Miracle Mother’s Day for Fintona mum

A FINTONA mum is celebrating her first Mother’s Day today, after Covid almost claimed her life when she was pregnant.

As well as marking this auspicious occasion with her daughter, Olivia, Sarah Marechaux (pictured) is also appealing for expectant mothers to get their Covid-19 vaccination to protect themselves and their babies.

Sarah remarked, “I like many other pregnant women was anxious about getting the vaccine and had many concerns. I know there is a lot of mixed 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.”

Midwifery Lead for South West Acute Hospital and Omagh Hospital and Primary Care Complex, Brenda McCabe alos remarked that she has seen the serious consequences of getting Covid-19, particularly for pregnant women and their unborn baby and she too is taking the opportunity of Mother’s Day to highlight the benefit of getting vaccinated.

“We are very grateful to Sarah Marechaux from Fintona, for allowing us to share her remarkable story,” Brenda said. “Sarah had received her first Covid-19 jab prior to giving birth to her daughter via emergency C-section on 23 October 2021 at the South West Acute Hospital, Enniskillen.

“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. 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 2022.”

Brenda continued, “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.”

Sarah added: “Myself and my partner (Josh) 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.

“A massive thank you to my doctors, ICU nurses, Ward 8 staff, Physios, OTs, porters and cleaners – they were all part of my journey in the South West Acute Hospital. There wasn’t a day where someone from any of those departments came to my room and wished me well or where praying for me. Josh and I appreciate everything you have all done for us.

“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.”