors are like God to me. I thank all the doctors for saving mine and my daughter's life," she added. (ANI)