Mom Gives Birth to a Baby Girl in Medically Induced Coma While Fighting CCP Virus

(Illustration - Shutterstock)

A young mother who was 33 weeks pregnant when she found out she was suffering from the CCP virus delivered her baby girl in a medically induced coma. Now, she thanks God for keeping both herself and her baby alive.

Angela Primachenko, 27, was tested for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, on March 24, 2020, after coming down with a fever two days previously. Just over a week later, Angela was placed in a medically induced coma on a ventilator at Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center in Vancouver, Washington, the very same hospital where she works as a respiratory therapist.

To improve her chances of survival, Angela’s doctors decided to induce labor early in order to ensure the baby’s safety. On April 1, Angela delivered a healthy baby girl. The new mom woke up from a coma on April 6 to find that her baby bump was gone.

Angela’s twin sister, Oksana Luiten, explained the doctors’ rationale to KVUE. “Her lungs will have more space and all of her nutrients will come to her,” she said, “and they could flip her on her tummy so her lungs could be cleared out.”

While Angela’s condition remained critical immediately following her delivery, the new mom soon began to show signs of improvement. On April 6, doctors had taken her off the ventilator.

On April 9, three days after the unexpected birth of her daughter and feeling stronger, Angela took to Instagram to reflect upon her experience and express gratitude for her gradually improving condition.

“Thank you so much for everyone for helping me overcome the most challenging [time],” Angela wrote. “For everything. The gifts, the support. My life [is] only here because of God and the community [...] I’m alive!”

One week after waking up from her coma, second-time mom Angela told Today that she felt like “a miracle walking.”

“Obviously nobody expected that I was going to get that sick, so no, absolutely not, I did not expect to deliver my child,” the new mom explained. “After all the medication and everything I just woke up and all of a sudden I didn’t have my belly any more. It was just extremely mind-blowing.”

Angela and her husband, David, named their baby girl Ava, meaning “breath of life.” Angela was introduced to her baby girl via FaceTime and photographs as she was whisked to the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit for monitoring and care after her birth.

Oksana described witnessing her sister’s battle as “rough,” adding that it had been both emotional and exhausting to see Angela struggle with her health and miss the birth of her daughter. “I wish this was a bad dream I could wake up from,” she told KVUE.

When Angela was released from the intensive care unit on April 11, she received a standing ovation from hospital staff.

Later that same day, Angela posted on Instagram to update her family, friends, and followers of her condition. She wrote, “Another update, I still have not got the chance to meet my little Ava but I’m believing as soon as I’m cleared and no longer have the coronavirus I will be able to hold her, maybe within the next week!”

“Also huge,” the mother of two added, “I finally showered after being intubated. For 11 days!”

Luckily, baby Ava tested negative for the CCP virus. As of April 14, Angela is back at home but needs to pass two negative tests before she is allowed to hold her baby. However, the new mom remains grateful for the outcome of her extraordinary journey.

“The amount of community and people that were praying for me is just unbelievable,” Angela told Today. “I was blown away, and I’m so incredibly thankful.”

Sharing her story with the world, Angela wants to remind people “that there’s hope.”

“That even in the hardest days and the hardest times that there’s hope and you can rely on God and people and community,” she said.