5 days ago
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Original 106's Pete: 'My son was born on day 1 of lockdown, now he's starting school'
Born the first day of lockdown 2020, Banchory's Jax McIntosh is now five-and-a-half and gearing up for another momentous first… his first day of big school.
But waving him off into the hustle and bustle of the primary school playground couldn't be a greater contrast to that of the day Original 106 Breakfast Show host Pete and wife Hannah brought their firstborn home.
'There wasn't a person on the road,' Pete, 47, said.
Born into a world on pause, Jax arrived a healthy 8lbs 1 ounce on March 24 2020, two months after the first cases of Covid 19 were reported in the UK, and just a week after the country was told to avoid all 'non-essential contact'.
'The rules were slowly changing when we were in hospital,' Siemens project manager Hannah explained. 'I feel very lucky that Pete got to come in at all.'
'Jax didn't come quickly so Hannah was in for a few days,' dad-of-two Pete added.
'I would go home and come back, but was able to be there for Hannah's labour and Jax being born. The day Jax arrived was the first official day of full lockdown.
'I remember the drive home was like a ghost town.'
Having a 'bubble baby', Hannah, 36, recalls how odd and at times difficult it was in those early days as a family of three.
'I mean, it definitely wasn't a normal time. My maternity leave was really impacted.
'There were none of the things you hope for or imagine as a new mum, like baby groups or going to lunch with friends. No visitors coming round to meet your baby for the first time either.
'We were fortunate that we live in the country, so we did our one walk a day in a beautiful setting. It wasn't easy, though. Jax had colic and there was a sense of isolation, for sure.
'People often go for a drive or go multiple walks in a day when they have a colicky baby. We couldn't do that. And we couldn't ask anyone to come and give us a break.'
It was three months before Jax met his grandparents.
'It feels a bit like a dream that our parents could only peer in the patio doors to see their grandchild,' radio presenter Pete recalls. 'We certainly made use of Zoom and video calls.
'In other ways, it was quite nice, though.
'While we missed that support from wider family, it was a funny kind of privilege to have so much time with Jax in those early days.
'What we thought would be two weeks of working from home turned to two years.'
It meant more cuddles between calls and seeing Jax for extended periods that dads often don't get today.
Now big brother to two-and-a-half-year-old Emily, those formative years exploring the country seem to have rubbed off on digger-daft Jax.
'He absolutely loves being outside and he's a very energetic little boy. He loves to climb and build. He's great with Lego.
'I think he's excited to start school and play with his friends.
'I had no idea that things have changed so much from my days in primary one… now the focus is more on learning through play, so he'll love it,' Pete said.
Do they have any worries that their lockdown baby won't be ready for such a big step up?
'Not at all,' Hannah said. 'He's had trial days where they practise lining up and he's been to nursery so will know people already.
'To be honest, I think babies born early in lockdown, like Jax, had a tricky start, but were probably less disadvantaged than older babies who maybe missed nursery.'
In researching this article, we spoke to parents who decided to defer school starts for their pandemic-born children.
'Jax is ready. Maybe if he had been just four-and-a-half I'd do the same, but he's five and full of beans.
'The biggest issue we'll have is explaining to Emily. I think she's jealous and would quite like to be joining her brother already,' laughs Hannah.
For now, the Banchory family are making the most of their last few days of holidays before school drop-offs are added into their busy schedule.
'I leave here at 5am,' Nairn-born Pete says, 'To get to work to present the show in Aberdeen with Claire. I then finish presenting and usually have a full day after that.
'So weekends and holidays are really precious to me.
'I love being out on the bikes with Jax and we all enjoy family walks together.'
But are the pair ready to wave off their firstborn?
'Well, we'll see,' Pete says. 'It's certainly a big milestone.'
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