LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — An expectant mother and her husband were admitted to the hospital for COVID-19 just a day apart and doctors believe their 1-year-old son is also suspected of being positive, the family told 8 News Now.
Melissa Diep, 37, said her faith kept her strong during an extremely isolating week in the hospital. Her husband, Timothy Diep, 37, remains at MountainView Hospital as of Monday, she said.
Both Dieps did not receive the vaccine before they got sick, Melissa Diep said. “I was considering it, but then we got hit.”
At 26 weeks pregnant, she said she was waiting to have her child, first. She said her husband was about to make an appointment for the vaccine when he got sick.
“He was about to get scheduled for vaccination, but it was too late,” she told 8 News Now.
The Dieps’ 1-year-old son showed symptoms of COVID-19, but he was not tested.
“Our little boy was just lacking a lot of energy, and so, what they were saying was he was most likely COVID positive,” Melissa said.
“Mama has no energy today, and it’s so hard to talk,” she said in a video she sent her son from her hospital bed. “Dada’s resting. We’ll see you soon.”
“I’m out, but I’m still having a hard time breathing,” Melissa said from home, wearing an oxygen mask. She described her battle in the hospital as not just a physical fight, but a mental one, too.
“It’s lonely,” she said. “It’s frustrating, and it’s very humbling because there’s a lot of things that you just can’t do.”
Melissa and Timothy were able to hold hands in the hospital.
“When we got to see each other it just — he lit up,” she said.
Melissa credits her faith for keeping her going and thanked her church community for its help.
“It’s been so beautiful to go through with my husband,” she said. “It’s strengthened us as a family and it’s definitely strengthened my own faith journey.”
Doctors stress there are no known negative effects to getting the vaccine if you are pregnant. In fact, they said being unvaccinated and getting coronavirus poses more risks than the vaccine itself.
A study released in April showed babies born to infected mothers were at a higher risk of being delivered early and weighing less. Doctors advise the best thing to do if you are questioning is to talk to them.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported only about 22 percent of all pregnant women have received one or more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.