Mangaluru: Mother of triplets fights Covid-19, keeps family safe

MANGALURU: The resilience shown by a mother of triplets in the face of extreme stress — after her family got infected with Covid-19 — has put the family on the path to recovery.
The nightmare started in June for Dr Shwetha Kamath, the mother of three-year-old triplets — Veda, Mantra and Shlok — when one of them caught viral fever. Soon, the other two kids, along their father Dr Annappa Kamath, also tested positive for Covid. The couple has taken both doses of vaccine.
The family isolated itself at home by monitoring their symptoms. By the time Dr Shwetha too tested positive with mild symptoms, all the primary contacts of the children, including nanny and house help, were also symptomatic.
The first challenge was when Dr Annappa’s blood oxygen level dropped, because of which he had to be hospitalised. He was treated at a private hospital for three days, after which he returned home. But later, he displayed unusual symptoms and reactions to the disease and drug administered. Shwetha took charge, and made sure he got the necessary treatment at home, after consultations with his doctors. She sat beside his bed throughout the night for close observation.
Dr Shwetha said: “It was strange to see my husband, otherwise a lively person, in this state. I decided to get him back to normal somehow. The kids and myself had to be extra careful. The children, who had lost weight drastically, were given a normal diet as suggested by doctors, and some sweets to gain weight.” Shwetha added that she made video calls to ensure that the kids did not miss their father while in hospital.
Dr Annappa said in normal times, they would share household responsibilities. “Raising three-year-old triplets, though enjoyable, is hard even in normal times. But suddenly, everything fell on Shwetha’s shoulders. Our parents chipped in and provided the much-needed support,” he said. Dr Annappa is recovering now, so have all others in the family.