Doncaster family’s concern over unborn baby with heart condition

As a self-employed joiner Steve Clarking from Arksey has not been able to work since the start of the lockdown in March.

He said: “I mostly work in domestic settings and have had big jobs cancelled because of the virus.

“As an expectant parent, I had planned jobs that would financially see us through maternity but then Covid threw a spanner in the works.”

Steve’s wife Liane works as a mortgage advisor - another industry that has been hit hard by the coronavirus.

The couple is expecting their first child due on August 14 but there have been complications - the unborn child has a condition called transposition of the great arteries.

This means that the baby will need to have major surgery within the first seven days of its life.

This condition only occurs in one of 10,000 newborns.

Steve said: “We found out at the 20-week scan that there was a problem with the baby's heart.

“We now have to travel to Leeds every three weeks to see a specialist as well as trips to DRI.

“When the baby is born we will have to stay in hospital from anything between four to 12 weeks.”

Liane has been told that she will be put into induced labour in a Leeds hospital so that the baby can be born in a special neonatal unit.

“It’s been such a rollercoaster,” he continued.

“We feel like we’re in a bowl spinning around waiting for the plug to be pulled so we can get out.

“There have been tears of course but we also feel lucky that it has been detected at this early stage.”

The couple were married last year and are struggling not being able to share the baby excitement with friends and family.

“The hardest part for us at the moment is the lack of socialising, we have to Skype friends and family.

“Simple things like getting things ready for the baby have become a nightmare, not being able to order a cot for example.”

Steve and Liane are keeping the gender and the name of the baby a secret until it's born to keep the surprise as something special to look forward to.

Steve has made the decision not to return to work until after the baby is born as he does not want to risk its health.

He said: “I hope that the self-employed scheme is extended as the furlough scheme has been and that I will be seen as a special case.

“I don’t want to go back to work and then go to hospital appointments and potentially give the virus to the specialists who have been so good to us throughout this.

“We want to thank the NHS for how amazing they have been - they have accommodated us so well and we are clapping the loudest on Thursday evenings.”

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