'Lonely' lockdown babies now thriving as best pals

Two mothers who gave birth during the coronavirus lockdown have told how their children are now thriving as best friends despite being born during a "lonely and scary" time.

Victoria and Francesca have lived on the same street in Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire, for more than 20 years.

But the pair found themselves forced apart when they had their children at the height of the pandemic in 2020 and unable to support each other during motherhood.

Now, five years on, the friends have said their bond has helped their children overcome "loneliness" and cement a special friendship.

Leo, four, son of Victoria, and Marley, four, daughter of Francesca, share a unique connection, experiencing an early childhood that was different to most.

The duo enjoy swimming and dancing together and are regularly at one another's houses.

"If we could let them, they would play and be together every day," Francesca said.

Leo was born in April 2020 by an emergency caesarean section, a month after the first lockdown occurred in the UK.

Victoria, who also has three daughters, said having Leo was a "solitary experience".

"Normally it would be really busy, the mid-wives would be in and out but it wasn't, it was very strange," she said.

"It was difficult because friends and family couldn't come and see us, it was isolating."

Francesca gave birth to Marley through IVF in October 2020, but the mother-of-two admitted it was a "worrying time" to be pregnant.

"We knew there was Covid in other countries but we didn't know it would equate to what it did here," she said.

"If you got poorly, it was hard to think what was going to happen to the baby, what was going to happen to you, I tried not to go out at all.

"Even after we had the babies we couldn't go to any pregnancy classes, it was hard."

Despite these challenges, the friendship between Leo and Marley made the initial struggles worthwhile, the mothers said.

Victoria said Leo is "quite confident and sure of himself" while Marley is "a very excitable little girl, she loves everybody", Francesca added.

She added: "After all the heartache we had, when she got here it was the best thing ever."

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