New mum's distress as Covid stops her seeing premature baby

A new mother of a premature baby has shared her distress at being unable to visit her daughter after contracting Covid-19.

Olympic runner Angie Petty's baby was born five weeks early and is now spending time in the neo-natal intensive care unit at Christchurch Hospital.

Two days after the birth, Petty and her husband tested positive for the virus.

"I was just devastated and then the hospital explained how I couldn't come in, it was just too risky with having Covid, so I wouldn't be able to see my daughter for a week," Petty told 1News.

"It was just so devastating. Here she is two-days-old and she can't even see her parents and we can't even see our daughter."

While she understood the reasons, she says it was an extremely trying time for a new mum.

"All I could think about all day was her and I started almost, well I did get quite down - crying all the time, just felt like I couldn’t function.

"It was horrible. All I wanted to do was get in there and hold her again."

And she’s not alone.

The Neonatal trust says many families have been facing the same struggle. Chief executive Rachel Friend says cases have been seen in neo-natal intensive care units across the country.

“It started in Auckland, as expected, we certainly probably saw a good third of families across the unit straight away were testing positive," Friend says.

The trust is helping where it can, becoming a breast milk delivery and collection service in various parts of the country.

"We’ve been able to go and collect that milk using full PPE equipment so that we’re safe and then deliver that back to the units."

For Petty nothing comes close to the joy of cuddling her daughter again.

“I was just over the moon, just walking in and getting to hold her was just the most amazing thing - even better than any Olympic race or anything."

Baby Azaliah is doing well and it's hoped she'll be home very soon.