Charlene Jones gave birth to a healthy and beautiful baby boy.

But just two days after welcoming Harri into her family, Charlene, 35, got Covid-19 pneumonia and nearly lost her life.

She was rushed to the ICU where she was placed in a medically induced coma for 10 days. When she woke up, she had no memory of ever giving birth to her son.

“I didn’t remember giving birth, I couldn’t remember my baby’s name or what weight he was. I actually asked the nurses if they were joking,” Charlene said.

“They showed me my phone, with pictures of my baby, and his name and I realized that it was all true. It was very emotional and absolutely mind-blowing. My partner sent me photos of the baby every day in hospital, and the thought of my children really spurred me on. Despite what happened, I feel so lucky, because I’ve survived,” she added.

Six members of Charlene’s family were diagnosed with Covid-19, and her partner, Daniel, was also admitted to the hospital.

”One by one, each of our family was felled by Covid. I want people to be aware, even though lockdown is easing, that it must be taken seriously,” she said.

Charlene and Daniel were so happy when she got pregnant early in 2020. But scans showed that her pregnancy was high risk. She was in and out of the hospital throughout her pregnancy.

In November, she went into early onset labor and was admitted to the hospital for steroid injections. She tested positive for Covid, but a later test came back negative.

On December 23, Harri was delivered by emergency c-section. He was perfectly healthy and spent two days with his mother in the maternity ward.

But Charlene suddenly fell seriously ill with Covid pneumonia and was rushed to ICU and placed in a coma. Doctors did not think she would make it.

Daniel was also admitted to the hospital with a bad case of Covid.

Their older children, Megan, 15, Tomos, 11 and Freddie, 4, went to stay with Charlene’s mother, Lyn. But when Lyn also tested positive, the children went instead to stay with their grandfather, Stephen.

Charlene did not wake up until January 5.

“I had no idea where I was or what was happening when I woke up. Nothing seemed real. I had completely forgotten those two days I’d spent with my son,” she said.

Charlene could not walk or speak at first and it was over a week before she was able to see Harri.

“Dan sent me photos and videos of all the children too and they certainly helped in my recovery. I knew I had to get better, for their sake. I had forgotten those two days I’d spent in hospital with him so for me, January 13 felt like the first time I had ever seen him,” she said.

“I worried about our bond, because I had been apart from him for so long, and of course all of our children had been passed around family members, as they all tested positive, so it had been tough for everyone. We didn’t tell the older children that I was coming home. Dan told them he had a surprise and then I walked in. I was sobbing with happiness. It was the best day of my life.”

Charlene has since been diagnosed with PTSD. She is also suffering with exhaustion, breathlessness, and severe hair loss.