The mother of a baby who died from Covid infection after refusing to get vaccinated spoke out first.
When she was just 2lb 30z, Little Ivy Rose Court at Royal Preston Hospital was 14 weeks premature. She tested positive for coronavirus.
Katie Leeming (22 years old), from Blackpool in Lancashire spoke out for the first-time. She said that she didn’t get vaccinated because of ‘horror tales’ on online pregnancy forums about the negative effects.
Covid was the first thing she caught and she became so sick she couldn’t have a baby for 26 more weeks.
Experts consistently state the safety of jabs for pregnant women and infants.
Katie said, however that she didn’t regret it. Katie cited Covid’s capture by her double-jabbed husband and stated she believed there was not enough research to determine the long-term impact on pregnancy.
Katie Leeming, 22, of Blackpool, Lancashire said she had no regrets as she quoted the fact her double-jabbed partner caught Covid and believes there has been ‘too little’ research into the long-term effects on pregnancies
Mother-of-three stated that she had been reading about Covid-19 and its effects on pregnant women.
“One woman said that she’d had the vaccination, and that the baby was stillborn the next week.
“There are many possible causes for my fear, including the vaccination. However, it scared me enough to keep me away.
“Just listening to the stories of women who have miscarriages scared me enough not to risk it.
“I don’t know whether it would have made any difference. There were thoughts that I was having about it. But what if she had had it? What if it was my fault? Would she be still here today? But what if I’m the one responsible?
“But, my midwife said to me that I couldn’t afford it.
“It is possible that I could still have contracted Covid-19 even after getting the vaccine. If I had it, and something did happen, then I would blame the vaccine.”
Katie fell ill with symptoms resembling a cold in October. Her PCR results confirmed that Katie had been exposed to Covid-19.
Although she initially felt fine, she said she started to feel palpitations and her heart rate rose after about a week.
“That day, I couldn’t feel my baby moving at all. That’s why, I called the hospital,” she said.
“It was then that they stated the baby’s heart rate was not as high as it should be, so they decided to give her up right away.
“I had already been a mother to two premature babies, so I knew exactly what I was going to get and what the risk factors were.
‘But I was trying as positive as possible, knowing how my other kids survived. She began to deteriorate five days after she was bitten by Covid.
“On October 21 she began to go down rapidly. Because they were unsure if she would make it through the night, they told us to accompany her.
Ivy Rose Court was 14 weeks prematurely born at Royal Preston Hospital and weighed just 2lb 30z. She tested positive for coronavirus.
Katie is a baker assistant and lives with Lee Court, her husband, and her sons Alfie and Charlie. She said that she was shocked by Ivy Rose’s sudden decline as her daughter appeared stable just 24 hours earlier.
Doctors at Royal Preston Hospital Neonatal Unit, to which she was transferred from Blackpool Victoria Hospital said her heart rate and oxygen levels had greatly declined.
Her condition continued to worsen and it was decided to turn off her life support at the beginning of October 22.
Katie said that by 11pm they had found too much damage to the property and it was time to release her.
“But they allowed us to keep her for a while and spend some time with her.
Every hour is different. Through all stages of grief, I was there.
“I felt completely numb. Now, I feel as if nothing had happened. And now I’m expecting to feel the baby move – since it’s possible that I shouldn’t be having her. I’m devastated.’
Katie and Lee now hope to create a memorable send-off with flowers, a horse-drawn carriage and other special touches for their daughter.
Simone Threlfall (25 year old friend of Katie) set up a fundaiser for funeral expenses.
“You shouldn’t be expected to have to cover the funeral of your child,” she said. You can’t prepare yourself for this terrible event.
We can’t make things right. We can only help. Katie wouldn’t ask for any help. But when I shared the story about the fundraising, it felt like she had lifted a heavy burden. Although it’s small in size, it can have a huge impact.
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said: “We are deeply sorry for the loss of Ivy Rose and our thoughts and prayers are with her loved ones at this very sad time.”