Lockdown has been tough for everyone but especially so for new parents at home with newborns unable to meet up with grandparents.
Former Strictly Come Dancing dancer Ola Jordan has been in this situation over the past year with her baby girl Ella, who she shares with husband and fellow ex-Strictly pro James Jordan, and she's spoken about her personal struggle in a new blog chat.
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Ola, who teamed up with coffee retailer CoffeeFriend, said: "Family is so important. My sister has lived in England for about seven years now, she is a pharmacist and has two young children settled in the area. It's lovely to have her close to me, it makes me so happy to have some family here - and they have met Ella which is really important."
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Strictly couple Ola and James
"Normally when you give birth for the first time, you'd have your family around you supporting you and giving you tips - but I have not been able to have that. They were meant to come over last year but have been stuck in Poland and only one of my parents has been vaccinated.
"I have not seen my mum and dad for nearly two years which is really hard, knowing they are there with nobody around to look after them. Suddenly we had this baby and it was just us and Google!"
"It's tough that my mum and dad have not met my baby yet, but I am hoping to be able to get Ella used to my sister more and more as she grows a bit older so I can maybe leave her with her so I can go out."
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Ola explained the difficulties she's faced becoming a mum during the pandemic. She said: "We've been at home a lot in the last year. When we went into the first lockdown, I had Ella three weeks before so I had to stay at home with her. So even when you could go out, I hardly did. It was nothing new for me!"
Now lockdown is easing, the Strictly star is looking forward to little Ella making some baby friends of her own.
"Babies are social beings and she has not met anyone her age yet, so I cannot wait for her to meet other children," Ola said. "I need to get her out there as soon as possible and she can play with a little mate.
"She seems to be wanting to meet people though - when we go for walks around our local area, she runs up to people to say hello, so I think she is a little extrovert and certainly quite a character. She seems to be quite outgoing, but you never know for sure until she is in a group, you have to test it to find out."
Ola Jordan was speaking to Coffee Friend for their Coffee Break blog
