Mum dies of COVID-19 after giving birth to baby boy
Five weeks before she was due to give birth to her first baby, Renae Byrd suddenly began to cough up blood.
The soon-to-be mother had been diligent with her medical appointments leading up to the birth of her son and told family she was heading to the hospital to after it began to feel like she was trying to “breathe through a straw”.
“They did a CAT scan of her chest. And they said that it looked like pneumonia and COVID," Ms Byrd’s brother, Roderick Ingram, told local news outlet News 19.
As her symptoms began to get worse, doctors believed the best chance of survival for the 32-year-old Florida woman was to have an early emergency Cesarean section on August 23.
“The last time I talked to her was on Monday after she had Isaac. It was a really difficult conversation because she was gasping for air. She was crying,” Mr Ingram told News4Jax.
That was the last day Ms Byrd was awake.
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Mr Ingram said his sister had pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome from COVID-19, and despite doctors best efforts she passed away on September 6, before she could meet her son Isaac.
“It was really hard, the first time seeing him and holding him, but he’s beautiful," Mr Ingram said.
After several weeks in hospital Ms Byrd’s husband, Isaac Byrd, took his son home where his family is determined to make sure the little boy knows how special his mother was.
“I just want him to know that his mum is awesome person. And that same beauty that lived in her now lives in him,” Mr Ingram said.
“She called me her superhero. So, I've kind of wanted to be a superhero for her and her son, and be as strong as I possibly can so I can help her live through our memories and our stories in Isaac's life.”
Mr Byrd left a touching tribute for his late wife on Facebook, saying she made him smile everyday.
“She made visions come to pass that I had. She always told me how proud of me she was. She would tell me when I needed to fix things with myself. Even when I didn’t like it she made sure I was the best I could be. I have never experienced LOVE like the love of this woman,” he said.
“She loved me beyond measure. I can’t even put into words what this woman meant to me. I am crushed right now.”
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