Lucy Mecklenburgh says having a lockdown baby helped her relationship 💕

When Lucy Mecklenburgh talks about her gorgeous nine-month-old baby boy, Roman, her eyes light up and a huge grin spreads across her face. Speaking to Closer magazine, Lucy gushed, "I love Roman so much and can’t wait to see him in the mornings,” she says. “He’s growing so fast and wriggling around. He’s a big healthy boy!”

But the experience has been very different to the one she and her fiancé, actor Ryan Thomas, envisaged. Less than three weeks after Roman was born in March, the country was plunged into lockdown and, like all new parents, Lucy and Ryan had to stay at home for the next few months, missing out on support from their family and friends.

But while the former TOWIE star admits there were challenges, she says the experience also gave them precious family time together.

“It was tough at times,” says Lucy, 29. “We had a lot less support than we would have done under normal circumstances, but we had daily FaceTime calls with family and I’d send pictures of Roman via WhatsApp.

“And we were there for all of Roman’s milestones. It’s not often that you don’t have other distractions, like work, so Ryan and I were together all the time. We became a really good team because there was no one to come round and hold the baby while we cooked or cleaned. It definitely brought us closer as a family.”

Lucy admits she did worry at first about Roman missing out on socialising with other babies during the lockdown. She says, “I did have those panics at the beginning that he couldn’t go to parties or baby groups, and I wondered if he’d develop quicker if he had that social interaction. But it helped to know that other mums felt the same.”

Lucy says the support from other new mums, including her former TOWIE co-star Lydia Bright, who had her daughter, Loretta, in February, has been crucial. “I have a lot of friends with babies, Lydia being one of them. We’ve had very different experiences, and in a way, it helps to know that not everyone’s the same."

She added, “There are good days and bad days and support is key. My friends and I would WhatsApp each other if we were having a rubbish day and remind each other that tomorrow would be better. And it always was.”

First-time mum Lucy also relied on the online community to help her cope with tricky days. “Instagram has been amazing,” she says. “When I used to do night feeds, I’d post something at 3am and have chats with other mums, and we’d share funny stories to keep each other going.

“Sleep deprivation was the hardest bit, but then you have those amazing moments. There’s no other love like it.”

“I think it’s very important to make time for each other now Roman goes to bed at 7pm, otherwise it can start to feel like Groundhog Day,” she says. “On Fridays we make a conscious effort to cook a meal. I’ll put on a bit of make-up and we’ll eat together at the table and have a glass of wine, and then maybe watch a film. It makes a difference.”

Read the full interview in this week's Closer magazine!

Scroll through to see which other celebs have welcomed babies in 2020:

Read more:

Lucy Mecklenburgh and Ryan Thomas share first photo of newborn son Roman

Ryan Thomas shares cute snap of Lucy Mecklenburgh cuddling his daughter Scarlett

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• Ryan Thomas
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