
- A Cape Town woman underwent an emergency C-section at 25 weeks while on ventilator support for Covid-19.
- Upon her discharge, the hospital could not reach her and she thought her baby had died.
- After extensive search efforts, the mom and baby boy met for the first time on 4 January.
A mother gave birth to a baby via emergency C-section at only 25 weeks, while she was unconscious and on ventilator support for Covid-19.
Nosipho Nkantini of Eerste River was overjoyed to meet her baby boy for the first time, in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Netcare N1 City Hospital in Goodwood, Cape Town.
Their emotional meeting came after the hospital had to search for the mother, who spent a heartbreaking Christmas mistakenly assuming her baby had been born too early to survive.
She recalls meeting her baby on 4 January, some three weeks after he came into the world on 17 December.
"It was like a miracle, and I have decided to name him Oyena, which means 'the one chosen by God'."
Developed Covid-19 symptoms
In early December, when she was only about halfway through her pregnancy, Nkantini developed symptoms of Covid-19. She contacted her general practitioner, who initially did not suspect she had the virus and prescribed antibiotics instead.
She said:
She was transferred to Netcare N1 City Hospital and soon after arrival, lost consciousness and was put on a ventilator in the hospital's "red" zone, which is dedicated to the care of Covid-19 patients.
"From then, I can't remember anything until I woke up days later, when I was told that I had suffered complications and my baby had been delivered by emergency C-section," Nkantini said.
She said:
When Nkantini was well enough to be discharged, her baby still required highly specialised life support and care in the NICU. Unfortunately, during her emergency admission, the contact details for Nkantini and her next-of-kin were outdated and efforts to reach her became increasingly urgent.
Social worker Ronel Grobler was enlisted to help get hold of the baby's mother, but the festive season added to their difficulties as they reached out to doctors and their staff – many of whom were on holiday – in an attempt to get hold of her.
"We were very concerned about Nosipho, and when all else failed we contacted the local police, who promised to assist us in the search."
'I thought my baby had died'
Meanwhile, Nkantini was in despair.
"At home, I was too scared to phone the hospital because I had convinced myself my baby had died, and I couldn't bear to have my worst fears confirmed. Christmas without him was terrible, I was so, so stressed," she said.
She said:
Dr Ricky Dippenaar, a neonatologist who practises at Netcare N1 City Hospital, said Nkantini's baby boy – who at that stage had yet to be named – was very much alive, although he was born prematurely.
"Initially, he had a bit of a stormy course, as he was born at only 25 weeks' gestation, and also because his mother had been so ill with Covid-19 while he was in the womb.
Dippenaar said:
Dippenaar explained that many mothers whose babies need to be cared for in a NICU environment experience "double separation".
"Double separation is when the mother cannot hold her baby and can no longer feel the baby inside her. Psychologically this is very tough, and in this case, it was further compounded by the mother's history and traumatic Covid-19 experience."
Mom and baby reunited
After Nkantini completed her isolation period for Covid-19, she was finally able to see her baby for the first time on 4 January.
"I was so happy, but at the same time it was very difficult not being able to hold him at first. The staff in the NICU were saying he's a miracle baby, and we hope that he will soon grow strong enough [to] take him home."
She said:
She extended special thanks to gynaecologist Dr Bedwill Jentel, physician Dr Chris Greyling, neonatologist, Dippenaar, paediatric intensivist Dr Shetil Nana, and the neonatology team at the hospital. She and the social worker both expressed appreciation to the Kleinvlei police station for their prompt assistance and their vital role in uniting mother and child.
Nkantini appealed to the public to take Covid-19 seriously and do everything possible to prevent its spread.
"I am a professional nurse, and as I was at high risk for severe Covid-19 because I am diabetic, my employer moved me to an office role, where I was part of the tracking and tracing team assisting Covid-19 patients and their contacts to help fight the spread of the coronavirus," Nkantini says.
"This virus moves so fast, and it can have devastating effects. By the time someone in the family becomes sick, often the virus has already infected their loved ones and the people around them. Covid-19 is real, and we must protect each other by following all the precautions."
- Compiled by Riaan Grobler