Mother’s anguish at death of her nine-day-old baby daughter who is one of the UK’s youngest Covid victims - iNews
A baby who tested positive for Covid has died aged just nine days after her mother contracted coronavirus while pregnant.
Katie Leeming is convinced her daughter, Ivy-Rose Court, would be alive today if she hadn't been so sick that she had to give birth 14 weeks prematurely.
Miss Leeming had not been vaccinated against Covid and says that during such a grief-stricken time, she doesn't want to tear herself apart by thinking about what might have been if she had done things differently.
She told i she believes there hasn't been enough research into the effects of the vaccines in pregnancy and says who knows what might have happened if she had got jabbed, but she wants other people to understand how serious covid can be.
She had decided against getting vaccinated after seeking information on the issue from other pregnant mothers, and she says her partner had been double jabbed yet still contracted Covid-19, so being vaccinated might not have protected her against getting poorly with Covid.
However, guidance from medical organisations, such as the Royal College of Midwives is that women who are pregnant should get vaccinated.
The advice for pregnant women around Covid-19 vaccination
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that pregnant women should be offered the Covid-19 vaccine at the same time as the rest of the population, based on their age and clinical risk group.
There have been no specific safety concerns identified with any brand of coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines in relation to pregnancy.
Real-world data from the United States shows that around 90,000 pregnant women have been vaccinated, mainly with mRNA vaccines including Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, without any safety concerns being raised.Based on this data, the JCVI) advises that it's preferable for pregnant women in the UK to be offered the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines where available. There is no evidence to suggest that other vaccines are unsafe for pregnant women, but more research is needed.
The Royal College of Midvives states that midwives and healthcare professionals are urging those who are pregnant or considering pregnancy who haven't yet been vaccinated to consider getting the vaccine as soon as possible, and to book their second doses as soon as they are eligible.
Vaccination is recommended in pregnancy, but the organisation says the decision on whether to have the vaccine is the choice of women after considering the facts.
It says pregnant women are at risk of getting severely ill with Covid-19, particularly in the third trimester with new data from the UK Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS) showing that 1 in 10 pregnant women admitted to hospital with symptoms of Covid-19 need intensive care.
In pregnant women with symptoms of Covid-19, it is twice as likely that their baby will be born early, exposing the baby to the risk of prematurity.
Recent studies have also found that pregnant women who tested positive for Covid-19 at the time of birth were more likely to develop pre-eclampsia, need an emergency caesarean and had higher rates of stillbirth; however, the actual increases remain low.
Miss Leeming told i: "If I hadn't had Covid and had such a high temperature and become poorly, I honestly don't think Ivy-Rose would have been born as prematurely as until then, the pregnancy was going smoothly.
"People make out it is very rare for babies to catch Covid and that children and babies are not really affected by coronavirus.
"But our baby girl tested positive for Covid-19 and deteriorated and became more and more poorly before dying at just nine-days-old.
"We are all completely devastated and it is a struggle trying to arrange a funeral for such a tiny baby.
"Without Covid, I definitely think Ivy-Rose would still be here."
Baby Ivy-Rose is one of the youngest people in the UK to have died with Covid-19.
Miss Leeming, 22, who lives with partner Lee Court and her sons Alfie, four, and Charlie, three, in Kirkham, near Blackpool, says she began suffering cold-like symptoms in early October and decided to do a lateral flow test. It came back positive and a PCR test confirmed she had Covid-19. Her partner and her youngest son also tested positive so the family stayed at home isolating.
However, on day seven of having Covid, Miss Leeming recalls feeling particularly poorly and realising she hadn't felt her baby move that morning.
She contacted Blackpool Victoria Hospital which admitted her to the delivery suite in a private room due to her having Covid-19. She was hooked up to a machine and doctors told her that as the monitors were not showing a good trace on the baby's heart, the safest thing was to deliver her baby early.
Baby Ivy-Rose was born by emergency Caesarean Section on October 13 weighing just 990g (2lb 3oz). Soon after birth, she was transferred to the Royal Preston Hospital's neonatal unit for specialist care.
Being born extremely premature at 26 weeks, Ivy-Rose suffered complications including a pulmonary haemorrhage and a brain haemorrhage. At around five-days-old, she tested positive for Covid-19 and Miss Leeming says she then deteriorated rapidly.
"We got a phone call on the evening of day eight saying we needed to get to the hospital as they didn't think Ivy-Rose was going to make it through the night.
"They took her hand and footprints for her memory box and Ivy-Rose died on 22 October at 1.30am. We were absolutely heartbroken and it still hasn't sunk in."
Miss Leeming, a bakery assistant, told i she had not been vaccinated against coronavirus. She explained she made the decision not to have the jabs after speaking to other pregnant women.
"I didn't have either of the vaccines." she said. "I made the decision after speaking to lots of pregnant women as I felt there wasn't enough research done into the impact of the vaccine during pregnancy and if it would affect the baby."
She added that she has not reconsidered her decision against having the jabs as her partner Lee Court had been double vaccinated, but was still struck by Covid-19 – and she says she knows plenty of people who have been double vaccinated but still become very poorly with coronavirus.
"I can't start thinking that way as who knows what might have happened if I had the vaccine and I might still have got Covid and become ill," she said.
The NHS advice is that pregnant women can get vaccinated against Covid-19 but that it is preferable for them to have the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines as they have been more widely used during pregnancy in other countries and no safety concerns have been identified. Miss Leeming's story shows how the messaging is not doing enough to allay women's fears for their unborn babies.
Ivy-Rose's death certificate states the causes of death as severe respiratory distress syndrome, extreme prematurity at 26 weeks, maternal Covid positive and baby Covid positive, as well as intraventricular haemorrhage.
Baby Ivy-Rose's funeral has been arranged for Thursday 18 November and Miss Leeming's friend Simone Threlfall has organised a GoFundMe fundraiser towards funeral costs and expenses for Ivy-Rose.
The two women met as Miss Leeming's sons were both premature and she and Miss Threlfall's sons Alfie and Jenson were both premature babies. However, Miss Leeming was put on medication during her pregnancy with Ivy-Rose to stop her suffering complications which caused her to have her babies prematurely and until her Covid diagnosis, the pregnancy had been going smoothly.
Mum-of-three Miss Threlfall, 25, said: "Even though Katie's boys were both premature, she was monitored very closely throughout her pregnancy with Ivy-Rose and it was going smoothly and there was no reason to think she would go into premature labour and if she had not got Covid, I am convinced she wouldn't have had to have Ivy-Rose so early.
"I cannot imagine how awful it is for Katie and her family to be going through such a terrible and heartbreaking time." Miss Threlfall told i. "I organised this fundraiser as funerals are expensive and I want them to be able to give Ivy-Rose a beautiful send off with a horse drawn carriage hearse and a gorgeous headstone like she deserves."
Miss Leeming says she feels numb with grief and cannot bring herself to look at the baby clothes and items they had bought for Ivy-Rose in preparation for her arrival.
She said: "I want people to know that Covid is still out there and it is dangerous. There are a lot of people who seem to think coronavirus has gone away and you hardly see anyone wearing a mask anymore unless they are in hospital."
A spokesperson for Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, where Ivy-Rose was born, said: "We are deeply saddened about the death of Ivy-Rose and all our thoughts are with her family at this incredibly sad time."
A spokesperson for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, where Ivy-Rose died in the Royal Preston Hospital's neonatal unit, said: "Our thoughts are with the family of Ivy-Rose at this time.
"Getting the Covid-19 vaccination is one of the best defences for pregnant women against severe Covid-19 infection and the jab is considered safe and recommended by the Royal College of Obstetricians, Royal College of Midwives and the UK Tetralogy Service with data from over 100,000 COVID vaccinations in pregnancy in England and Scotland, and a further 160,000 in the US, showing no subsequent harm to the foetus or infant, while the independent JCVI confirms the jab has been shown to be effective and safe for women carrying a baby.
"We would encourage pregnant women to come forward for their vaccine – you can receive vaccination at any time in pregnancy, but the risks that unvaccinated pregnant women face of becoming severely unwell if they catch Covid-19 show exactly why we advise you to do so as soon as possible."
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