Coronavirus Triumph: Mom Who Gave Birth While In Coma Leaves NYU Winthrop Hospital With Her Healthy Baby
MINEOLA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- It was a miracle two times over.
A mother in a coma with COVID-19 gave birth to a baby more than two months early. On Wednesday, mom was able to take her daughter home, CBS2's Alice Gainer reported.
There were tears from Adriana Torres as she took take her baby daughter, Leah, home from the hospital.
"God gave us a second opportunity," Torres said through a translator.
SEE ALSO: Pregnant Woman Battling COVID-19 Delivers Baby In Medically Induced Coma
She said she was admitted to NYU Winthrop Hospital during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic in early April. She was one of more than 600 COVID-19 patients at the facility.
"I couldn't breathe. I had pneumonia," Torres said.
"They told us that the likelihood of survival was very low for her," said Chief of Neonatology Dr. Nazeeh Hanna.
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With Torres intubated and in a coma, doctors wanted to save the baby, but the mother was in the adult Intensive Care Unit, which is in a different building than the NICU.
"There is no space. There is no room. So we have to set up intensive care bed in hallway, in adult ICU, so we can resuscitate the baby," Dr. Hanna said.
But Torres was stable for a few hours, so she was moved closer to the NICU to give birth.
Leah weighed just 2 pounds, 15 ounces when she was born on April 8.
As for her mother, she emerged from her coma two days later -- her 41st birthday. That's when doctors told her the good news, that she had given birth to a baby girl.
"It was very hard to wake up and not have the baby. I couldn't hold the baby yet," Torres said.
She eventually recovered and was discharged.
FLASHBACK: Triumph At NYU Winthrop As Patient No. 750 Leaves After Defeating Coronavirus
On Wednesday, doctors said Leah, weighing more than 5 pounds, had hit all her milestones and was going home earlier than expected with her mom and older sister, where her dad and another sister are waiting.
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"So on top of being a 29-week premature baby with mom in a coma with low oxygen, yeah, this is a miracle," Hanna said.
"I feel extremely happy. I want to go home and start living our lives," Torres said.
Doctors said Leah is a message of hope for them. She came during the most difficult time they've ever experienced and left amongst the sunshine.
Currently, NYU Winthrop Hospital has 93 COVID-19 cases.
