Meet the parents in isolation from their newborns during the coronavirus crisis

For parents of premature babies, a worrying time is being made all the harder by restrictions placed on seeing their newborns amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to time between babies and parents being rationed. In some cases, this means new mothers and fathers are having to wait days - and in some cases weeks - to see their newborns on the neonatal ward.

Baby Fletcher was born at 24 weeks and four days.

Health officials say the strict measures are in place to protect babies born prematurely from the risk of infection.

Rosie Brown went 14 days without seeing her son Fletcher Brown.

He was born at 24 weeks and four days and was battling to survive in the intensive care unit of Stoke Hospital when the coronavirus hit.

After father Bobby Dean developed a cough, the new parents had to isolate for two weeks away from baby Fletcher.

New mother Rosie said: "I was distraught when we realised we'd missed his 100 days celebration in hospital - it's a big milestone for him to reach 100 days".

She said she was "devastated" at having to stay away from her baby.

When the pair were able to see their son again, rules meant they could only do so separately and for a few hours a day.

Fletcher Brown was in ICU after being born at 24 weeks and 4 days.

New father Stephen Croft said not seeing his newborn son Theodore "felt like I'd had a piece of my heart taken".

Baby Theodore had to remain in hospital after experiencing heart and breathing problems having been born at less than 26 weeks.

Mr Croft has gone nearly two weeks without seeing his new son and does not know when he will see him again.

The new father admits that he gets "angry."

"For someone to tell you you can't see your own son or daughter, it's destroying," he told ITV News.

Lead nurse at multiple neonatal units in England Claire O'Mara said the new measures were tough on staff too.

Theodore and family in the neonatal ward.

She said: "Everything we do is around the family [...] so to actually be turning around and saying to them 'I'm really sorry but only one of you can visit your baby and you can only do that for two hours a day' - it's shocking."