Yorkshire mum unable to hold baby after testing positive for Covid brings her home for Christmas
Kristie Atherton, 32, said having tiny Riley home with her family was "the best present" she could have asked for after she spent 19 days in a special care baby unit.
Riley was delivered by emergency c-section on November 15, weighing just 4lbs 12oz.
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Hide AdShe was seven weeks ahead of her due date after her placenta separated too early from her uterus, a condition known as abruption.
Riley was rushed to an incubator to help her breath before being cared for by nurses in the Special Care Baby Unit at York Hospital.
On top of everything, Kristie - who had taken a Covid swab test on arrival at the hospital - was forced to self-isolate for 10 days when her result came back as positive.
But thanks to an app used by NHS staff, Kristie and her partner Mark Lidster, 36, were able be updated with Riley's progress in the unit despite not being able to visit her.
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Hide AdNurses could upload pictures for the couple to view after logging into the vCreate app on their phones and tablets.
And after 19 days of intensive care, Riley was released from hospital and will spend her first Christmas at the family's home in York with her big sister Freya, 7.
Kristie said: "Seeing her was so special. You work yourself up for ten days and that moment when you can finally see her is amazing.
"I'm usually big into Christmas and make a big fuss, but I'm just not that interested this year.
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Hide Ad"We've got her home and that is all that matters. She is the best Christmas present we could have asked for."
Kristie noticed reduced movement on the morning of November 15 and rang the hospital at 8am, who said to attend A&E.
She was in hospital by 11am and was rushed for an emergency delivery because Riley was not receiving food or oxygen.
Because she was born in what medics termed "an extremely poor condition", Riley was rushed to the special care unit before her mum could even hold her.
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Hide AdAnd when her Covid test came back as positive, Kristie had to self-isolate for 10 days before she could even visit Riley in hospital.
She said: "It was terrifying. We are both very lucky to be alive.
"Because she was very early, she was incubated at birth. I lost two and a half pints of blood and needed a bloody transfusion.
"Mark went to see Riley in special care, but as I was just starting to come round at 10.30 I was was told my covid swab was positive."
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Hide AdHospital staff were able to keep Kristie and Mark updated on Riley's progress thanks to vCreate, a video messaging app for clinical teams in Neonatal and Paediatric Units.
Medics could upload video updates of Riley in her first outfit and feeding from her first bottle, which Kristie said enabled them to bond with her despite not being there.
Krisite hailed the app as "life-changing" and added: "She got stronger and stronger and was fed by a tube down her nose for the first few days.
"The hospital had fund raised for the app so that staff can use it and parents are kept updated.
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Hide Ad"They could upload pictures of her and keep us updated of her progress.
"We got to see her first outfit and her first bottle feed.
"It meant the world to us, it meant we could see her and bond with her in a way that we couldn't have done without it.
"It was life changing, it made such a difference to us and we could share pictures of her with our family which we otherwise couldn't have."
Now home and weighing 5lb 6oz, Riley is settling in at her home with her family, who can't wait to spend Christmas with their new addition.
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Hide AdKristie, who was full of praise for the NHS staff, added: "She wasn't due until January 1st so she wasn't supposed to be here so soon, so to have her home for Christmas just makes it mean even more.
"The nurses were absolutely fantastic. The NHS are doing so well with everything they are up against. We both had such great care, I just can't thank them enough.
"I also want to make other mums aware of pregnancy problems and urge them to trust their own body if they notice anything wrong.
"I know people don't want to go to hospital with Covid and everything that's going on, but there's Covid everywhere.
"She was normally very wriggly and that particular morning she felt solid on one side. I also had period-type cramping. If people notice something wrong, they should get it checked out."
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