‘The NHS was amazing – I was treated with so much care’
Alexandra Arsene discovered she had coronavirus when she went into labour with her son, Sebastian.
When I first heard about a new disease in China, it felt like a distant crisis. I was a store manager in a busy supermarket and preparing for the birth of my first child. My husband, Grigore, and I had been trying for a baby for two years. We’re from Romania, but Grigore, a bus driver, always worked abroad, so we moved to Britain in 2009 and got married in 2014. Living in London, we loved escaping to the countryside and longed for a child we could bring on our adventures.
I discovered I was pregnant in March 2019, but I miscarried at six weeks. I was distraught, yet only a few months later, I found out I was pregnant again.
My pregnancy was fairly easy and I happily continued working; I started my maternity leave on 10 March, just before the panic-buying began. I was so relieved I wasn’t working. This was when we started to worry. Grigore and I live with my aunt and brother-in-law, and we all took cleaning and hand-washing very seriously. I stayed in while they did all my shopping to keep me and my unborn baby safe.
On 17 March, I went for one of my final check-ups, wearing a mask and gloves. The receptionist asked if I’d had any cold or flu symptoms. I admitted that on Sunday I’d started sneezing and had a mild temperature. I didn’t have the continuous cough, so was sure it wasn’t Covid. But a doctor told me they wouldn’t be able to see me because it was too risky. They told me to come back through the designated Covid entrance if I experienced bleeding or contractions.
We are healthy and happy, and I am so thankful for that
POSITIVE TEST
That week at home, I developed more symptoms. I had a cough and lost my sense of taste and smell, which wasn’t recognised as a symptom at the time. When I went back to the hospital the following week – concerned by some normal bleeding – my symptoms had gone and I was feeling much better. As my birth was fast-approaching, the nurse decided to give me a Covid test just to rule it out. I felt sure it would all be fine.
Yet a few days later, the hospital called to tell me I had tested positive for Covid. I was so shocked – I’d been so careful and had no idea where I caught it. Grigore had symptoms, too, and we were terrified about what this might mean for the birth.
The next day, on 30 March, I started experiencing intense contractions. We drove to hospital, warning them of our arrival as we entered through the Covid side. I was greeted by nurses wearing full PPE, but Grigore wasn’t allowed in. I was in agony and he could see me struggling as I walked in, but he couldn’t help, which he found devastating.
My pregnancy was high-risk as I had a low-lying placenta. I felt terrified but I was so grateful for the nurses and midwives – there was always someone by my side. Every time they left the room – even for one minute – they had to change into new bodysuits and masks when they came back in. I felt so sorry for them and guilty they had to do this because of me.
I became shivery and my temperature rocketed – the doctors thought childbirth had reactivated my Covid symptoms. They decided a C-section would be safest and, after a swift operation, they placed my newborn son, Sebastian, on my chest. I cried tears of joy, but also sadness that Grigore could not be with me. The doctors were concerned that Sebastian might have Covid, too, so they kept us both in hospital and monitored us regularly.
Four days later, I was allowed to leave after a negative Covid test result. The wait to see Grigore was agonising. When we finally left, I thanked the hospital for their amazing care, and Grigore couldn’t stop smiling. He was over the moon.
This Christmas, I’ll be feeling grateful for Sebastian, and also for my own life. I survived Covid-19, and I know others have not been so lucky. We’re healthy and happy, and I’m so thankful for that.