The parents of a five-month-old baby have thanked the NHS after they were plunged into fear and uncertainty when their daughter tested positive for the coronavirus.
Mum Emily Woodger first realised something was wrong with her daughter Amelia when her usually happy and alert baby would not stop sleeping and came down with a temperature.
After calling 111, Mrs Woodger and her husband Connor, from Brandon, were told not to worry and that their daughter may have chicken pox.
But by 10.30pm on Saturday, April 4, Amelia’s symptoms had worsened, and they were told to go straight to A&E at West Suffolk Hospital.
Mrs Woodger said: “We went straight into paediatrics, her heart rate was really high, and her temperature had gone up. Then we went to the rainbow ward where they did every test possible including coronavirus.
“They told me I would be there at least three days. But as soon as we were in hospital we weren’t allowed to leave and no one was allowed to visit. I was so worried, I sat crying in a room on my own.
“You just don’t know what to do. You couldn’t help her, she had needles everywhere, I felt helpless.”
Amelia was put on a drip and given antibiotics in case of infection, but after vigorous testing, Mrs Woodger said, on April 6 a doctor came through in protective clothing and she knew what he was about to say.
“As soon as we found out she had it they only came in if it was necessary,” said Mrs Woodger.
“They put my lunch on a table by the door, they knocked on the window if I wanted anything.
“Then on April 7 we were allowed to leave but were told to go straight home and isolate for 15 days.
“Amelia isn’t 100pc, but there are smiles, so she is on the mend.”
Now Mrs Woodger, Amelia and Mr Woodger are back together recovering at home.
And after the ordeal, which Mrs Woodger described as “like being in a film”, the 25-year-old used Facebook to post a photo of her now healthy baby, with a message thanking the NHS.
She added: “The NHS staff were absolutely amazing. You don’t realise how much we need the NHS until something like that happens to you.
“Keep your children safe and keep them inside.”
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