(WWJ) Most new mothers can't wait to hold their bundle of joy. But it took three months before a Detroit woman could meet her daughter, after both contracted the coronavirus.
A pregnancy complication that sent Maya Barcenas to Ascension Providence Hospital, WWJ's Dr. Deanna Lites reports. Once there, however, other problems developed for the 35-year-old — including a high fever that spiked to 107°.
After doctors performed an emergency C-section at 31 weeks, both mom and baby tested positive for COVID-19.
Barcenas was in pretty bad shape.
"As soon as they did a C-section they had to intubate me with the ventilator, because my body was just shutting down," Barcenas said. "I went into kidney failure, my lungs were failing, I had developed sepsis, a blood clot — it wasn't looking good."
Barcenas spend 33 days on a ventilator. Weeks of rehabilitation followed, so she could relearn things like walking and talking.
Her newborn daughter, Maria Elena spent about a month in a hospital.
Today, mom and baby are home together, and doing well; both of then COVID-19 survivors.
Regarding the virus, Barcenas offers this advice to others:
"It is not a joke, it's not fun, and it's hard to deal with; not only for yourself but for your family. The emotional strain, the financial strain that you go through with it, it's a lot," she said. "So everything you can to stay safe, take those precautions."