DURBAN - A young couple from Durban recently gave birth to their first child during the Covid-19 pandemic said they have complete faith and confidence in the country's health care staff.
Lerrisa and Preston Chetty from Chatsworth, Durban, said the experience was really scary at first but the professionalism displayed by doctors and nurses eased them through it.
“At first I didn’t take it seriously but as time progressed I saw the seriousness of it (referring to the virus). The changing moment was when I went for a check-up and Preston (her husband) was not allowed in. It was scary being alone in a hospital because I'm terrified of needles and hospitals,” said the new mom.
While her husband said: “I really noticed a change in the atmosphere in the hospital. There was a lot of hostility because of the rules that needed to be enforced. But when they started working it was clear they knew what they were doing."
Although they gravely feared the health of their newborn son, both parents said they could not have been more pleased with the service they received from the staff at the Life Crompton Hospital.
“Both my doctors, Dr L Augustine and Dr N Parikh were fantastic. They are so helpful and are great at their jobs,” said Lerrisa.
Although under immense stress, the new father said; “The hospital staff were brilliant.”
Being pregnant comes with its own tinge of fear and anxiety and the news of a deadly virus wreaking havoc was only adding fuel to the fire.
“Besides contracting the virus, I was also scared because I could not have a normal birth. Because I am small in stature, the doctors told me that a
Cesarean delivery (C-section) would be better for the health of my baby,” Lerrrisa said.
Fortunately, without a single complication, the couple gave birth to their son, Elijah.
To put the cherry on top, Lerrisa finished off by saying, “Because I had to go into ICU, I had to be tested for the coronavirus. I told the lady that was testing me, please don’t push the swab too hard down my throat, I’m pregnant and might throw up on you. She did it anyway and I threw up all over her. I felt terrible after that.”
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