A PREGNANT mum has spoken about her recovery from Covid-19 to give people hope.

Stephanie Ditchfield was shocked to discover she had contracted coronavirus as she was taking every precaution self isolating at home in Winsford.

The 28-year-old believes it is a miracle her unborn son survived unscathed and says feeling him wriggling in her womb helped her through the traumatic ordeal.

And she has paid tribute to ‘superheroes’ at Leighton Hospital for their incredible care, encouragement and compassion.

“Mentally, it was extremely tough,” said Stephanie, who lives with her partner and two-year-old son William.

“Without the lovely health care assistants and nurses checking on me hourly, bringing me a cup of tea, little snacks and coming in for a chat, I honestly don’t know what I’d have done.”

Pregnant Stephanie, who works in the control room at Cheshire Police HQ, was self isolating as she has asthma.

Initially when she became unwell doctors thought it was her asthma and prescribed antibiotics and steroids. However her condition deteriorated.

“I was having coughing fits to the point I was unable to breathe,” she said.”Uncontrollable night chills, shaking, to extremely high temperatures. I was unable to leave my bed and struggled to do anything. I’d also lost my sense of smell and taste.” I didn’t have a dry cough but a mucus cough.”

Stephanie was referred to the red clinic on Dene Drive last Tuesday where she was immediately seen by a GP and admitted to Leighton Hospital.

After swabs were taken, tests revealed she had Covid-19 and pneumonia.

“Quite possibly the scariest news I’d ever received,” she said. “Knowing in the past three weeks I’ve not left the house other than for antenatal and GP appointments was a huge blow and I was terrified.”

Following intensive treatment, she was discharged after three days.

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“I’m baffled as to how I got it,” said Stephanie, whose baby is due in June. “It is a miracle my unborn baby hasn’t been affected. Throughout everything he continued to wriggle, kick and punch me to the ribs which was so reassuring.

“So many focus on daily death rates and not enough on people who’ve come though the other side and been discharged.

“I’m one of them lucky people. Please stay in. Adhere to social distancing, don't take the risk and go out for the sake of it.

"I was a pregnant 27-year-old, otherwise quite healthy and still caught it and developed pneumonia.

"I've a bit of a recovery at home until I'm back to myself but I honestly couldn't be happier to be back home with my boys."