Delivering a baby during a pandemic
Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
Back in February the News Letter Journal shared the love story of Alonzo and Salina Sandoval for Valentine’s Day. The glowing expecting mother, Salina, gushed about preparing for the arrival of the couple’s second child, their first daughter. In February, Salina had no idea that her sweet baby girl would be born seven weeks early, during a global pandemic.
A baby checkup on March 27 sent the Sandovals’ life into a whirlwind of separation, fear and hope when the couple learned that Salina’s water had ruptured and that their daughter would without a doubt be born prematurely. The question was, how long would Mia wait to take her first breath.
“The doctors said that 65% of women who experience a ruptured sack deliver within a week,” Salina said. “It is a good thing we went longer; that’s what we wanted. But it did mean I was away from Jaden (son) and Alonzo that long too.”
In a pandemic-free world, Salina’s 24-day stay in Rapid City awaiting the birth of her daughter would have been easier. During the days of COVID-19, Salina said, the wait was one of isolation and lack of human interaction, and of fear.
“I wish they could have come to see me. That would have made the situation easier,” Salina said. “My due date was June 4. Alonzo and I had talked and worried about what delivery would look like if things hadn’t mellowed out, and then boom, my water breaks.”
But baby Mia had other plans and, on April 18, Salina started having contractions after 24 days in the hospital (five days before her scheduled induction on April 23), when Mia hit 34 weeks’ gestation.
“I started having little contractions, they monitored me and watched her heartbeat. It wasn’t long before the doctor came in and said I might want to let my husband know there could be a baby today,” Salina said. “That was at 3:30, and by 4:30 we were being prepped for an emergency C-section because her (Mia) heart rate was dipping fast and they (the doctors and nurses) wanted to get her out ASAP (as soon as possible).”
Salina recalled the fear and chaos of her daughter’s birth.
“Within an hour, it went from maybe we will have a baby to we got to go now. Within an hour of that, she was here. There were doctors and nurses everywhere and I was so worried that Alonzo wasn’t going to make it, and unfortunately he didn’t,” Salina said.
But dad was the first one to see his baby girl, who weighed in at 3 pounds, 5 ounces and measured 14¼ inches. When he arrived, Mia was in an incubator, tangled in tubes. And she will be there for some time in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Salina said, she is not able to stay in an accommodating room at the hospital to be close to her baby girl.
“It is tough, leaving her there when she is supposed to come home with us,” Salina said. “You don’t ever go into the hospital to have a baby and expect to have to leave them.”
Choking back tears, while struggling to speak, Salina said that even if there wasn’t a global pandemic, she has another child to worry about.
“I would have had to pick between my kids. It’s so hard. If I’m there, I’m not with Jaden. I felt guilty and still do,” Salina said. “Alonzo told me throughout the whole ordeal that I needed to remember that he was taking care of Jaden and I was making sure that Mia would be okay.”
Despite the miles between Salina and her baby, she said she is trying to stay optimistic, find the silver linings where she can and give love to both of her children.
“Every other day we go and see Mia. We have a system,” Salina said. “Because of the COVID-19, we are only allowed to go in one at a time, and Jaden won’t be able to meet his baby sister until she comes home.”
When that is, no one really knows.
“They can’t tell us how long it will take. They say it’s up to the baby. From the beginning, they told us the baby stays until their due date,” Salina said.
“She is doing really well. She no longer needs the ventilator, her feeding tube is out, and they have removed the IV from her head,” Salina said. “She is eating, regulating her own body temperature and eating out of a bottle.”
While getting through this time has been trying, Salina said, it has been possible and made easier by the amount of support from not only their friends and family but also
the rest of the community and the doctors and nurses that cared for her and are still caring for Mia.
One nurse in particular touched the young mother’s heart. Salina said that the staff was supposed to stay at least 6 feet away from her, and Alonzo was only allowed to visit her twice.
“There was this one nurse; she was the sweetest. She was the only one that gave me a hug,” Salina said through sobs. “They weren’t supposed to with the COVID-19 but she saw me crying and gave me a hug. She was just so sweet.”
The same nurse went above and beyond for the couple, helping to take maternity photos in the dress Salina had picked for a session that was scheduled for April 16.
“When this all happened, I was really upset because I knew I couldn’t do them,” Salina said. “This nurse went and borrowed a camera and gathered up props so we could have a photo shoot with Alonzo in the hospital room. At least I have those.”