Our rainbow babies of hope Seven hero NHS nurses who gave birth in lockdown
Mother’s Day this year will have a very special meaning to these seven nurses, thanks to their seven very special arrivals ➺
Rebecca Horsfield, 35, was the first of our nurse mums to give birth.
Theo was born on 11 March 2020 – the day the World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 a global pandemic. I’d been on maternity leave for four weeks, and had watched the situation unfold from home. As the hospitals filled up, I felt guilty, imagining how my friends and colleagues were coping at Burnley General Hospital, where I was a theatre nurse. Just before I left, my boss Kirstie told me she was expecting. On the grapevine, I heard that five other nurses – and friends – Catherine, Sarah, Stacey, Jessica, and Leah were also pregnant.
Two weeks after Theo’s birth, Boris Johnson announced that the country was going into lockdown. The girls were sent home and advised to shield.
As a mum of three, I knew what I was doing with Theo, but some of the girls were first-time mums and I worried about how they would feel bringing their first babies into the world in the midst of so much uncertainty.
'We call ourselves the Quarantine Team'
‘Coping with a new baby in lockdown felt surreal’
Coping with a new baby in lockdown was surreal, and a bit scary. I was terrified of Theo catching the virus, so I sanitised every item in my supermarket food delivery, and even going for walks with him in his buggy made me nervous. I was always careful not to get too close to other people. All this while homeschooling my 15-year-old son, Harvey, and entertaining Noah, three. It was chaotic to say the least.
BABIES’ VIRTUAL MEET
As the months passed, I heard that Catherine, Sarah and Stacey had given birth to Esther, Phoebe and Rory. I was dying to meet them, but it was impossible in lockdown. Then, when the rules were relaxed in the summer, Stacey set up a Whatsapp group and suggested we all meet for a picnic once Jessica, Kirstie and Leah had welcomed their little ones, too.
But by the time babies five, six and seven (Margot, Nancy and Luke) arrived, the rules had changed, so we couldn’t all meet. We were disappointed, but Stacey suggested we organise a photoshoot for the babies, who were all born during different months of the pandemic. Following regulations, in twos we went to photographer Charlotte Shepherd’s studio. Our retired colleague Linda had made the babies scrubs in rainbow colours.
We dubbed our little crew the ‘Quarantine Team’, and once all the babies had been photographed Charlotte merged them into one picture, nestled on a rainbow. We hoped it would show support for all our NHS colleagues.
New restrictions in 2021 mean we still can’t meet, but our Whatsapp group is invaluable. The babies are at different stages, so we all have advice to offer.
I’m due to go back to work this month, and although I’m excited, I’m nervous, too. I’m going back to something very different. But my job is to help people; that’s what I do – no matter the risks.