HOMER, Mich. — Mallory Pease never thought she’d get the coronavirus. She had been staying home with her toddler Emma Jean for weeks since the pandemic broke out. And, she was nine months pregnant.
On March 23 she gave birth to her newborn daughter Alivia. The next day she tested positive for the coronavirus, she said.
“It was definitely, definitely a rollercoaster,” Mallory said during a FaceTime interview with FOX 17. “Within those four or five days we had a baby and I was hospitalized and tested positive for COVID-19.”
Mallory said she first began feeling symptoms on March 14. She woke up that Saturday morning with a sore throat, which lasted for a few days.
Then Mallory experienced more symptoms, she said.
“I had congestion and I lost my sense of smell and taste,” Mallory said. “Shortly after that I had a fever. It was early the next week. And then after that, the coughing started.”
That’s when she began experiencing shortness of breath, she said.
“It was hard to tell what was pregnancy symptoms and what was sickness symptoms,” Mallory said. “Like I said the shortness of breath wasn’t that concerning to me because I had been short of breath for four months from being pregnant.”
By Saturday March 21, Mallory felt worse, she said. The following day her water broke and she went to the Hospital.
On Monday March 23, she gave birth to Alivia.
The next day, Mallory tested positive for the coronavirus, she said.
“Tuesday my numbers were not looking good at all,” Mallory said. “That’s the day I felt the worst for sure. And the doctor came in said ‘if my numbers didn’t start getting better then they were going to have to put me on a ventilator.’”
Mallory said she didn’t want that to happen. However she remained in the hospital until she was symptom-free.
“They ended up testing [Alivia], I think it was Wednesday,” Mallory recalled. “And her tests came back negative, thank goodness.”
On Thursday of that week Mallory left the hospital and returned home feeling better, she said. Alivia stayed in the hospital for a few days for precautionary reasons. By Saturday night they were united, along with her husband Mitchell and Emma Jean. And, all four of them have continued to remain indoors.
Mallory hopes others will abide by the governor’s executive order and remain at home too.
“It makes it a little stir-crazy but it’s a lot better than being alone in a hospital room,” Mallory said. “Stay home and keep yourself and everybody else healthy.”