Vanesa Muro, who tested positive with the coronavirus, gave birth to her first child but was not allowed to go near her baby for ten days. She and her husband were allowed to be reunited with their newborn child, however, with the condition that they wear gloves before touching him.
The couple lives in Madrid, the city in Spain with the highest number of COVID-19 cases. Spain records more than 10,000 people who have died from COVID-19.
The 34-year-old new mom said that she pities her son for not being able to receive skin to skin contact from his parents, that the "poor thing" is touching "plastic" and not his parents. However, she gladly said that every day she thinks to herself that at least, another day is over, instead of mulling over the situation.
Vanesa was rushed to a hospital
Initially, Vanesa planned to deliver their baby on March 16 via cesarean section, but everything changed when her grandmother contracted the virus, since they had been seeing her daily. Sadly, the grandmother died later.
Vanesa told the AFP that both she and her husband tested positive on March 12, and her husband brought her immediately to Madrid's La Paz University Hospital, where she was left at A&E because her husband was not allowed to enter.
The couple decided to do the operation the following day.
The Longest 90 Minutes
Vanesa felt horrible because she had a mixture of feelings. She feared possibly infecting her baby; she was nervous about giving birth without her husband by her side, and she felt weird being operated upon by people covered in protective suits from head to toe.
Her husband also struggled at home, worrying about her giving birth but did not know what was happening.
Oscar Carrillo said that that was the longest 90 minutes of his life.
Baby Oliver Was Born
Weighing 3.6 kilograms (7 pounds, 9 ounces), baby Oliver was born safely and was placed into an incubator to be away from the other babies until he was tested negative from the coronavirus.
Forty-eight hours after recovery in almost total isolation, where hospital staff entering her room was kept to a minimum due to lack of protective gear, Muro was sent home but had to leave her baby in the hospital.
Baby Oliver Goes Home
After ten days of being separated from their newborn, the couple finally gets reunited with their baby boy Oliver, and could now bring him home.
Muro said that it seemed like Oliver was just born on that day.
A psychologist at the hospital, Arantxa Fernandez, said that it was the most beautiful she had experienced in her professional life. She had been sending photos and videos of Oliver to his parents, offering them the "vital" support that they needed.
Since there were no testing kits, the couple still wears gloves when they are touching their baby. And they could not wait for this quarantine period to end to be able to touch and kiss their newborn baby.
Muro's parents live nearby; however, due to the self-isolation, it felt like they were miles apart. She said that it was hard, but she knows they will get through this.
She also said that soon they would bring Oliver over to meet his grandparents, aunts, and uncles, and everything will be a memory of a nightmare that they had experienced.
