Woman with coronavirus gives birth to healthy boy while on ventilator

A 26-year-old Israeli mother of four suffering from the coronavirus has given birth to a healthy boy via emergency C-section while hooked up to a ventilator, hospital officials told The New York Post.

The woman — who lives in Bnei Brak just east of Tel Aviv – walked into the maternity center of Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer late last month, while suffering from nausea and vomiting, hospital spokeswoman Jodie Singer said.

The young woman was unaware that she was suffering from COVID-19, but soon tested positive and her contractions began.

“The delivery began in a special coronavirus-dedicated delivery room, but when the mother went into respiratory distress, she was transferred quickly into a specially prepared operating room,” Singer said in an email.

“While the mother was intubated and hooked up to a lifesaving ventilator, doctors performed a successful emergency C-section and delivered a healthy baby boy,” she said, adding that the baby weighed just under 6 pounds.

The newborn has tested negative for COVID-19, but the mum has not yet been able to hold him as she fights the disease after spending a week on ventilation at the hospital’s coronavirus critical care unit.

“The reunion is expected to take place within the next week, when the mother is discharged,” Singer said.

Read the article by Yaron Steinbuch (New York Post) reprinted on Kidspot.