BAY SHORE, N.Y. (WHDH) — A woman with coronavirus who gave birth while in a medically-induced coma met her son for the first time on Wednesday.
Yanira Soriano went to Southside Hospital with difficulty breathing and contractions when she was 34-weeks pregnant.
She tested positive for COVID-19 and was suffering from low oxygen levels, so doctors decided to put her into a medically-induced coma in order to place her on a ventilator, according to Dr. Benjamin Schwartz.
Her son, Walter, was delivered through an emergency Caesarean section while she was unconscious.
“In most instances, you’re awake when the baby is born and you can bond right away, but in this context, because the mom was so ill, she had to be put on a ventilator and put to sleep right before the baby was born,” Schwartz said.
Soriano came off the ventilator ten days after her son’s birth.
On Wednesday, she was wheeled out of the hospital and got to hold her newborn for the first time.
Walter tested negative for COVID-19 but doctors will continue to monitor him with Telehealth visits.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)