I’m sharing this story—a story that I never dreamed would happen to me--so that other mothers-to-be can benefit from my experience and knowledge. Until I contracted COVID-19, I was overall having a very healthy pregnancy with twins. That all changed into a situation that was scary and painful that could have possibly been prevented if I had better understood the risks of getting COVID-19 while pregnant.   
 
My COVID-19 story began when I started having symptoms on Saturday, August 21, 2021.  I was experiencing body aches and was very tired; however, I was also pregnant with twins, so I often felt tired! I was unvaccinated for COVID and know that I needed to be tested to be safe for myself and my patients, so I scheduled a test for the next day. The test came back positive.

By Wednesday (five days after my symptoms started) I was having difficulty breathing, feeling short of breath even more than I normally was in my current state.  Fortunately, that day I also had my pre-admission virtual appointment with The Women’s Hospital. Lacey, the Maternal Care Advisor who was conducting the appointment, recommended that I get a pulse oximeter to monitor my oxygen saturation (oxygen levels in my blood). A family member brought one to me, and upon using it I realized my oxygen saturation was consistently around 91-92, so I called the on-call doctor that day.  Dr. Allen Walker, OB/GYN, put me on bed rest, and said if it were to drop anymore to come in. That evening, while my family was asleep, I dropped to 88. I knew I needed to get to the hospital but did not want to wake anyone, so I ended up driving myself to the hospital that night where they diagnosed me with COVID pneumonia. I was admitted, and spent seven days in an isolation room at The Women’s Hospital.  My condition deteriorated and my doctors decided I needed to be transferred to Gateway.

While being wheeled down the tunnel between The Women’s Hospital and Gateway, I could sense how serious the situation had become, as doctors and other members of my care team were very concerned and moving quickly.  When I arrived at Gateway ICU the realty of my situation hit me. In that moment, my perspective broadened to fully grasp the situation and new world we are all faced with, whether we realize it or not. You see, I had chosen to wait to get the COVID vaccine because I did not want to expose my babies to something that I believed did not have enough research.

Dr. Staat, one of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialists, came to my ICU room and explained that I needed an antibody treatment that didn’t have as much research behind it as he would like, but it was the last resort to try and keep me off the ventilator. Ironically, I now needed an experimental medication that was far less studied than the vaccine! At that point, I was willing to try anything and everything to keep me and my babies alive.

I was administered the antibody treatment and unfortunately it did not work. A few hours later I was put on the ventilator for twelve hours. During those twelve hours, while I was unconscious, my OB/GYN Dr. Kimberly Foster, and Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist Dr. Spencer Kuper, performed a cesarean section, bringing my two beautiful babies into the world at 28 weeks gestation.  I was able to come off the ventilator once there weren’t two babies also requiring oxygen from my body, and I was able to go home a few days later, while my babies remained in the NICU.

Although I am so grateful for what all the doctors did to save our lives, this was not part of my plan. I wanted to have a natural birth with my husband by my side. I didn’t get to see my babies for 14 days and my husband did not get to see them until day seven.  I just kept thinking, “I want to rip all these cords out of my body and see my babies. I want to see my babies and go home.”

I remember, on day 13, the call from their neonatologist Dr. Ron Pyle. He asked me if I heard the good news: “You get to see your babies tomorrow!” I broke down, as this was the best news I could have heard at that moment. Fourteen days without seeing my babies, while being so seriously ill myself, were the worst days of my life. Dr. Pyle told me that my husband and I were the best thing for these babies, and that his job, along with the wonderful NICU nurses, was to fill in the gap until we could be with them. That made me feel like I was at the right place. The Women’s Hospital providers, nurses, and staff were all outstanding.

As an update: My babies are doing great, and were finally able to come home after more than 9 weeks in the NICU! And I am doing great! But…

Do I wish I would have considered the other drugs that my babies would have been exposed to while I was  treated for severe COVID? Yes. Do I wish I would have weighed the "what-ifs" and thought more about what would happen if I did get COVID? Yes. Do I wish I would have been vaccinated? Yes.

So many things could have been different if I wouldn’t have been infected with COVID.  My twins could have gone full term (or much closer to full term), I could have had a natural birth, my husband could have been present, I wouldn’t have spent 11 days in the hospital way from my other children at home, I wouldn't have had to juggle time at home with my family and time at the NICU with my babies for more than 2 months after delivery, and most of all, I would have never had to see my babies hooked up to tubes and cords.

If I can help one person--especially a pregnant mom--understand what my family and I went through because of COVID, and help them think through the “what-ifs” of getting COVID while pregnant, and then help them in their decision to get the vaccine, then I will feel like this all happened to me for a reason… Perhaps that reason is to keep the same thing from happening to someone else who would’ve had an even worse outcome than me.

If you aren't already vaccinated, please reconsider and think about what could happen if you were to get COVID during your pregnancy. I don’t wish my situation on any woman or family. 
 
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Pregnant women can also feel confident in talking with their doctor.  He or she is likely a member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecology (ACOG), representing more than 60,000 women’s health providers.  ACOG has published extensive vaccine information for those who are or plan to become pregnant.  https://www.acog.org/womens-health    See their position statement here:  https://www.acog.org/news/news-releases/2021/07/acog-smfm-recommend-covid-19-vaccination-for-pregnant-individuals

To learn more about COVID-19 vaccines, or schedule an appointment, visit www.deaconess.com/vaccines.