A pregnant woman who contracted the coronavirus, Angela Primachenko, welcomed her second child while in a medically-induced coma.
Angela placed in a medically-induced coma
A month ago, Primachenko, a respiratory therapist from Vancouver, Washington, felt ill during her 33-week pregnancy, as told by Today. She tested positive on March 24 and was admitted to Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center. Then she was placed in the intensive care unit and was put on a ventilator.
The 27-year-old mother's condition worsened, so her doctors placed her in a medically-induced coma. Then a few days later, she gave birth to her second daughter, who, after being tested for the coronavirus, got a negative result.
Angela gives birth while in a coma
Pachenko said that she felt like a miracle walking because her giving birth in that condition is exceptionally mind-blowing. She shared that after all her medications, she just woke up to find her bulging belly gone. She named their newborn "Ava," which meant "new breath of life."
After she gave birth, her condition improved, and on April 6, her ventilator was removed. She also recalled that she was given a standing ovation by the hospital staff when she was released from the ICU.
Angela not allowed to hold her newborn
Over the weekend, Primachenko was released from the hospital. However, even though both she and her newborn are doing well, the new mother will only be allowed to hold Ava if she tests negative twice for the coronavirus.
Since Ava is still in the neonatal intensive care unit, Primachenko's husband David, who has not contracted the virus, can visit their baby and let his wife do Facetime with Ava. Luckily, their 11-month-old firstborn Emily tested negative, too, because Primachenko was not sure where she had gotten the virus.
During Primachenko's hospitalization, her twin sister Oksana Luiten updated their relatives about her condition and started a GoFundMe to help raise money for her sister's hospital bills. She posted on her social media account, asking for her sister's "miraculous healing."
Oksana shared how grateful she was now that her twin was released from the hospital, and said that she could not wait to meet her new niece.
She explained how no one knew that it was possible to give birth while in a coma after having contracted the virus. She felt surreal for posting a picture with her twin by her side because two weeks ago, she was not even sure if she would be able to share a photo. She added that she cherishes her twin sister more than ever because she is pure gold, and Oksana's world would not be complete without Angela.
