39-year-old Agnieszka, pregnant with SARS-CoV-2 infection, went to the Institute of Polish Mother's He alth Center in Łódź and gave birth to a daughter prematurely. After delivery, both needed to be connected to a ventilator. "I can see my 8-year-old son still going through the fact that I might have died," she said.
- If I could turn back time, I would get vaccinated. Now, when I can, that is after a month, I will certainly get vaccinated, because I don't want to go through it a second time and cause my family suffering. I can see how my 8-year-old son is still experiencing the fact that I could have died - said the 39-year-old who came to the Institute to pick up her daughter.
Mała Oliwka spent 37 days in the hospital. She was the first preterm infant infected with Sars-CoV-2 in the history of the Neonatology Clinic of the Institute of Polish Medicine. The girl's mother does not hide how difficult it was to leave her newborn daughter. "It's unimaginable for a mother," she said.
- The girl is now 37 days old. Hopefully, she won't develop complications from prematurity and COVID-19. The situation was made more difficult by the fact that we could not contact her parents for a long time. Oliwa was connected to a respirator for two days, used non-invasive respiratory support for 10 days, and then she was breathing on her own. We are convinced that the symptoms of COVID-19 overlapped with complications of prematurity - emphasized the neonatologist Dr. Tomasz Talar.
Ms Agnieszka (a woman does not want to make her name public) knew from her doctor that she would be able to get vaccinated after the first trimester of pregnancy, but she did not decide to do so. - In fact, I thought that this disease would not happen to me, that it does not concern me, and even if it does, I will get over it gently - she admitted.
During the 33rd week of pregnancy, it turned out that she and her husband were infected with the coronavirus. The husband was vaccinated and suffered the infection mildly, while Agnieszka, apart from the symptoms typical of COVID-19, experienced severe bleeding and abdominal pain. The placenta was detached, so in order to save the child it was necessary to perform a caesarean section.
- The disease continued to develop - one lung was involved, then another. I was put under a respirator for 10 days. It is a tremendous miracle that I am alive. I regret that I did not get vaccinated, I did not give myself a chance. I am very grateful to the doctors and nurses,because in fact, I also risked their lives and thanks to them I live - the woman pointed out.
- It was hard to explain to him why mom is absent for 30 days. And after the fifth day of my wife's stay in the hospital, I heard from the doctor that her condition was such that I had to be prepared for the worst - said Agnieszka's husband, who took care of Oliwka's older brother during her absence.
The head of the Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy at the ICZMP, Dr. Bogusław Sobolewski explains that the threat to the patient's life was the simultaneous COVID-19 infection and the obstetric condition that required immediate action.
- Fortunately, she managed to survive. I hope that the next patients who will come to us - and they will certainly come to us, because we already have another COVID-19 woman in intensive care, they will be as lucky as Agnieszka - emphasized.
Dr. Sobolewski also points to the problem of failure to vaccinate pregnant women. - We are faced with the dilemma of who is to survive - the patient or her child. Obstetricians have to make the difficult decision to perform a caesarean section. It may fail one day, so I appeal to all pregnant women to get vaccinated - he noted.
Source: PAP