{"id":31576,"date":"2020-05-05T12:00:53","date_gmt":"2020-05-05T18:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=31576"},"modified":"2022-11-15T10:07:31","modified_gmt":"2022-11-15T17:07:31","slug":"story-of-giving-birth-while-covid-positive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/story-of-giving-birth-while-covid-positive\/","title":{"rendered":"Mother gives birth while COVID-positive to beautiful, strong preemie"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Pregnant
Jade Calderon and Mikey Chavez found out in September they were having a baby. Jade gave birth, while COVID-positive, to Marcos Miguel Chavez on April 5, 2020. On May 4, exactly a year after they met, the couple got engaged. Photo courtesy of Jade Calderon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Had Jade Calderon not been 34-weeks pregnant, she probably wouldn\u2019t have gone to the emergency room on April 4 for her symptoms: a cough and mild fever that had started four days earlier. She noticed that above her protruding belly, her lungs had begun to struggle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI finally caved and called my (OB) doctors, asking them what they recommended,\u201d Jade said.<\/p>\n

Her partner, Mikey Chavez, drove her to the emergency room at UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies, where she\u2019d already planned to deliver their baby \u2014 a month or more later.<\/p>\n

Because of her symptoms, Jade was given a rapid COVID-19 test. It was positive. Making matters worse, her urine had higher-than-normal levels of protein, suggesting she also had preeclampsia, a high-risk pregnancy complication.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s when they decided we were going to have this baby,\u201d Jade said, realizing she would give birth while COVID-positive. \u201cWe weren\u2019t prepared for anything \u2014 we didn\u2019t take anything with us. We were thinking we\u2019d come back home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"hands
This family endured less-than-ideal circumstances but came out stronger and are now home together. Photo courtesy of Jade Calderon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For any family, delivering preterm may make for a hard road ahead. But the pandemic placed even more hurdles in front of the family. Eventually, they would overcome them together.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was nerve-wracking. I cried,\u201d Jade explained. \u201cIt was emotional because of all that was going on. I was hoping I wasn\u2019t going to have my son during this (pandemic) time. I was hoping to hold out until May, but it was time. \u2026 I got myself together, and we did it.\u201d<\/p>\n

We are having a baby<\/strong><\/h3>\n

At the emergency room following a fender bender last fall, Jade and Mikey first learned that Jade was pregnant. Although surprised, the couple was overjoyed to be on the journey together.<\/p>\n

\"jade
Jade Calderon and Mikey Chavez at their gender reveal party. Photo courtesy of Jade Calderon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For early prenatal care, Jade teamed up with the midwives at UCHealth in northern Colorado, but at 20 weeks, she was diagnosed with gestational hypertension (high blood pressure during pregnancy) and began seeing the team\u2019s obstetricians.<\/p>\n

Gestational hypertension \u2014 which occurs in about 6% of pregnancies \u2014 places a mother into the high-risk pregnancy category because it can lead to preeclampsia, which in its severe form, can result in seizures for the mom.<\/p>\n

Then the novel coronavirus pandemic arrived. Jade\u2019s orthodontist employer was forced to close March 13, so Jade stayed home and away from public places as much as possible, which is highly recommended for pregnant woman<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jade did virtual visits with her doctors. However, she still had to get her blood pressure checked at the clinic every other week.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe took all the precautions, so I was OK with that,\u201d Jade said. \u201cI felt comfortable with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

During that same time, Mikey decided to take a leave of absence from his job to make sure he wouldn\u2019t bring anything home that could get Jade sick. But despite their efforts, Jade was still exposed to the coronavirus.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are confused as to how I got it, but someplace, somehow, I got it,\u201d Jade said.<\/p>\n

Experiencing a birth while COVID-positive<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When Jade moved into her isolated birthing suite at Medical Center of the Rockies so she could be induced, she met with UCHealth OB-GYN Dr. Natalie Rochester.<\/p>\n

\u201cJade asked me what this was going to look like, and we had a frank conversation,\u201d Rochester said. \u201cI told her my goal was to keep her and the baby healthy, and that if we needed to change the plan for delivery, we\u2019d only do that based on her health and the baby\u2019s health.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Pregnant
Jade Calderon and Mikey Chavez found out in September 2019 they were having a baby. On May 4, exactly a year after they met, the couple got engaged. Photo courtesy of Jade Calderon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mothers delivering during the stricter COVID hospital restrictions are still allowed to have a support person by their side, as well as all the other options that have always been available to them during delivery except that the staff is dressed a bit differently.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe explain that the provider and nurses will be dressed up \u2014 covered from head to toe with personal protective equipment \u2014 to minimize the germs passed between the medical staff and the patients,\u201d Rochester explained. \u201cOutside of that, the experience is the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Jade\u2019s water broke, she labored six to eight hours but never dilated past about 3 centimeters.<\/p>\n

\u201cJade was a trooper because it was intense,\u201d Rochester said. \u201cShe needed a lot of oxygen and had breathing problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mothers in their third trimester already experience pressure on their lungs and other organs, making breathing more difficult. But with the respiratory infection caused by the coronavirus, Jade was struggling even more.<\/p>\n

However, it wasn\u2019t COVID-19 that changed Jades birth path, it was the preeclampsia. Because Jade wasn\u2019t progressing in her labor and her blood pressure was so high, doctors explained to Jade that she\u2019d need a C-section.<\/p>\n

At 10:15 p.m. on April 5, Marcos Miguel Chavez was born, weighing 6 pounds, 3 ounces, and measuring 19.5 inches long.<\/p>\n

Keeping everyone safe from COVID in the hospital<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"baby
At 10:15 p.m. on April 5, Marcos Miguel Chavez was born, weighing 6 pounds, 3 ounces, and measuring 19.5 inches long. This photo was taken by Dr. Natalie Rochester, who sent it to Jade since she was not allowed in the NICU because Jade was COVID-positive. Photo courtesy of Jade Calderon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A baby\u2019s lungs aren\u2019t usually fully developed until about 36 weeks, so babies born before then often have oxygen needs. They also may not have enough fat to stabilize their own body temperature. What\u2019s more, during that gestational age, babies develop the \u201csuckle\u201d skills and digestive abilities to drink breast milk.<\/p>\n

Marcos, however, was strong and experienced very few complications, but he still needed to go to the NICU.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just needed a little time and help maintaining his temperature and gaining stamina to eat,\u201d said Laurie Dupuis, nurse manager of the MCR Women\u2019s Care unit. \u201cHe did really well for his gestational age.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jade was able to see her son from a distance before he was taken to the NICU.<\/p>\n

Data is limited, but the novel coronavirus doesn\u2019t seem to transfer from mom to baby in the womb or during delivery. The virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to spread mostly through close contact with an infected person, via respiratory droplets, so that is why such strong precautions are taken after delivery.<\/p>\n

Being a parent of any NICU baby is hard, but because Jade and Mikey had been exposed to COVID-19, they needed to keep their newborn \u2014 and the other NICU babies \u2014 safe from the virus by not visiting the NICU. Mikey wasn\u2019t ever tested, but because of his contact with Jade, he was \u201cassumed COVID-positive.\u201d He remained at Jade\u2019s side, supporting her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so glad I had him there for support,\u201d Jade said.<\/p>\n

With the parents quarantined in Jade\u2019s room, Dr. Rochester visited the NICU minutes after the birth to get a video and photos of Marcos to send to the new parents. Nurses also set up FaceTime over the next few days so that Jade and Mikey could see their little one as he got stronger.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat little guy was tough,\u201d Rochester said. \u201cSometimes kids that early don\u2019t do well, but he did great. He didn\u2019t have a lot of requirements and ended up going home quick from the NICU.\u201d<\/p>\n

During Marcos\u2019 time in the NICU, Jade pumped her breast milk to provide her son with the extra nutrients and protection found in a mother\u2019s milk. There is no evidence that COVID-19 is spread through breast milk, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/p>\n

Rochester said that all the new COVID-related recommendations and guidelines are discussed with the family, and choices are made through collaboration with health care providers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so humbled by Jade,\u201d Rochester said. \u201cThey were most appreciative people and handled this very challenging delivery. It definitely wasn\u2019t something Jade had planned, but she made the most of it, and she\u2019ll have a really great story to tell her child one day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking ahead and returning home after delivery<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Jade also stayed several days at MCR under close monitoring as her lungs healed from COVID-19. She was discharged April 11. The next day, Marcos got to go home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was astonished by Jade\u2019s strength,\u201d said Dupuis, who was one of Jade\u2019s nurses at MCR. \u201cUpon every encounter, both she and Mikey were nothing short of positive and grateful. The medical team provided phenomenal care through teamwork and collaboration through this minimally chartered territory.\u00a0I am so thankful that Jade endured this less-than-optimal situation and that she and her baby are together and well at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

At home, Marcos will remain on oxygen until he meets his \u201cfull-term\u201d date to support his undeveloped lungs, and Jade took strong precautions and isolated herself from her son for a few more days to ensure she was no longer at risk of giving him the coronavirus.<\/p>\n

\u201cMikey had to be a full-time dad for a bit and do everything by himself,\u201d Jade said. It was just one of the many examples where Mikey shined in his support for Jade during this time.<\/p>\n

While Jade was in the hospital, she learned she\u2019d lost an aunt to COVID-19.<\/p>\n

\"jade
Jade Calderon, middle, with her now fiance, Mikey Chavez, and Jade’s aunt, Josephine Lewis, at the couple’s gender reveal party. Josephine Lewis, whom Jade said had the “biggest heart ever,” died of COVID-19 on April 9, 2020, a few days after Jade gave birth, while COVID-positive, to her son. Photo courtesy of Jade Calderon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt was a lot to take on in the week, but we did it, and I\u2019m super grateful I\u2019ve had (Mikey) along the way,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just doing what I thought was right,\u201d Mikey responded.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a great support system,\u201d Jade continued.<\/p>\n

Walking down the road ahead after COVID<\/strong><\/h3>\n

On May 4 \u2014 one year from the day they met \u2014 Mikey asked Jade to marry him while they strolled through a nearby park with Marcos. Jade said, \u201cyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two said they\u2019ve been enjoying the time with Marcos now that they are home. Of course, they\u2019re also doing a lot of feeding and changing \u2014 and sanitizing everything all the time, Jade added. But they\u2019re also getting a lot of cuddling time in.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a tough little baby,\u201d Mikey said. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t cry that much, and he\u2019s always sleeping.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mikey said the experience will make he and Jade stronger as a couple and as parents. \u201cWith all the stuff, we know we can get through. We now know what we can handle,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Jade added, \u201cIt took me time to process all that went on and what I had to go through \u2014 what we had to go through \u2014 but we did it, and I\u2019m glad we are at where we are right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"jade
Mikey Chavez and Jade Calderon with their new son, Marcos Miguel Chavez. Photo courtesy of Jade Calderon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Had Jade Calderon not been 34-weeks pregnant, she probably wouldn\u2019t have gone to the emergency room on April 4 for her symptoms: a cough and mild fever that had started four days earlier. She noticed that above her protruding belly, her lungs had begun to struggle. \u201cI finally caved and called my (OB) doctors, asking […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2164,"featured_media":31595,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[4859,4860,4001,25,3413,4828,511,309,4010,212],"class_list":["post-31576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-coronavirus","tag-covid-19","tag-high-risk-pregnancy","tag-labor-delivery","tag-midwifery-services","tag-neonatal-care","tag-neonatal-intensive-care-unit","tag-pregnancy","tag-pregnancy-childbirth-and-newborn-care","tag-womens-care"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA family\u2019s story of giving birth while COVID-positive - 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