Utah Mother Fighting For Her Life After Emergency C-Section, COVID-19 Diagnosis
Aug 11, 2021, 10:50 AM | Updated: 11:33 am
OREM, Utah — A 21-year-old Utah mother is fighting for her life after she gave birth via emergency C-section last week after facing complications from COVID-19.
Grayson Bakes was 34 weeks pregnant before being airlifted from Brigham City to Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem, where she has been placed on life support.
“She is a stubborn, strong, vivacious young woman,” said her aunt, Jenny Bakes.
Grayson Bakes was exposed to the delta variant of the virus last week while at work. Like 80% of pregnant women in the United States, she was not vaccinated.
And, according to Dr. Sean Esplin, senior director of women’s health at Intermountain Healthcare, recommendations to pregnant women concerning the vaccine were just recently updated.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine — the two leading organizations representing specialists in obstetric care — now recommend that all pregnant individuals be vaccinated against COVID-19.
That revision was announced on July 31. Prior to that, patients were advised to consult with their provider, then determine whether to get the vaccine.
“This is a population, pregnant women, where there it’s understandable that people might be slow to adopt it,” Esplin said. “But there is enough information now that we really should be making that more and really pushing people to get vaccinated.”
Data has shown COVID-19 infection puts pregnant people at increased risk of severe complications and even death.
“We’re not thinking in terms of how long it’s going to take her to get well,” Jenny Bakes said of her niece. “We’re thinking in terms of survival.”
Grayson Bakes and her newborn son, Lennon, are both at Timpanogos Regional Hospital, where they were flown from Brigham City. Family members said that was due to the availability of resources for both Bakes, who may not know her son has been born, and her premature baby, who weighs just over 3 pounds.
The family now hopes other people will learn from their experience.
“Just get vaccinated and wear a mask,” Jenny Bakes said. “This is a small thing. It’s a mask.”
She said masking up and getting vaccinated could have saved her niece from what she’s going through now.
“This is not something to get up in arms about. This is not someone restricting your freedom. This is caring enough for your yourself, for your family and for others in your community,” she said.
The family has a Venmo* account where people can donate if they would like to help with future bills and child care costs. That Venmo account is @Jinxx2014.
*KSL TV does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
