WI mother giving birth in coma has newborn babies after hitting COVID
A mother of Poynette who miraculously recovered from COVID-19 and gave birth while in a coma was able to hold on to her newborn daughter for the first time.
MADISON, Wis. – A mother of Poynette who miraculously recovered from COVID-19 and gave birth while in a coma was able to hold on to her newborn daughter for the first time on January 27th.
According to a news release from UW Health officials, Kelsey Townsend was nine months pregnant in October when COVID-19 was diagnosed in her.
She gave birth on November 4 in a medically induced coma.
“It was definitely an emotional rollercoaster – so many ups and downs,” said Derek Townsend, husband of Kelsey.
UW Health officials said Townsend’s condition ‘deteriorated rapidly’, and that she eventually spent 75 days on life support (an ECMO machine and ventilator).
In December, doctors determined she would need a double lung transplant to survive, and UW Health officials said, “Her husband gave her the news on Christmas Eve.”
“Telling her she’s so sick, she would not come home without it … it was difficult,” Derek Townsend said.
But days later, her condition improved “significantly” and she was removed from the ICU.
In mid-January, Townsend was removed from the ventilator – and soon completely removed from the waiting list for the transplant.
“We do not know exactly what could have started her recovery after nearly two months of serious illness,” said Dr. Dan McCarthy, UW Health cardiothoracic surgeon and director of the ECMO program, said.
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On January 27, Townsend left the hospital and reunited with her husband and four children, including Lucy, the little girl she had never met.
“They did an amazing job,” Derek Townsend said.
When she was discharged from the hospital, Derek Townsend said, “I’m more nervous than on our wedding day or our first date or the birth of our first child.”
At home, Kelsey Townsend uses a minimum amount of oxygen support and also needs physical therapy.