ATLANTA — A couple from Atlanta is patiently waiting to bring their newborn babies home.
But they say they're not allowed to see their twin babies because the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Northside Hospital is not letting visitors in.
Gerald and Kiley Fadayomi looked forward to this time for a while -- having their twin girls.
"‘Hey we're having the babies today,' so I'm like, 'Alright, I'm on my way’,” Gerald said recounting the day they came into the world.
When he got to the hospital, Gerald got a call from the infectious diseases department and found out he wasn't allowed to be in the delivery room because he was still waiting on his COVID-19 test results.
"She basically said, 'Hey, because of that, we can't let you in the hospital,' and so I start crying on the phone with her. I'm losing it and she starts apologizing," he said.
That was on March 18.
Two days later, Gerald said he and his wife got their COVID-19 test results back and both were negative. Finally, Gerald was allowed to see the girls.
“We spent Friday with them, Saturday with them,” he said. “We were discharged Sunday from the hospital.”
But Gerald said that on the following Monday, March 23, they were told the hospital’s NICU would be shut down to visitors. So, he and Kiley haven't been able to see their daughters in person for the last week.
“They want to keep the babies safe - the staff at the hospitals safe - which we totally get,” he said. “It's a real hard situation for everyone. But, unfortunately, we won't be able to see the girls until they're ready to come home.”
Gerald and Kiley said it's hard for them right now but they’re leaning on each other, and their faith, to get through. And, while they wait, they stay reminded of the ways to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
“We kind of just have to assume we have it and we could think not so much about ourselves but about other people whether they're young, old,” Kiley said.
A spokesperson for the hospital said these restrictions are hospital-wide and enforcing this on the NICU was a heavy decision. But, she said babies are a high-risk population and this decision was made with their safety in mind. Right now, there's no end date to the restrictions.
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