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Lorren Reeves urged people to get vaccinated after doctors at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth performed a Caesarean section to deliver a 2-pound, 1-ounce baby Darcey
A woman who remained in a coma after contracting Covid while pregnant is now urging 550,000 moms to be: “Please get vaccinated.”
Lorren Reeves’ baby was delivered by Caesarean section while she lay unconscious. Baby Darcey was born at 26 weeks and fought for his life.
Lorren, 26, also fell seriously ill – but, like her daughter, made it through. But both face lingering problems.
Lorren speaks as disturbing figures show just one in 10 pregnant women have received the vaccine. Of those admitted to hospital with Covid, 99% have not had the vaccine – and one in 10 end up in intensive care, according to research from the University of Oxford.
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Mixed messages from government and health officials are blamed for low use. But today, a series of experts are urging pregnant women to get the vaccine – insisting it doesn’t increase the risk of miscarriage.
And the most telling message comes from health assistant Lorren herself. She had two miscarriages in 18 months and chose not to receive the vaccine, mistakenly fearing it could harm her baby when she got pregnant a third time.
His partner Josh Thomas, 26, didn’t get the hang of it either – and he too was hit by Covid as their dream of parenthood turned into a terrible nightmare.
Lorren told the Sunday Mirror: “I think 100% that it wouldn’t have happened if I had had the vaccine. After the two miscarriages, I just didn’t want to endanger him in any way. But after what I’ve been through, I urge all pregnant women to get it.
Josh – who will act as Lorren and Darcey’s caregiver when they return home – adds: “We have been massively damaged by this virus and our lives will not be the same.
“If Lorren had the vaccine, we wouldn’t be in this position today.
“The vaccine is absolutely crucial for pregnant women and I wish we could go back in time. We went to hell and came back.
Josh and Lorren fell ill with Covid in July. But as he recovered, she worsened and fell into an induced coma.
Josh says, “The doctors told me the main concern is keeping Lorren alive. I thought if Lorren makes it out and Darcey doesn’t, it’s going to kill us as a family.
After 10 days, doctors at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth performed a Caesarean section to deliver 2lb 1oz of Darcey. She could breathe independently, but after a few hours her right lung collapsed.
Josh watched at the bedside for 36 hours and was devastated when told that nothing more could be done for her.
The family gathered on the hospital bed to say goodbye.
Incredibly, Darcey rallied around despite a series of brain hemorrhages. And after 10 days, she was finally able to meet her mother as Lorren was coming out of her coma.
Josh said, “I felt like my soul had touched my body again. I had a picture of Lorren the day before he was put into a coma. She makes a love heart sign with her fingers and this image still haunts me. I thought this would be the last time I would speak to him.
There was more worry though as Lorren was having a series of fits.
Josh adds, “It’s been a constant whirlwind. At first we thought Lorren was going to survive and Darcey would die, then Darcey would survive and Lorren would die, then they would both die. But it was like they were emotionally fighting for each other, to be together.
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Picture:
PASSMORE / APEX BRAND)
Both mom and baby have stabilized over the past two weeks. Lorren has been diagnosed with epilepsy and is on long term medication.
Darcey will need tests to determine the impact of the bleeding brain.
The balance sheet left Josh asking, “Sometimes I think, ‘Have we wished for a baby too much and now all these horrible things have happened’?”
Originally, the advice was for pregnant women to avoid the jab until more data became available.
In mid-April, they were told it was safe – but figures show only 62,311 out of around 605,500 received the vaccine.
Only 43,737 had both jabs. A host of experts today urge mothers to do so.
Ros Bragg, Director of Maternity Action, said: “Pregnant women are at higher risk for complications from Covid and should get vaccinated to protect them and their babies from serious illness.
“The government must come up with a clear strategy to encourage them to get vaccinated. “
Dr Brooke Vandermolen, who co-founded The Birth Collective – which brings together maternity experts – said: “If a pregnant woman gets sick with Covid in her third trimester, she is two or three times more likely that her baby will must be born prematurely. . This can have an impact on their long term health.
Dr Pat O’Brien, Vice President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said: “We want to reassure women that there is no link with an increased risk of harm to the baby.
“The vaccine will help protect both mother and baby from the potential effects of Covid-19. “
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