Kelly Potatau, front left, pictured with baby Jack, her parents and three older children three weeks before lockdown. Photo / supplied
Kelly Potatau, front left, pictured with baby Jack, her parents and three older children three weeks before lockdown. Photo / supplied
Having a critically ill baby and staying by his side in Starship Children's Hospital in Auckland for nine months was already tough for Northland mum Kelly Potatau.
But throw the Covid-19 level 4 lockdown into the mix and having to look after two of her other children at Ronald McDonaldHouse amid medical appointments and alert level restrictions, and Potatau has really had to dig deep.
Potatau has been staying on and off at RMHC in Auckland since last November as her baby boy Jack undergoes regular treatments for a rare heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF).
The condition is caused by a combination of four congenital heart defects that affect the structure of the heart, cause oxygen-poor blood to flow out of the heart and to the rest of the body.
Potatau hasn't been back to her Kerikeri home since her son was born, so lockdown hasn't really affected her, but it's been difficult for two of her other children.
"They can't leave their rooms, unless I take them to the Domain to burn off some energy. It affects my children more than me."
Khiaahn, 5, and Niiwa, 13, have been staying at RMHC since level 4 lockdown began on August 17. Photo / supplied
Since he was born, Jack, who is now nine months, has also developed other medical conditions including horseshoe kidneys, a fusion defect of the kidneys, and collapsed airways.
The family is currently in one of New Zealand's most unique bubbles, RMHC House in Grafton, a 700m walk to Starship Hospital.
Due to lockdown restrictions, Potatau is unable to have family or friends drop by to visit them at their temporary home.
"It's okay, we still can't interact as much as we'd like to, and we still have to social distance in the house.
"All the parents that have other children that aren't sick have to stay in their rooms, it's up to us to get them out during the day.
"It's hard for my five-year-old because he's the active one. He wants to play with his mates but he can't."
The 36-year-old was 26 weeks pregnant when she found out her baby had TOF, and was in Auckland hospital two weeks before she was expected to give birth in case she went into early labour.
She had Jack in November, and he had his first heart surgery in February.
"It's been a really hard journey," she said.
"I've had moments of bawling my eyes out, then I can be happy because I get good news some days."
Potatau currently has no idea how long she and her children will be in Auckland, "but Jack will definitely be spending his first year of life in hospital".
"He's been in intensive care for seven months now, it's hard to say when we'll be going anywhere.
"Some days we can be improving and out of nowhere, Jack can throw us all the way back.
"He's got a very critical airway. At first we couldn't touch him or move him, it was very hard. We've only just started to have cuddles."
Potatau thanked staff at the house for their support, who along with her parents she talks to regularly on the phone, have been "amazing".
"Because they know I'm a single mum, it's hard for me ... Ronald McDonald House are doing an amazing job with support and giving us a home away from home."
