Woman Gives Birth While In COVID-19 Coma; 'Miracle' Preterm Baby Survives

A woman from Newport, Wales, who tested positive for COVID-19 gave birth while in a coma.

Marriam Ahmad's baby, a girl she and her husband Usman named Khadija, was born on Jan. 18 while the 27-year-old paralegal, who has asthma, was in a coma in a hospital in Cwmbran.

Sharing her story with the BBC, Ahmad revealed that she went to the hospital in January, 29 weeks into her pregnancy with their second child, after testing positive for COVID-19. She thought at the time that the visit would not take too long, but her condition quickly worsened.

"All of a sudden, my oxygen mask was on a much higher setting - I couldn't hear properly," she said. "It was very loud. I had someone washing my face, looking after me. I was very weak."

It wasn't until Ahmad's doctor discussed the necessity of a Caesarean section when she realized the seriousness of the situation. The doctor said Ahmad would be conscious throughout the process but warned that her baby might not survive.

Later that same day, Ahmad was told that she would have to be put in a coma. The doctor informed her of the possibility that she may not make it out alive.

"It just happened so quickly," she said. "It was within about five minutes, they told me 'you're going on a ventilator, you're having a c-section, the baby's going to come out, you'll be unconscious, you might not make it. Say goodbye."

"I didn't even speak to my husband or my son - I have never left my son, not even for a night," Ahmad recalled. "I Facetimed my parents and I was crying. It was only like a two-minute phone call - my Mum was like 'what are you talking about?'. I was lonely and I was scared."

After a teary conversation with her family, Ahmad was then quickly put into a coma. The following day, Ahmad woke up around midday — only to find out that her baby had been born the night before while she was unconscious.

"I had no idea what happened," she said. "I woke up. Obviously, I could see there was nothing in my stomach anymore and I was in a lot of pain."

For about a week after giving birth, Ahmad wasn't allowed to see her baby and had to settle for photos and videos the medical team sent her. When Ahmad and her husband were finally able to reunite with their daughter, they immediately settled on a name — Khadija.

"In the Islamic faith, Khadija is a very strong, independent woman," said Ahmad. "From my point of view, my Khadija was very strong. She didn't have issues, with someone being preterm at 29 weeks. They were telling me all the complications. She didn't have any of those. It was a miracle."

After spending eight weeks in the hospital, baby Khadija was finally able to go home with her parents. The infant is "happy, healthy and feeding well" at 3 months old, her mother said.