Miracle mum: ‘I caught Covid – and gave birth in a coma’

When Saskia Lane fell pregnant with a baby girl, she couldn’t wait for that special moment when she’d finally meet her daughter. But sadly, when little Betsy was born in September, Saskia was completely unaware.

The 21 year old had held off getting the Covid vaccine, due to misguided fears that it could harm her unborn child. And, despite being fit and healthy, Saskia contracted a severe form of the virus. She was placed into a medically-induced coma and was unconscious when she had a C-section to deliver Betsy.

Saskia, from West Sussex, who is now recovering at home with her partner, Lee, 23, eldest daughter, Eliza, two, and three- and-a-half-month-old Betsy, says, “I spent three weeks in a coma and when I woke up, I thought I was still pregnant. I remember looking down at my stomach, and asking where the baby had gone.

“It’s a miracle that I’m home for Christmas and able to celebrate with my family. I would advise anyone out there who hasn’t already got their vaccine – especially pregnant women – to do so as soon as possible. I’m lucky to be alive.”

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Saskia, a full-time mum, fell pregnant in February 2021 and was invited for her first vaccine not long after. She explains, “I had gestational diabetes, so I was invited to have my jab quite early as I was considered vulnerable. Because I was pregnant, I called my GP to check it was safe for me to have the vaccine, but at the time, there hadn’t been enough research into it, and I was told not to get it.”

Saskia’s pregnancy progressed well, and she was thrilled to discover she was having another girl. Then, in June, she was again invited to have the Covid jab. She says, “By that point, it was deemed safe for pregnant women to have the vaccine – but I was nervous. I’d read so much on social media about blood clots and stillbirths, and I worried it wasn’t safe. I now understand that I should have listened to the scientists, but I got swept up in it all.”

It wasn’t until August that Saskia finally changed her mind. She said, “My mum had read an article about a woman who’d got Covid when she was pregnant and, while her baby had survived, she had tragically died. She was terrified and called me, urging me to get the jab.”

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On 25 August, Saskia finally had her first vaccine – but it was too late. Unbeknown to her, she’d already contracted the virus. She says, “I had a sore throat when I got the jab, but I’d done a lateral flow test and it was negative. By then I was over six months pregnant, so I just explained my symptoms away. But two days later, I still felt unwell, so I did another test – and this time, it was positive.

“When I saw the result, I felt my stomach drop, and the panic set in. At that point, I had no idea how ill I’d become or how it would affect the baby. Everything felt so uncertain.”

In the days that followed, Saskia could barely get out of bed and struggled to breathe. Eventually, she called her GP.

She says, “They asked Lee to go to the surgery to pick up an oxymeter – a small device that clips onto your fingertip – which tests your blood oxygen levels. A healthy person should have a saturation level no lower than 97 per cent, but when we checked mine at home with the oxymeter, it was around 85 per cent, so we called an ambulance. The last thing I can clearly remember is the worried face of a paramedic as we raced to hospital.”

Saskia had to go to hospital alone, as no family or friends were allowed to be on a Covid ward. She has hazy memories of what happened next. She says, “I vaguely recall a doctor telling me that the baby needed to be born, and that the safest thing to do was to put me to sleep while they carried out a C-section. It sounds strange, but I think I was relieved. Ever since I’d caught Covid, I’d had this gut feeling that it was better for my baby not to be inside me while I was fighting such a deadly virus. I didn’t think too much about myself – I texted my family saying I’d see them when I woke up.”

While baby Betsy was born healthy, weighing 5lbs 8oz, Saskia’s condition deteriorated. She says, “I later found out that during the operation, my lungs gave up. One of them collapsed, I had a hole in the other, and I contracted sepsis.”

Saskia was transferred to St Thomas’ hospital in London, where she was put onto an ECMO machine – a type of life support machine that acts as a patient’s lung. Her family was told it was her last chance of survival.

Meanwhile, Betsy was taken to the special care baby unit. She had to test negative for Covid three times before Lee and the rest of the family could visit her. Luckily, Lee, Eliza and Betsy managed to escape catching the virus.

While in a coma, Saskia’s family held candlelit vigils, and were only able to see her via video calls. She says, “Doctors told my mum to talk to me, even though I was unconscious. During one call, she was telling me how Eliza and Betsy were doing, and apparently I started to cry.”

After three weeks, Saskia was finally woken up from her coma. She says, “When I came round, I didn’t know where I was and couldn’t remember anything that had happened, or even that I’d given birth. Mum had to show me pictures on her iPad and when I saw the photos of Betsy, I couldn’t believe she was my baby. I’d missed her birth and that first cuddle – I worried we’d never bond.”

Saskia was unable to have any visitors while she was still testing positive for Covid. It wasn’t until Betsy was four weeks old that the pair finally got to meet. Saskia says, “I was still very unwell, so Lee brought Betsy to see me in intensive care.

“Holding her in my arms was the best feeling ever, and it gave me the strength to keep fighting and get better.”

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In total, Saskia was in hospital for 11 weeks. She had an operation to clear the fluid from her lungs, but despite being back home, she still suffers from the effects of Covid.

She says, “My lungs are likely to be permanently damaged – one of them is still slightly deflated, and I still get breathless really easily.

“I’m also having therapy as I have PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] from the whole experience. It’s affected me mentally as well as physically.

“But Betsy is thriving. She’s a really chilled baby and is already sleeping through the night. She loves cuddles with me and her big sister.

“This Christmas, I’ll feel so lucky to be able to spend it with my family as, at one point, my future seemed so uncertain. We’ll spoil the girls, and all wear matching pyjamas. It’ll be a chance to feel thankful that I made it through the year, and I’m looking forward to a fresh start in 2022.”

Thankfully, Saskia was able to get her second vaccine at the beginning of December. She is urging everyone to get their jabs as soon as possible. She says, “I’m telling my story to make sure people realise how dangerous Covid can be.

“If I’d had my jab earlier, it’s entirely possible that none of this would have happened. I lived to tell my story – but I’m one of the lucky ones.”