‘I hope to make up for Love’s loss by being a great dad’

THIS little girl, called Love, will grow up never knowing her mum – who was the first pregnant woman killed by Covid-19 in the UK.

Salina Shaw had an emergency C-section four days after being admitted to hospital with breathing problems last year and died eight days later, on Easter Sunday.

The 37-year-old, who had a childminding business, developed diabetes during her pregnancy but her family have no idea how she caught Covid-19 as she stuck to rules religiously.

Partner Abdul Bangura, who is bringing up Love alone, said: “When I took her in, I thought it was just a chest infection. Her death was quite quick. One moment you are happily going through a pregnancy and looking forward to becoming a dad for the first time. Then your life comes tumbling. Salina was a fantastic woman and had been a great mum to her other daughters from another relationship.

“Now Love is going to miss all of that. I hope I can make up for her loss by being a great dad. But you can never really make up for not having a mum there.”abdul, 30, is a fitness trainer and has a restaurant and healthy foods business, all of which have been hit hard by the pandemic.

He said: “The last year has been very dark. You can rebuild a business but you can’t replace wonderful people like Salina.”

Abdul said he and Salina chose the name Love because she was the “biggest blessing”.

He added: “She will know all about Salina when she gets bigger, what a great mum she was to her other kids. It’s not just me who has lost Salina. Her oldest daughter is 18 and has lost her mum at such a crucial stage, and then there is her 10-year-old who lives with her former partner. But Salina was a very upbeat person and wouldn’t want me to feel sad.”

Meanwhile, a minute’s silence was held for an NHS worker who died of Covid-19 after giving birth to her fourth child. Becky Regan, 29, contracted the disease while pregnant and died on February 1. Colleagues of the healthcare assistant at North Tyneside

Hospital fell silent in tribute at 11am on Friday.

Becky’s mum Tracey Buckland said: “Becky was a caring, funny and bubbly person who was doing her dream job.”