Scotland’s youngest Corona survivor
Dad’s message to wife after premature daughter Peyton catches Covid-19 and he has to isolate alone
Proud mum Tracy Maguire reveals little Peyton is now thriving after being born prematurely and catching the covid virus
MEET little Peyton Maguire Scotland’s symbol of hope during the coronavirus pandemic.
The beautiful tot is thriving despite becoming the country’s youngest coronavirus patient after she was born eight weeks premature.
Peyton arrived on March 26 near the start of the pandemic and, just three weeks later, doctors gave her parents the shock news that she had tested positive for the deadly virus.
Last night, mum Tracy told of her fears that Peyton would not survive – and how dad AJ had prepared to say goodbye to their daughter on Facetime as she battled Covid-19 weighing just 4lb.
But she fought back, beat the virus and is now a happy, healthy five-month-old at home with mum and dad in Bellshill, Lanarkshire.
Tracy, 27, still has no idea how her newborn baby contracted the virus but she is grateful to staff at Wishaw General for saving her little girl.
She said: “She is doing amazing. She weighs over 10lb now.”
When the couple learned their precious little girl had contracted the virus, their world had collapsed. Tracy said: “It was so new we just didn’t know what was going to happen. “As a premature baby she had to have blood tests every week to make sure there was nothing underlying. She had a sniffle so they thought they would check everything was OK. They took swabs and they came back positive. “It was horrible for me but it was worse for my husband because he couldn’t be there with her.” Because Peyton had Covid, both Tracy and AJ had to selfisolate. Tracy was allowed to isolate with Peyton but AJ had to stay at home.
Tracy said: “I could see she was OK and physically hold her but he was completely locked down in the house.
“We both had lots of support but AJ couldn’t have any physical support.
“Afterwards he said to me, ‘I thought you were going to Facetime me from the hospital and that would be the last time I saw her’. That was really hard for him.
“He had only been able to spend one hour with her a day since she was born because of lockdown and then he never saw her for another five days.
“I will never forget the look on his face when she finally came home and he got to hold her for the first time.”
With AJ in isolation, he never got to enjoy the proud dad moment of driving his baby girl home from hospital.
Instead, that honour went to Tracy’s dad.
When they drew up at the house, AJ could hardly wait for his wife to hand Peyton over.
Tracy said: “He just left us at the car and went away into the house with her. He was taking his baby
home. For a good hour he just sat holding her, smelling her, making these memories.
“In hospital he couldn’t even feel her skin next to his face. That was all restricted, for good reason, but all these lovely memories had to be delayed for a wee while.”
The tot is now a picture of health, belying the traumatic start she had to life.
Tracy said: “She is now at the point where she is finding her voice and she likes to talk and shout at us and have a couple of laughs.
“She is beginning to look less like a baby and more like a wee girl. For us just getting to this point, seeing her growing, is incredible.”
Peyton was 10 weeks old before her grandparents got to hold her and they had to isolate for two weeks before they were able to.
AJ had to take two weeks unpaid leave from work to allow him to spend time with her.
Tracy said: “I worried she would be strange around other people because she was born during lockdown and we couldn’t see anybody.
“But we have aways Facetimed so she got used to the voices even if she couldn’t meet people. And she definitely recognises voices.”
Little Peyton seems to bear out the recent evidence that young children were unlikely to suffer serious effects of the virus.
Her mum added: “With kids back at school, a lot of parents are worrying their kids will end up really ill but Peyton was only 4lb when she contracted the virus and she’s flourishing. There have been no lasting side effects.
“When her test came back positive, she was in a room with eight other babies but no other babies got it and a lot of them were a lot sicker than Peyton.
“It seems it is low risk in kids unless there are extreme underlying medical conditions that are life limiting and that’s got to be good news for parents sending their kids back to school. But it is a scary time for everyone.
“It is a strange world for everyone.
“When I take Peyton outside she shuts her eyes because she is still getting used to sunlight.”