A MUM battling coronavirus has given birth to a "magic" IVF baby six weeks premature in a hospital bereavement room.
Claire Trusson, 37, fell pregnant after having IVF treatment following two years of struggling to start a family with husband Murray Mitchell, 33.
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Just weeks before Claire was due, she started to experience cold-like symptoms which soon developed into a persistent cough.
She went into isolation, until she started experiencing contractions and was rushed to St Helier Hospital in Carshalton, near Sutton in South-West London.
While in hospital, medics had to put her in the most isolated room on the ward to keep her away from all others – which turned out to be the bereavement delivery room.
Claire went home and a day later tested positive for the virus – but found herself back in the bereavement suite just a week later on March 30 to safely give birth to baby Jake.
In the scheme of things, I am super lucky – I'm well, he's well and really it's amazing
The first-time mum said giving birth six weeks early while suffering from the virus was stressful, and she didn't expect to give birth in the bereavement room.
Claire said: "I found out this week that that's the bereavement room – that's where they put families with their stillborn babies so they can have some time with them.
"They have a memorial clock on the wall, and because I was timing my contractions when I was first in there, I spent a lot of time staring at that clock."
But she added that she was "really grateful" to have given birth to baby Jake and avoid "another six weeks of anxiety of what giving birth would look like".
She added: "In the scheme of things, I am super lucky – I'm well, he's well and really it's amazing."
What is IVF Treatment?
- In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) is one of several methods that help people with fertility problems have a child.
- During IVF treatment, an egg is removed from the woman's ovaries and fertilised with sperm in a laboratory.
- One cycle of IVF can take three to six weeks.
- The success rate is dependent on multiple factors, and range from 7% to 29% dependent on a woman's age, according to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.
- It is available through the NHS, and usually offered to women under the age of 43 who have been trying to get pregnant for two years.
- Private treatment can cost up to £5,000 or more.
After struggling to conceive for two years, Claire and her husband received IVF on the NHS and a single egg was implanted in August 2019.
IVF is one of the most successful fertility treatments, and has given birth to 8 million babies worldwide.
The success rate is dependent on multiple factors, and range from 7 per cent to 29 per cent, according to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.
But despite her joy at having baby Jake, Claire is still concerned about passing the virus onto him due to a lack of face masks.
On the way home from hospital, Jake met his grandmother Angela and uncle David through the car window.
She added: "Every little sneeze and every little cough and every little cry, I jump on him like, 'oh god, you've got coronavirus.'
"It sounds really reckless, but it's really hard to look after a baby and them not see your face – and I didn't really have any face masks."
"I'm just trying not to breathe on him."
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