A mother who received her last rites twice while battling Covid-19 in South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) has urged pregnant women to get the Covid-19 vaccine.

Sarah Marechaux from Fintona, County Tyrone spoke of her experience of battling Covid-19 while pregnant and post-partum.

Sarah said: “I like many other pregnant women was anxious about getting the vaccine and had many concerns. I know there is a lot of mix messages and scaremongering stories about the vaccine, but I want to appeal to expectant mothers to please speak to their consultant or midwife who will be happy to answer any questions.

“I owe my life and that of my daughter, Olivia to Dr. Andrew Craven, Speciality Doctor who was able to allay my fears and encouraged me to get jabbed.”

Sarah continued: “Myself and my partner are extremely grateful for the compassion and care provided to me by all the staff at the South West Acute Hospital and in particular Dr Craven, Sr Valerie Topping and ICU Staff. We have been through a rollercoaster of emotions and no words can express our gratitude to the wonderful staff in the hospital.”

The staff at SWAH cared for Sarah in a number of ways including collating a touching memory book, Sarah said: “When I was seriously ill, I was unaware of what was going on around me, however, the staff created a memory book and each of them wrote messages of what was happening that day, who was with me, who held my hand, washed me, brushed my hair etc.

“The midwives also wrote about how my daughter was getting on – as they knew I was missing out on important milestones. I will treasure this book for ever and read this to Olivia when she is old enough to understand.”

Brenda McCabe, Midwifery Lead for South West Acute Hospital and Omagh Hospital and Primary Care Complex detailed some of Sarah’s story

Brenda said: “Sarah had received her first Covid-19 jab prior to giving birth to her daughter via emergency C-section on October 23, 2021 at the SWAH.

“Unfortunately Sarah was seriously ill during her pregnancy having contracted Covid-19 and after giving birth and was treated in the Covid Ward 8 and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at South West Acute Hospital for 11 weeks.”

“Her condition deteriorated on a number of occasions throughout this time, and she was given the last rites twice.”

Brenda added: “It is a miracle that Sarah has survived, and this is testament to the dedication and care of the nursing and medical teams and of course to Sarah and her partner Josh that she was finally discharged home in January.”

Brenda concluded: “It is safe to get your Covid-19 vaccination during any stage of your pregnancy and I would encourage expectant mothers to speak to their consultant, midwife, GP or any healthcare professional for more advice if they have any questions or concerns.”