Pregnant nurse dies of COVID-19, leaving husband and daughter behind

Haley Richardson, a labor and delivery nurse, was just over six months pregnant with her second child when she contracted what she thought was a sinus infection in late July.

When her condition worsened, Richardson, 32, of Theodore, Alabama, took a COVID-19 test and tested positive, her husband, Jordan Richardson said.

At the time, Richardson, who was not vaccinated, had typical symptoms of COVID-19 – fatigue, loss of smell and taste – so she self-isolated at home, according to her husband.

“She knew how overrun the hospitals were and she didn’t want to put a burden on anyone else,” said Jordan Richardson, who has also battled COVID-19 but suffered only minor symptoms, of Haley . “She knew what we thought we should be looking for by monitoring her oxygen levels and heart rate and keeping them where they needed to be. We were doing everything we could do.”

On August 8, Richardson’s oxygen levels fell so dangerously low that she had to go to the hospital. After several days there, she was transferred to the COVID intensive care unit of a larger hospital, where she was eventually placed on a ventilator.

When she was admitted to hospital, an ultrasound showed her pregnancy was in distress, said Jordan Richardson.

Barely 10 days later, Richardson lost a baby girl. Jordan Richardson said they planned to name her Ryleigh Beth.

“Before she contracted COVID, there was nothing wrong with the baby. All the tests were 100% normal,” he said. “Once COVID started it slowly started to change and the movements got slower and slower. When we got to the hospital and they did an ultrasound and she saw her, she knew it didn’t sound very promising. “

MORE: 3 in 4 pregnant women not yet vaccinated against COVID-19, CDC says

On August 20, just two days after her baby’s heartbeat could not be detected, Richardson passed away.

In the days leading up to his death, doctors and nurses rushed to send Richardson to a hospital with an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine, or ECMO, which removes carbon dioxide from the blood and returns the blood. with oxygen to the body, allowing time for the heart and lungs to rest and heal. But amid a summer wave of COVID-19 caused by the delta variant and low vaccination rates in the United States, they couldn’t find a bed, according to Jordan Richardson.

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“They were trying to find him an ECMO, but everything is so full right now that it was very unlikely to find a bed,” he said. “Once her condition worsened, they couldn’t transport her because her oxygen levels were so low.”

Richardson’s family and friends are now speaking out to urge people, especially pregnant people, to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Video: Officials warn of full intensive care units and nurse shortages amid COVID-19 cases

In the United States, about 3 in 4 pregnant women have yet to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among pregnant black women, nearly 9 in 10 are unvaccinated, according to the CDC.

Earlier this month, the CDC, citing new evidence of vaccine safety, strengthened its recommendation for COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy, declaring that all people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to get pregnant now or likely to become pregnant in the future should be vaccinated against COVID-19.

The CDC shared data showing that pregnant people infected with COVID-19 are at increased risk of “intensive care unit admission, invasive ventilation, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and death,” compared to people without. pregnant.

Jordan Richardson said his wife believed in the vaccine for herself but worried about how it might affect her pregnancy.

“When we were trying to get pregnant, we talked to a bunch of different people,” he said, “and at that point there just wasn’t a lot of vaccine research to find out. if it would be safe for the baby. We didn’t worry about that for ourselves, but we just didn’t want to have any complications with the baby. We were just going to wait for the baby to be born.

“It’s unfortunate for us, but a lot has come out since this happened,” he added, referring to the progress made with COVID-19 vaccines, including other studies showing the vaccine safety during pregnancy and the Food and Drug Administration Monday. granting full approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to anyone 16 years of age or older.

Richardson’s last Facebook post on August 9 expressed concern for the child she was carrying.

“Here in the dark, in the wee hours of the morning, it’s so easy to pretend it was all a nightmare or that I’m right here in this hospital bed because of my own issues with Covid,” she wrote. . “There is nothing wrong with my sweet little girl I thought I was protecting in my own womb. I know the prognosis and I know the reality. And while one part of me may begin to recognize it, the other part of me still believes God is still the God of miracles and is in control above all else. “

Both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use mRNA technology, which does not penetrate the nucleus of cells or alter human DNA. The two COVID-19 vaccines are the first mRNA vaccines, which are theoretically safe during pregnancy because they do not contain live virus.

After Richardson was hospitalized, she convinced a friend to get the shot, according to Jordan Richardson.

“A friend of ours once said that she had talked to Haley and talked about everything that had happened, that Haley had convinced her to go get the shot,” he said. “And the friend was someone who was totally against it.”

MORE: Mom hospitalized with complications from COVID-19 after not being vaccinated during pregnancy

Jason Whatley, a close family friend whose wife, Kari, was a bridesmaid at Richardson’s wedding in 2015, has said he hopes talking about Richardson’s COVID-19 battle will help save lives , to which she devoted her life as a nurse.

“It’s a bittersweet thing to come out of this, but [Haley would want] so pregnant women know how risky they are and take all precautions, including getting vaccinated, “he said.” No matter what she was going through, she was always concerned about the people around of her. “

“Everyone is a legend at their own funeral, but she was a pure good in the world,” Whatley added of Richardson.

Jordan Richardson has said he sees his late wife’s legacy directly in their daughter, Katie, who turns 3 next week.

“[Haley] could walk into a complete stranger’s room and talk to any of them and someone would be laughing in seconds, and in 30 minutes everyone would be laughing, “he said.” Katie is the portrait. spat from his mother in terms of personality. “

He added of the tributes pouring in for Richardson: “We have received stories from doctors, patients, nurses and friends about how Haley was, and we are compiling it all for Katie to have them. have. [memories]. “

Jordan Richardson said he also finds solace now amid his grief in his wife’s faith.

“She had the strongest faith and the strongest belief in her salvation that I have ever seen,” he said. “Knowing that I’m still here but that she is there and that she has eternal peace and everlasting happiness, that makes me happy. The selfish part of me wants her to always be there, but the love that she had for the Lord, it was amazing. “

Pregnant nurse dies of COVID-19, leaving husband and daughter behind originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com