An Abbotsford mom who gave birth to her son while in an induced coma because of COVID-19 has come off the ventilator and was finally able to meet her baby over the weekend.
According to an update Wednesday (Dec. 15) on the GoFundMe page for the family, Gillian McIntosh was eased out of sedation late last week, weaned off the ventilator and had a negative COVID-19 test result.
“Over the weekend, Gillian was finally introduced to her son, Travis Len,” the post said.
The family did not previously publicly reveal the baby’s name because they wanted Gillian to hear it first.
The web post states that Gillian will remain in the intensive care unit for now, requiring critical-care monitoring, but she is in stable condition.
“Once ready, she is expected to be moved to another unit to further her recovery. At this time, there is no sure way of knowing how long Gillian will remain hospitalized,” the post indicates.
The McIntosh family thanked the medical staff at Abbotsford Regional Hospital.
“The cruel and unforgiving nature of COVID-19 has put our family through so much this past month, but for the many months of the pandemic now, our front-line health-care workers have endured so much wore,” they wrote.
They also thanked the community, saying they are grateful for “each and every kind thought, prayer, message and donation.”
Gillian and her husband Dave had been expecting their second child – they also have a three-year-old daughter – on Nov. 25, but Gillian was hospitalized and diagnosed with COVID-19 on Nov. 6.
The family has said they do not know how Gillian contracted the virus.
By Nov. 10, her condition deteriorated to the point that she required a ventilator to breathe, and the decision was made to deliver the couple’s baby by C-section that evening while she was in an induced coma.
Gillian remained in critical condition, and Dave was able to bring their newborn son home on Nov. 25.
A GoFundMe campaign was set up to help support the family with expenses while Dave is off work as a machine operator with a Langley company.
It is anticipated that Gillian will have long-term complications and will be unable to return to her sales job at a Surrey screening equipment company.
As of Wednesday (Dec. 15), the campaign had raised more than $96,000. It can be found by searching “Please help this family” at gofundme.com.
