Courtney Thomas has a birth story rarer than most.
The new mother from Anna in Collin County gave birth via emergency cesarean section on Sept. 30, 2021, the day she was placed on a ventilator to help her recover from COVID-19.
She was 33 weeks pregnant.
As Thomas' oxygen levels dropped, her baby began to experience distress and the Medical City McKinney team decided it was best for baby Briggs to be born.
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It would be five weeks however until Thomas would meet her new son.
The day after the ventilator was removed, the ICU arranged a special surprise reunion for Thomas and her baby.
“I thought I was going for an X-ray, but I was wheeled into a labor and delivery room, and my baby and husband were there,” Thomas said. “I was so overwhelmed with emotion. It was the most amazing thing ever.”
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After more than a month in ICU, she was transferred to Medical City McKinney’s Inpatient Rehabilitation Institute to work on regaining her strength so she could return home and care for her newborn.
The therapists customized her therapy and added weights to the CPR training baby doll, so Thomas would be comfortable carrying her baby’s weight and added buttoned clothes to the doll to work on her fine motor skills.
After seven days in therapy, she was discharged home on November 14.
