Covid birth: 'That's where mummy goes to cry'

Olivia Major gave birth to George during lockdown in November 2020

A woman who discovered she was pregnant as Covid lockdown began in 2020 says pandemic restrictions that she believes harmed her and her baby son must never be imposed again.

Olivia Major, from Newcastle, believes the impact of Covid rules on pregnant women and new mothers was too harsh and contributed to her experiencing a breakdown after giving birth to George on 27 November 2020, during a second lockdown.

She remembers how she realised the scale of the impact when her daughter Evie described the family's utility room as "where mummy goes to cry."

The anniversary of the first Covid lockdown in March 2020 also marks five years since Olivia realised she was expecting her second child.

She said: "I actually found out I was pregnant the day after we went into the lockdown. So he was very much a lockdown pregnancy from day one.

"So all of the appointments, scans, everything we had to go through, and at some points emergency care, were all done with just me and no partner, nobody else, being able to be there throughout the entire pregnancy."

George will turn five later this year

She says the whole experience was isolating and terrifying for her, but also made it hard for husband Dan to feel connected to the pregnancy.

Olivia felt doctors and NHS staff seemed to assume she could cope because she had been through pregnancy before with daughter Evie.

She said: "I think on reflection, the most hated sentence that was spoken to me so many times was 'Oh, you've done this before, you'll be fine'.

"I'd never had this baby before, I'd never had two children before, and I hadn't given birth in a pandemic."

'Husband refused entry'

The day of George's birth is also one she cannot remember with fondness.

She said: "I remember arriving at the hospital to be told there were no midwives and, obviously, in the first instance that I arrived Dan wasn't able to be with me.

"Then actually, 20 minutes before George was born, Dan was again refused entry to come in.

"So 20 minutes before I was about to give birth I was arguing to have my husband with me, which was just enormously stressful.

"I couldn't really take in and enjoy the moment."

Olivia says hospital restrictions left her feeling stressed and alone

But the problems did not stop there.

The pressure on the NHS meant the family was not allocated a health visitor and Olivia feels the impact of that lack of support was compounded by Covid restrictions on contact with her extended family.

George was eventually diagnosed with digestive problems but Olivia says the condition was only taken seriously by doctors when she took videos of him screaming in pain.

That also took a toll on Olivia's mental health, the impact only hitting home when she realised her daughter Evie had noticed she was struggling.

Olivia said: "I remember I went into the utility room to put some washing on and Evie said: 'Oh, that's where mummy goes to cry.'

"She was very aware that I would go through there, put the washing machine on to mask the noise, and go and cry, because I was finding it so hard to cope with a two-year-old and a new baby.

"Essentially I had a breakdown and ended up on antidepressants."

'Women left behind'

Life is much better now and four-year-old George is thriving.

But Olivia believes the government of the time failed to prioritise the welfare of pregnant women and new mothers as they considered which Covid restrictions to impose and which to lift.

She said: "I've really thought if George is my last child, what a terrible experience that was.

"I have friends who've gone on to have more children based on the fact that they just were horrified by their experience during Covid.

"So I think generally, women, young children, pregnant women, were really left behind.

"I understand the reason for some of the restrictions but, at the point when I was still pregnant, my husband could have gone on a holiday, he could have gone to his office, he could have gone to a restaurant, but he couldn't come to our scan.

"So in terms of priorities, I felt that that was just completely disordered.

"In future politicians need to place as much emphasis on the welfare of women as they did on businesses and opening up the economy."