Queensland border blockade separates NSW mum from newborn after he’s flown to Brisbane for treatment
A day-old baby boy who was flown from northern NSW to a Brisbane hospital for lifesaving treatment has been separated from his mother because she can’t cross the state border due to coronavirus restrictions.
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A day-old baby boy who was flown from Lismore to a Brisbane hospital for lifesaving treatment has been separated from his mother because she can’t cross the state border due to coronavirus restrictions.
“All I want are both my boys with me,” the heartbroken mother Chantelle Northfield told 7 News. “But one is going to be in Brisbane where we can’t see him.
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“I just want him to know how much I love him.”
Her newborn son Harvey was held by his mother for a fleeting moment, but due to medical complications had to be rushed to the Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital.
“I obviously wanted to go with him, but obviously due to the coronavirus restrictions, we were not able,” Chantelle said.
She and her partner Glen were told there was no room in the helicopter, but that they could come by car.
But after receiving the necessary permissions from NSW Health and Queensland Police, the hospital told them they were “too high-risk” and would have to quarantine for 14 days.
She is now relying on video calls to see her newborn.
“FaceTime’s just not the same because I can’t even lay a finger on him,” Chantelle said. “And just say that I love him.
“He’s just hooked up to tubes, he’s sleeping, he doesn’t get to hear my heartbeat and feel the comfort of that.”
The baby is improving quickly, with doctors saying he’ll be able to go home to Lismore by Wednesday.
A Queensland Health spokesperson said: “We cannot comment on individual cases. However, Metro North Hospital and Health Service is working closely with the family so they can see their baby, while mitigating the COVID-19 risk to the community.”