Parents Say They Can’t Visit Baby In NICU Who Has COVID-19

CARY, IL — A Cary family thinks at least two Chicago area hospitals need to rethink their visitor policies after they were separated from their newborn son who tested positive for COVID-19.

Jay Olesen was born on Dec. 27 at Northwestern Medicine's Prentice Women’s Hospital in Chicago. Parents Jesse Olesen, 29, and Jessica Olesen, 28, knew there would be complications associated with the birth.

“They wanted him out sooner than later," Jesse Olesen said. "He was delivered at 38 weeks. He went straight to the NICU; that was the plan."

Jessica Olesen began nursing him as he was being cared for in the Chicago hospital's neonatal intensive care unit.

On Jan. 6, Jay was supposed to be transferred to Lurie Children’s Hospital to undergo neurosurgery to address a build up of fluid in his head, Jesse Olesen said. But under the hospital’s policy, Jay needed to take a COVID-19 test before being transferred. That test came back positive.

Hospital staff then advised the Olesens that Jay would need to stay at Prentice, and that they’d need to leave and get tested for COVID-19. At the time, they told the couple if they tested negative, they could come back in 14 days. If the tests were positive, it would be 10 days.

“They basically just kicked me and my wife out,” Jesse Olesen told Patch Wednesday.

The couple tried to argue that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its quarantine guidelines, shortening the length of isolation for those testing positive for COVID-19 from 10 days to five.

“They kept coming back saying, ‘we have our own hospital policies.’ No matter what we said, they argued against it,” Jesse Olesen said.

On Sunday, hospital staff called again and let them know Jay would need to be transferred to Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago for immediate evaluation and surgery after detecting an intestinal blockage.

The Olesens showed up at the hospital and were allowed to see their son. Jessica, who tested positive for COVID over the weekend but was not showing any symptoms, stayed the night. On Monday, hospital staff told Jessica she'd need to leave. They said the couple could return a week later on Jan. 17.

The protocol in place, which has not allowed the Olesens to see their son, is wrong, Jesse said. At the very least, Jessica should be allowed to be with him during his first weeks of life, he said.

“There’s no good enough excuse to separate a mom from her newborn, especially when she’s breastfeeding,” he said.

As of Jan. 1, Northwestern Medicine's policy for visitors to all of its facilities, including Prentice Women's Hospital, allows up to two visitors in the neonatal intensive care unit. The policies listed online did not specify guidelines regarding infants or caregivers who test positive for COVID-19. Northwestern Medicine also noted that all policies were subject to change at any time.

Patch reached out to Northwestern Medicine Thursday for more specifics but has not yet received a response.

Kary McIlwain, senior vice president and public information officer at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, told Patch via email response that if the mother is asymptomatic and willing to wear a mask, she can stay with her baby.

"If she has symptoms we would have to ask her to leave as we would anyone including doctors and nurses," McIlwain said.

Jesse Olesen said he and his wife, as well as their baby, are asymptomatic and do not have any COVID-19 symptoms.

When asked about the Olesens’ situation, Julianne Bardele, associate director of public affairs and communications for Lurie Children’s Hospital, said hospital staff is not allowed to comment on specific patients.

"We can share the general policy but are unable to comment on a specific situation due to patient privacy," Bardele said.

"However, our health care teams work with each individual families to provide the safest visitation possible. We especially never want to keep a family from their baby, and we work with each family to meet their needs," Bardele said.

Patch also reached out to the Illinois Department of Public Health to see what guidelines are in place regarding newborns who test positive for COVID-19, but had not gotten a response as of Friday morning.