2-Month-Old Infant Vomited 'Like Merlion' After Contracting COVID-19

A two-month-old baby, who contracted COVID-19 from her elder sister, suffered from projectile vomiting before ending up in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Siti Hawa Mohd Najib from Singapore said she instantly felt something was wrong when her baby girl Aaisyah Humaira started throwing up "like the Merlion" (iconic lion statue in Singapore, which shoots water from its mouth.)

"I told my husband, this is not normal," the 40-year-old bank teller told The Strait Times. She was immediately rushed to the hospital, where she tested positive for COVID-19 on Sept. 24.

It was Hawa's second of four daughters, 12-year-old Aqilah Shazwani, who first contracted the virus. She began showing symptoms on Sept 17 after coming back from school.

"Because Aqilah's ART (antigen rapid test) was negative at first, we thought it was just a normal fever. So we still mingled and ate together," she said. Both Hawa and her husband Muhamad Firdaus are fully vaccinated.

After being admitted to the hospital, the infant had to undergo blood tests and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) swab. The baby was too young to receive medication. "I cried because as a mother, this was too much to handle," Hawa said.

Within a day, both Hawa and her husband too tested positive. Despite her illness, Hawa had to stay in NUH. "I developed a sore throat and itchy eyes. My asthma was getting quite bad and my chest was in pain and felt heavy. I have asthma, diabetes, and hypertension, so I was worried that with all these conditions, COVID-19 could affect me badly."

Still, Hawa continued to breastfeed the infant. "She slept and cried more than usual. It seemed like her body and throat hurt," she said.

Fortunately, the child recovered fast. They both tested negative for the virus on Sept. 28 and were eventually discharged from NUH. For Hawa, the days in the hospital were "very exhausting and stressful."

"Luckily, I'm fully vaccinated, so my breast milk has antibodies, which is why I think Aaisyah managed to recover so quickly," adds Hawa.

Reports say breastfeeding women who have antibodies in their body continue to secrete virus-neutralizing antibodies into their milk for up to 10 months. Studies say the virus that causes COVID-19 has not been detected in breastmilk, indicating that it is safe to carry on breastfeeding while taking recommended precautions, even if a mother develops COVID-19.