Earlier this month, pregnant Yanira Soriano was hospitalized at Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, New York, because she tested positive for coronavirus and pneumonia, according to the hospital's parent company, Northwell Health. Immediately, she was put on a ventilator and had an emergency caesarian delivery at 34 weeks of pregnancy.
Soriano Saw Her Son Days After Delivery for the First Time
During an interview, the chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Southside Hospital, Dr. Benjamin Schwartz, said that the 36-year-old pregnant mom had to undergo general anesthesia and be put to a medically-induced coma and ventilator because of the critical nature of her pneumonia. He added that the patient was not awake when the baby was born and had not heard him cry nor had the opportunity to meet him right after his birth.
For nearly two weeks, Soriano remained in the intensive care unit of the hospital. Dr. Schwatz added that the patient's newborn son was moved to a children's hospital in New York City. After being discharged from the hospital, Soriano finally met her baby, Walter, on April 15.
Soriano was brought outside of the hospital in a wheelchair while wearing a face mask. Dozens of healthcare workers cheered on her as she held her son for the first time.
Dr. Schwartz said that it is not just an incredibly proud moment for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology but even for the Southside Hospital and the entire medical team. He added that it took so many people and shifts to provide the necessary care for Soriano.
Since most patients who contracted the coronavirus and COVID pneumonia did not survive, having one who indeed survives the same condition gives incredible hope for patients with the virus, Dr. Schwartz said.
Other Hospitals Also in Preparation
Other hospitals from the same city are preparing for a similar situation.
Dr. Dena Goffman, from the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, said that they are advocating for assessment on a case-by-case basis. In a study where Dr. Goffman co-authored, more than 200 pregnant women were admitted in two New York City hospitals for coronavirus with or without symptoms.
Out of the 33 women that tested positive with COVID-19, 29 were asymptomatic, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.
Nikki Battiste, a correspondent of CBS News, is 37 weeks pregnant and was told that she had to wear a mask when she is giving birth. Upon arriving at the hospital, she will be tested and isolated if she gets a positive result from the virus.
When Battiste asked Goffman if she will be separated from her baby if she is infected, the doctor said that if she is asymptomatic and healthy, then maybe they can "potentially" allow the parent and baby some bonding moments.
Even if it has not yet been proven whether the virus can be transmitted through breast milk or not, Goffman suggests that mothers should wear masks when they are near their babies.
Medical staffs will check temperatures of partners and spouses of the pregnant women giving birth upon their arrival and would not be allowed to enter if they have a fever.
