Mother talks about giving birth after having virus

To say the last few months have been a crazy and challenging time for Emily Donovan of Vacaville and her fiance Brennan Neal would be understating it.

Their first child, Daisy, was born at NorthBay Medical Center three weeks ahead of her scheduled due date. If that wasn’t enough, both parents tested positive for the coronavirus hours before their daughter was born.

Now, mom, dad and baby are doing fine, but the first few weeks were rough on all of them.

Donovan said she felt “pretty terrible” after testing positive.

“It was just another thing on top of giving birth and my first child and not knowing what to expect there,” she said. “it definitely added an extra stress factor.”

Donovan’s water broke on July 14, even though Daisy’s due date was Aug. 5. She went to the hospital that morning and within the first hour was told she needed to be tested. Within two hours, she got the result back which was positive. Neal was also tested and got the same result.

Donovan said she was not sure how they tested positive. When the stay-at-home order was first issued in March, she and Brennan “took it very seriously,” especially with Donovan being pregnant. For the next four months, they rarely left their home. When they did go to the grocery store, they wore masks and washed their hands, and Donovan refrained from touching any of the grocery items on the shelves. Instead, Neal did that for her.

“For it to come up positive was pretty unexpected,” she said.

When she learned she tested positive, Donovan said she “broke down in a panic” and started crying.

“The nurse had to talk me down,” she said. “I was hyperventilating and stressing about it because I don’t know what it meant and what it was gonna mean for my baby and me.”

Nonetheless , Dono - van said her nurse, Carol Kimura, was very reassuring.

“She was like, ‘ This happens. It’s not the end of the world, you’re gonna be OK,'” she said. “Eventually I calmed down, but it was pretty scary.”

Donovan’s initial symptoms included a slight head cold, a tiny cough and some sniff les but mostly congestion. Over time, she lost her sense of taste and smell, which Neal exhibited as well despite being otherwise clear of symptoms.

After the first result, Donovan was confined to her room. She said the nurses had to take extra precautions, including suiting up with full personal protective equipment and having a runner to bring supplies to and from the room.

“None of the supplies were in the hospital room itself,” she said. “They had to have somebody come and get it for them.”

Donovan was very impressed with the staff at NorthBay.

“T hey were all ver y helpful and understanding,” she said. “They were all very excellent as far as care goes.”

Daisy was born that afternoon, and Donovan said there were no issues with delivery despite having to wear a face mask while giv ing bir th. However, Daisy was soon brought into the neonatal intensive care unit because of blood sugar issues and as a precaution due to being born to COVID-positive parents. She was released two days later.

Donovan said her daughter was tested twice: once after being born and again after being released from the NICU.

A f ter being released from the hospital and picking Daisy up from the NICU, Donovan said she and Neal had to quarantine for two weeks. They had to have their meals delivered to them through a contactless system and had to wear masks any time they were around Daisy.

“The only time we took them off was to eat and

shower (and) we put them right back on,” she said. “We slept with them.”

Another difficulty was that Donovan’s parents were not allowed to come inside her house, although they were able to meet their new granddaughter through the window. Still, Donovan said it did provide challenges, especially when raising a child for the first time.

“With a newborn, you want as much help as you can get,” she said.

Three months later, and with the quarantine period over, Donovan said everything is going well. Daisy is healthy and gaining the necessary weight and will have another appointment at NorthBay next month.

“It was scary, but everything worked out in the end,” Donovan said. “Everything turned out great, considering, and everybody’s good now.”

After being released from the hospital and picking Daisy up from the NICU, Donovan said she and Neal had to quarantine for two weeks.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO — SALLY WYATT Emily DonovEn End BrennEn NeEl hold their newborn dEughter DEisy, who wEs born shortly Efter both her pErents tested positive for COVID-19. The three hEd to undergo E two-week quErEntine Efter leEving the hospitEl, but Ell Ere heElthy now.