In her first interview since the death of her newborn son, Kara Keough took fans through her unimaginable loss.
Nearly a month since her baby boy, named McCoy Bosworth, passed away following complications during childbirth, the former Real Housewives of Orange County reality star spoke with Good Morning America via video about the sequence of events that took place before her son's untimely death.
With her husband Kyle Bosworth by her side, Keough explained that she initially planned to labor at home and then head to the hospital when it was "push time" for an unmedicated birth. However, as the coronavirus pandemic ramped up, she learned her doula was not going to be able to be there for the delivery. Keough's anxiety grew with news reports that partners were also not being allowed in the delivery room and that babies were being taken from their mother if the mother was running a fever, out of concern for coronavirus transmission.
"I'm sitting there thinking, 'What if I spiked a fever because that's sometimes a normal part of giving birth and then I get my baby taken from me?'" she said. "The irony now looking back is I don't have my baby now, but the fear of all that compounded so much."
As a result, Keough thought she would take "that burden off the healthcare system" and give birth at home following a healthy pregnancy.
Early on April 6, Keough went into labor and explained that McCoy's head was "born really quickly." She immediately knew the baby was experiencing shoulder dystocia, which is when one or both of a baby's shoulders get stuck inside the woman's pelvis during labor.
While they were able to get the baby out with the help of a doula and midwife, the newborn was rushed to a nearby hospital in an ambulance because they could not get his heart rate.
Though McCoy eventually got a pulse back, he had suffered severe brain trauma without oxygen and a heart rate for 45 minutes. While he was put on a ventilator in the intensive care unit for 72 hours, the baby had not improved.
Despite the ongoing pandemic, the hospital was able to make an exception and allow both parents and their daughter, Decker, to spend time with the baby before his passing. "We're really glad that we got to meet him and got to know him," Keough tearfully said.
His heart valves were donated to other kids and the milk that was supposed to be for him is going to a mom with a child in the neonatal intensive care unit. "We want his life to mean as much to as many people as possible and to let all of the positive ripples of his life be there," she said.
As for the grieving couple, the small moments are sweeter. "Every time I hear our daughter laugh, it's that much better and every time I see her run, it's that much more of a joy to see," Keough said. "Because we've hit the lowest of lows, everything that's good is also just much better."