Washington Mom Battling Coronavirus Gave Birth to Daughter while in Medically Induced Coma


A woman in Washington welcomed her second child under very unusual circumstances.

Angela Primachenko, a 27-year-old respiratory therapist from Vancouver, Washington, was 33 weeks pregnant when she started to feel sick last month, according to Today.

On March 24, two days after being tested for coronavirus, her results came back positive and she was admitted to Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center, where she was then placed in the intensive care unit and put on a ventilator.

As her symptoms worsened, doctors decided to put Primachenko into a medically induced coma — and just days days later, she gave birth to her daughter, who tested negative for the virus.

“I feel like I’m a miracle walking,” Primachenko said while calling into the Today show on Monday. “It was just extremely mind-blowing.”

The new mother also shared that her daughter’s name, Ava, holds special significance. “It means ‘breath of life,’ ” she said. “So she’s our new little breath of life.”

Shortly after welcoming her daughter, Primachenko’s health began to improve. She was taken off the ventilator on April 6.

Recalling another happy milestone, the day she left the ICU, Primachenko said the hospital staff gave her a “standing ovation” as she was wheeled out.

While both mother and child are doing well, Primachenko, who was released from the hospital over the weekend, will have to test negative for coronavirus two times before she can hold Ava, who remains in the NICU, according to Today.

Fortunately, her husband David, who has not fallen ill from the virus, has been able to be with their daughter. Primachenko has gotten a chance to visit with her via FaceTime.

The couple’s 11-month-old daughter Emily has also tested negative for COVID-19.

Throughout Primachenko’s hospitalization, her twin sister Oksana kept their loved ones updated on her health, and started a GoFundMe to raise money to help pay her sister’s medical bills.

As her sister was released from the hospital, Oksana shared just how grateful she was — and how much she couldn’t wait to meet her baby niece.

“My twin not only survived Covid-19 but also gave birth while being under an induced coma, I know, we all didn’t even know that’s possible,” she wrote in an Instagram update, alongside a photo of the pair together. “Feels surreal posting a picture with Angela next to me. The last two weeks I wasn’t sure if I would ever take a new picture with her. I cherish @angela_primo more then ever. She is pure gold and I wouldn’t want a world without her.”

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