CELEBRATING LIFE
March 23, 2020 is a day that will be remembered throughout the country for decades to come.
It was the day the UK Government issued a nationwide lockdown in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
For the Steelant family in Methven, however, it was also one of the happiest days of their lives - it was the day their baby son was born.
Little‘lockdown baby’Tay, named after the Perthshire river, was born in Ninewells Hospital just a few hours before PM Boris Johnson’s announcement.
Now happy at home with mum Naomi and dad Alex, Tay has still to meet his extended family having lived his entire life so far in isolation.
“Tay was initially due on March 16, the day pregnant women were told to self-isolate,”Naomi said.
“I was told I had to go into isolation and my husband was told he still had to work.
“But someone at his work got sent home because their child had symptoms of the coronavirus and, because our baby was due on the 16th, he got sent home too.
“My husband has been off since the same time as me. We were both isolating ourselves.
“At that time I was still fine and there were still no signs of him coming.
“We were planning on having a home birth as well so we bought everything needed and it got sent to the house.
“Then, when the isolation advice started, I went to the hospital and was told that all the home births had been cancelled because there were not enough ambulances.
“So then I was told I had to go through to Dundee for the birth.
“It was the 23rd we ended up having Tay. We arrived in Dundee at 3am and Tay never arrived until 3pm.
“Inside the hospital it was still quite calm and quiet at that point.
“I felt like I was the only one there.
“Alex got to stay in the hospital when I had the baby, he was in about 15 hours in all at the hospital.
“That was only because
Little baby Tay