Celina — UPDATE:
It has been two weeks since Megan Sites gave birth to her son Jameson.
Megan was in the hospital after contracting COVID-19 and her condition was worsening, so she had to be sedated while she gave birth.
“I struggle with it. I had a moment of weakness,” said Megan. "I was trying to add him to my insurance -something so simple for any other typical mother – but they asked me for his birthday and I froze because I didn’t know his birthday because I wasn’t awake for his birthday.
News Center 7 caught up with Megan to see how she and her baby are doing now that Megan is out of the hospital.
“I feel blessed to be here because I shouldn’t be. There was less than a 50 percent chance that I should be here today,” explained Sites.
After giving birth, Megan was transferred to UC Health in Cincinnati where she was placed on an ECMO machine, which pumps and oxygenates blood outside of the body, allowing the heart and lungs to rest.
She was determined to stay alive for her family.
“I knew my husband would be fine," explained Sites. "I struggled with the fact I would never see my daughter in a wedding dress… but of course it was out of my hands out that point. I had maxed out with the pain and just not being able to breathe, it was very tough.”
When Megan was finally discharged from the hospital, friends and family welcomed her home. That same day, Megan met and held her newborn son for the first time.
“It’s so special,” explained Sites. “I try and look at it as I just get blessed with having him that much longer, when most mom have to wait 40 weeks until they have their baby – I get to have him 10 weeks earlier.”
Jameson is healthy and tested negative for COVID-19 and is still in the hospital.
INITIAL:
Like many expectant mothers, Megan Sites of Celina was worried about the coronavirus. Even more so because she is a nurse at an area hospital.
“She was very scared. Every day she talked about being scared going in there," said her brother Shaun Jefferies.
Her fear soon became her reality. She became sick March 27th.
“She started with a cold and fever and within 24-hours of talking to her, it got so much worse," he said.
Sites has been in the hospital fighting the virus for more than 2-weeks and at one point hooked up to a ventilator.
“Her lungs were pretty much failing and at the same time they had to get the baby out in order to save her and the baby,” said her sister-in-law, Kacie Jefferies.
“In all honesty, we didn’t think she was going to make it on Thursday," she added.
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But despite the odds, Sites gave birth to a baby boy. The family is praying the premature newborn is virus free.
“They tested, they had to wait until he was 24-hours old, to test him and they tested him yesterday,” said Mrs. Jefferies.
After Sites gave birth, she was transferred to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for care. The family says as of Saturday, she is improving.
“She has been on the ECMO machine since Thursday and everyday she gets better. The doctors say she is headed in the right direction. He is optimistic she’ll pull through,” said Mrs. Jefferies.
The ECMO machine pumps and oxygenates the blood outside the body, so it allows the heart and lungs to rest. Sites’s family said despite a rough few weeks, they are optimistic she will be okay.
Mrs. Jefferies said " She is fighting the biggest fight and we have to be strong for her."
The family had this message for people not practicing social distancing.
“She was a nurse, she is essential, she had to go to work. So we need to stay home for the nurses and doctors and the people who are essential”