A Wisconsin woman who gave birth while in a coma with COVID-19 three months ago was finally able to meet her baby daughter.
Kelsey Townsend held little Lucy for the first time last Thursday, after she was discharged from University Hospital in Madison, UW Health officials said.
“Hi. I love you. I love you so much,” Townsend said as she cradled her newborn.
“I’ve missed you.”
The 32-year-old “miracle mom” was nine months pregnant in October when she was diagnosed with the coronavirus.
Her condition quickly deteriorated and she spent 75 days on life and lung support.
Townsend was in a medically-induced coma when she gave birth to Lucy via cesarean section on Nov. 4.
The next month, doctors determined that Townsend would need a double lung transplant to survive.
But just days after she was placed on the transplant waiting list, Townsend’s condition began to improve significantly.
She was finally moved out of the intensive care unit, taken off the ventilator in mid-January and eventually removed from the transplant list.
On Jan. 27, she finally went home and was reunited with her husband and four kids, including the baby girl she’d never met.
“We instantly bonded when we met,” Townsend said. “She gave me a great big smile and looked at me like she knew exactly who I was.”
“That made me feel just so happy.”
