Premature baby who fought off Covid now 'thriving'

The parents of one of the pandemic's youngest Covid survivors have said that six months on she is "thriving".

Baby Peyton was diagnosed with the virus when she was only three weeks old.

She was born eight weeks prematurely at just 3lbs 5oz (1.5kg), a few days into lockdown on 23 March.

Despite "a lot of worry" in the first six months, her family said she is now "a parcel of goodness" who they "could not be prouder" of.

"She really is an absolute angel," her mum Tracy Maguire said.

Tracy said reflecting on seeing doctors insert a swab into her three-week-old baby's nose to test for coronavirus was one of the "worst things" she has seen.

"It was the first time I'd seen my baby cry tears," she said. "I held her, I was crying and we were just trying to get each other through the situation".

It still upsets her to think of those early days when Peyton's grandparents could only see her through the window.

But despite the challenges Tracy said they now had "everything they could ever wish for".

Peyton, who will be nine months old on Boxing Day, "is going to be absolutely spoiled at Christmas," she said.

"There was so much darkness, but she lights up every room... all you can ever ask for is a happy, healthy baby."

Baby Peyton began to show the slightest of symptoms - a sniffle and a few coughs - before being tested for the virus.

She was given steroids to help strengthen her lungs and received "amazing" care from neonatal nurses in the days that followed her diagnosis.

However, after recovering from her Caesarean section, the new mother was told she would have to go home and isolate for 14 days away from her baby.

She pleaded and eventually doctors relented and allowed her to stay until Peyton was discharged.