Mom Maria Garza shares childbirth story at the same hospital in Texas where her husband died of COVID-19

AUSTIN, Texas – A Texas mother gave birth to her son in the same hospital where her husband died after contracting COVID-19.

In February, while Maria Garza was pregnant with their second child, her husband Jason was diagnosed with COVID-19. Four months later, Jason died of the virus before he could meet his son.

On July 19, Garza gave birth to a baby boy, who is named after his father.

“Back in a hospital the nurses wore the same uniforms and the gowns were the same color pattern and everything was shocking,” said Garza, whose mother was by his side for labor and delivery instead of Jason. “But with the support of my family and my mom was there with me and I kept her memories close to my heart. [Giving birth] absoutely [was] a bittersweet moment. “

Garza told “Good Morning America” ​​that Jason knew they were going to have a child before he was diagnosed with COVID-19. However, he was unable to be present for most of his pregnancy as he was hospitalized due to his illness. The severity and duration of her husband’s illness was a “roller coaster”, she said.

“One day it would improve and the next day it would almost pass,” Garza said. “The stress of his stay in intensive care for three months was almost more than his death. By the time his death occurred, it was, [in] kind of a relief because we knew he wouldn’t be in pain anymore. “

Garza’s OB-GYN, Dr John Thoppil, said the stress of her husband’s illness, coupled with Garza’s pregnancy, created a “stressful situation.” Therefore, he tried to be there for her as much as he could.

“All we could do was give her advice, support, love and guidance whenever she asked for it,” Thoppil said.

However, due to her natural resilience and the help of her family, Thoppil said she had handled the intensity of the situation extremely well.

“I think she’s such a strong woman that if you didn’t know… the situation, I don’t know if you wouldn’t know the difference,” Thoppil said. “She managed [it] with such grace that I don’t think anyone but the closest people would have known what she was dealing with. “

Thoppil said he believed that Garza’s vaccination made her birth, as well as her pregnancy, safer.

“The risk of hospitalization, intubation, all that is two to three times [as likely] for unvaccinated women who contract COVID, ”added Thoppil. “Pregnancy is a known risk factor, and the vaccine is just as effective for pregnant women. “

This month, the country’s two leading healthcare organizations focused on caring for pregnant people, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, released new guidelines calling on all pregnant people to get pregnant. get vaccinated against COVID-19.

“COVID-19 infection puts pregnant women at increased risk of serious complications, and because it is clear from current vaccination rates that people need to be confident in the safety and protective value of COVID-19 vaccines. , pregnant women should be confident that choosing COVID-19 vaccination not only protects them, but also protects their families and communities, ”ACOG President Dr. J. Martin Tucker said in a statement. .

Garza, who works in the healthcare industry, was vaccinated during her pregnancy while her husband was in intensive care. Now, she’s sharing her family story to encourage pregnant women – and everyone else – to get vaccinated. Garza said she didn’t want other families to face the hardships faced by her husband and family.

“Watching him struggle to breathe in the middle of the night definitely made me realize that… we always have to be here to protect ourselves and our families,” Garza said. “I don’t want to be the person passing it on to someone else’s loved one who ends up dying and has to go through what my family and I went through.”