A BABY girl has died a week after being born after her mum caught Covid while pregnant.
Little Ivy-Rose had to be delivered prematurely and caught the coronavirus herself before losing her life.
Her parents Katie Leeming, 22, and partner Lee Court, 25, have been left devastated by the loss, LancsLive reported.
The couple and Katie’s two sons, Alfie, 4, and Charlie, 3, had been isolating at home for 10 days with Covid.
Katie began to panic when she couldn’t feel her unborn child moving and rang the day unit at Blackpool Victoria hospital.
She was put on a machine to detect reduced movement and it was decided Ivy-Rose would need to be born via emergency C-section on October 13.
There is a two to three times increased risk of giving birth prematurely for pregnant women who become very unwell with Covid, according to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Ivy-Rose was not due for another 14 weeks.
She suffered complications of premature birth including pulmonary haemorrhage and a brain haemorrhage.
But she also sadly caught Covid and her health deteriorated rapidly on October 21.
She passed away a day later on October 22 in her mum and dad’s arms, although it is not clear what the exact cause of death is.
The couple’s friend, Simone Threlfall, 25, has set up a fundraising page to help pay for the funeral costs, including a horse drawn hearse, headstone and flowers.
Simone, a mum-of-three, met Katie around five years ago in hospital due to them both having previous premature births.
She said: “They’re absolutely in bits at the moment and are being supported by friends and family and the bereavement midwives.
“We just want to make Ivy-Rose’s send off as special as possible.
“It’s been really difficult as they’ve had to keep Alfie off school with them so this more positive for the boys too if possible and help her two big brothers show their little rainbow angel off to the world.
“Her family will be massively appreciative of any contributions and I would love for this money, no matter how big or how small the donations are, to be able to help create the most beautiful send off.”
Simone said a cuddle cot had been arranged for the family to make memories together.
Cuddle cots have cooling mattresses that keep babies at a cooler temperature so that bereaved families are able to stay with them for longer, for days or sometimes weeks before their funeral.
To donate to Simone’s Go Fund Me page, please visit here.
