A mother in Indiana was unable to meet her newborn due to her severe COVID-19 infection, but thanks to her improved health, she was finally able to hold him. Autumn Carver, 34, reunited with her son Huxley nearly two months after his birth on Oct. 19, according to a Facebook post from her husband Zach Carver.
“What a day. A surprise conversation with a doctor this morning brought us out of isolation and a plan for Autumn to meet Huxley,” Zach said, “At 3 pm today, she met our son and it was an amazing moment, needless to say.”
On August 27, the same day Huxley arrived via emergency C-section, Autumn’s COVID-19 condition worsened and she was moved from a ventilator to an ECMO life support machine. Despite the fact that Autumn is still in the hospital, her condition has improved slightly in the last two months, allowing her to see her son, according to Zach’s post.
“Her parents, one of her best friends, and many nurses and doctors witnessed the special moment. I don’t know if there was a dry eye in the area,” Zach said about the day of his son’s birth. “What an amazing day. We have a long way to go, but a good day through this was much needed.”
Zach said that their son is an answered prayer. “We’ve been praying for that for nearly two months, every day, for her to get well enough that we could set this up and have this happen. She’s fought and fought and fought for her life every single day.”
The father added that he will never forget the day his son was born. It will be a special memory for him. “We both hugged him and kissed him and looked at each other’s eyes and it was a very powerful moment, for sure.”
Autumn, who was a regular CrossFitter, developed lung problems when the couple became ill. Zach developed a high fever when the couple became ill. She was admitted to Community South Hospital and placed on a ventilator.
Two days later, she was airlifted to Methodist Hospital for an emergency C-section and an ECMO machine. Autumn was recently transferred from IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Autumn’s lung condition will be assessed there, and doctors will determine whether she will require a lung transplant in the future.
“We’re praying that her lungs just continue to get better, her body continues to get stronger and we can get weaned off of ECMO [machine] and she can walk out of the hospital eventually,” Zach said. “She is a miracle. We are looking at a recovery with a lot of [physical therapy] in our near future. Keep the prayers coming!”
Let us continue to pray for the complete recovery of Autumn and strength for Zach during these trying times. God hears the prayers of His children. Let us be persistent so that this small family may experience the healing power of our Lord.