Poole Hospital saves lives of mum and baby after she contracted coronavirus

Rachel Murphy from West Moors was in danger of losing her unborn child after being hospitalised with Covid-19 in February while she was 32 weeks pregnant.

Following a visit to the maternity unit at Poole Hospital on February 6, her condition worsened over the weekend and was admitted A&E.

Rachel Murphy prior to testing positive for the Covid-19 virus

Rachel said: “I was so worried about the baby at this point, and I was admitted to Poole Maternity on Wednesday February 10.

“My main concern at this point was the seven days of having Covid. I had been told by the NHS hotline that if you recover within a week of testing positive, then the baby and I would be alright.

“But if it continued into day eight then you are in trouble. So, I was transferred over the road to Poole Maternity, where I was told that there were 17 people with Covid.”

Rachel Murphy from West Moors was put on a CPAP machine after contracting coronavirus during the latter stages of her pregnancy

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Whilst she was there, she met with the head consultant who said her daughter may need to be delivered by c-section, as they thought a ventilator may have been needed, and even using a tracheostomy.

However, Rachel, who works as a Solicitor at Kiteleys Solicitors Limited, was put on a continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machine, a device more commonly prescribed for treating sleep apnea disorders.

She added: “It was very scary at that time due to the baby putting pressure on my lungs and not being able to have certain drugs to treat Covid.

“The next level of machine was positioned right next to my bed and I knew that if I had to be put onto that then I would have had to be put under and have a C-section.

“But the CPAP machine worked brilliantly; it saved my life. My oxygen levels were rising, and I was moved back to the maternity unit.”

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Having spent eight days in Poole Maternity, with three of those being spent in Intensive Care in Poole Hospital, she was discharged and later gave birth to her daughter, Matilda Grace Yeandle, on March 31.

Rachel Murphy with her daughter Matilda Grace 

As doctors said that Rachel’s daughter may have contracted the virus from her mother, the pair are now taking part in Covid research to help create a paediatric vaccine at Poole Hospital, with Matilda being the first baby to be taking part in the research programme.

“Taking part in this paediatric vaccine research is just amazing really,” said Rachel.

“If she has caught the virus as well, which the doctors are fairly confident that she has, she will have natural antibodies for up to nine months, which they have said is better cover than the vaccine itself.

“Even after something so horrendous, if this research can come from it then it would be such a positive step.”

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Following her ordeal, Rachel now aims to raise awareness among pregnant woman to be vigilant in not contracting the virus and is also taking part in a fundraiser to raise money for the maternity unit at Poole Hospital by way of a thank you.

Rachel Murphy with her husband Dominic Yeandle and their daughter Matilda Grace Yeandle

She added: “My whole family and I are just amazed that my baby has overcome this.

“I can’t stress how important it is to take extra care, especially if you have underlying health issues and you’re pregnant and do some research.

Rachel Murphy outside of St Mary's Maternity Unit with her daughter Matilda Grace

“I have set a JustGiving page to raise money for Poole Maternity. I am walking a mile a day in May with my baby and my Labrador.

“I hope to raise money to help support the maternity unit because they do such a fantastic job and don’t really get the recognition that they deserve.”