Coronavirus: Mum praises doctors for saving her and her baby
- Published
Kathrine Dawson had Covid-19 when she gave birth to Ruby
A mother whose baby was born two months early because she was critically ill with coronavirus has praised the hospital staff who saved their lives.
Kathrine Dawson, of Lancashire, became ill when she was 32 weeks pregnant and was given an emergency Caesarean on 1 April at Blackpool's Victoria Hospital.
She spent eight days on a ventilator and her baby Ruby also got the virus.
Now recovering at home, she said she would be "forever grateful" to hospital staff "who held her hand" through it.
Staff formed a guard of honour and played Ruby by the Kaiser Chiefs when mum and daughter were discharged on Monday
Ruby tested positive for coronavirus
Mrs Dawson, 36, from Garstang, deteriorated and she had to be sedated and put on a ventilator after the birth of her third daughter, who also tested positive for Covid-19.
As they both had the virus, it meant her husband Stuart could not visit either his wife or Ruby.
He said it was weeks of "waiting, worrying and stress" but daily updates on his wife's condition and the neonatal department's daily diary on Ruby's progress were a "lifeline".
He recalls a video call to his wife with their other daughters, Grace, aged five, and Ava, 11 months, before she was sedated.
"It was like saying goodbye; it could have been the last phone call.
"I thought I was going to be a widower looking after young children on my own."
Dr Jason Cupitt said they feared Mrs Dawson might not survive
Consultant Jason Cupitt said the case "touched everyone's heart" and they were delighted at the pair's recovery.
"We were very concerned that [Kathrine] might not make it.
"She was deeply sedated and we weren't seeing much change, but then, five days later, there was a spark of light at the end of the tunnel as her oxygen levels started to improve."
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