"Lucky to be alive": Meet the new mum who gave birth 12 weeks early and survived a coronavirus coma
A new mother from Wednesbury, who gave birth 12 weeks early and had to be put in a coma after contracting coronavirus, is urging people not to take life for granted.
Eva Ahmed started having coronavirus symptoms 28 weeks into her pregnancy.
The 28 year old was struggling to breath and, after failing to respond to treatment at Walsall hospital, was told she needed a C-Section and her baby would be born premature.
Just after she gave birth Eva's lungs started to fail and she was put into an induced coma.
She stayed in a coma for 5 days while her baby, Aiyla, was taken to intensive care, weighing a tiny 2lb 2oz.
Eva says it got to the point where her treatment was very "touch and go" because she stopped responding.
Her mum begged the staff to let her put on PPE and sit with Eva while she was in the coma, but because the risk of her catching coronavirus she couldn't.
Eva says she can't remember much but she recalls having hallucinations and the hospital staff trying to show her pictures of Aiyla so she could bond with her. She adds: "I think they thought I was refusing her but actually I didn't want them to rub it in, the fact I couldn't see her or touch her."I just felt that as long as she was alive, she would be looked after. I needed a lot more recovery to be able to look after her myself."
After 5 days in a coma Eva began breathing for herself and was moved to an isolated room on the labour ward where she could finally hold her baby girl, who was now 10 days old. Eva said when she held her daughter for the first time it felt like a miracle.
"Aiyla was in an incubator but were able to take her out and enjoy some skin-to-skin time. She latched on straight away. She's really cute."
"For my husband, it had been so hard too, being away from his wife and child."
On the day Eva could return home she was "overwhelmed" when staff at the hospital clapped for her as she made her way out.
Eva 'rang the bell' to mark the fact she survived the virus and says the whole experience was "very emotional".
Eva says that nurses who had looked after her before she went into the coma came to see her and check how she was doing, with some of them saying that they didn't think she was going to make it.
The 28 year old, who had never had to spend time in hospital before, says she's grateful for the staff who looked after her and the positive "mind power" that they surrounded her in.
Baby Aiyla is now doing well, but is likely to stay in hospital until the beginning of February, which was Eva's original due date. Speaking about her daughter Eva said: "She's really cheeky. I can't believe she's already opening her eyes and waving her hands."I don't like that she's in hospital and we're not with her all the time, I'm struggling with that."But I'm still quite dependent on my husband. I wouldn't be able to look after her yet, I'm healing still myself. I still have a tickly cough that doesn't go."I'm scared for Aiyla, I don't want to take anything to risk my daughter. I'm really protective."I had been really careful during my pregnancy. I said to the doctors: 'How could I have put her through this?'"But they said no-one gets Covid on purpose and that it's really hard to detect where you get it from."
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