English: COVID has presented challenges for everyone, and while all of us here would agree that everything must be done to keep parents, babies and staff safe, we must also do whatever we can to ensure the best possible outcomes for everyone involved. We must start by acknowledging that the experiences of young children, babies and their families this year have been some of the most adversely affected by the restrictions. Of course, although these restrictions have been necessary, we cannot ignore the damage that they've caused and continue to cause. At some point we may want to reflect whether the periods of lockdowns would have been necessary had Governments acted earlier to eliminate community transmission, had we established a test and trace system that worked properly, and had we imposed the kind of border controls and central quarantine facilities that have seen many countries throughout the world that have experienced fewer lockdowns and less harsh restrictions. We will be living with the consequences of this for decades, and, because of that, our recovery must start with a focus on babies and children - a focus that has been missing to date. It was only last Monday that Government announced that they would provide financial support to the parents of children who have to isolate. Why was this issue not considered before? Is it not telling that, aside from education issues, this is the first debate in which children and babies have been placed in the centre? Becoming a parent is a challenge when there is no pandemic; the accounts of the additional pressures that exist now that I'm sure that all of us have heard cannot be ignored. We know, and we've already heard, how important those first 1,000 days of a child's life are. When parents are isolated, struggling alone, or even in couples, the risk of developing mental health problems increase. As one new mother put it to me, 'I've seen the health visitor twice. She is supportive, but I have to attend on my own and I forget a lot of what has been said.' Another says, 'We should allow babies under one some additional bubble support, which would've benefited my mental health. My baby only saw me and my husband from March to August.' Dealing with routine matters on your own can be a strain, but it's even worse when things go wrong. Some of the most harrowing stories that I've heard have been from women who've had to process the worst imaginable news all alone, while their partner waits outside in the corridor or has to sit in the car. This issue deserves greater political attention; we are storing up long-term problems otherwise. The maternity workforce deserves protecting and boosting. As one woman put it, 'The staff were very good, but you would think that, due to partners not being allowed to visit, they would have extra staff, but no'. So, we need additional resources to go into this, more funding for specialist mental health services, and to enable safe visiting. In general, we must see more support for those of our citizens who will live the longest with the fallout from COVID-19, as well as the parents who will help them get there.
Welsh: Mae COVID wedi cyflwyno heriau i bawb, ac er y byddai pob un ohonom yma yn cytuno bod rhaid gwneud popeth i gadw rhieni, babanod a staff yn ddiogel, rhaid i ni hefyd wneud beth bynnag a allwn i sicrhau'r canlyniadau gorau posibl i bawb. Rhaid inni ddechrau drwy gydnabod mai profiadau plant ifanc, babanod a'u teuluoedd eleni oedd rhai o'r rhai yr effeithiwyd arnynt fwyaf gan y cyfyngiadau. Wrth gwrs, er bod y cyfyngiadau hyn wedi bod yn angenrheidiol, ni allwn anwybyddu'r niwed y maent wedi'i achosi ac yn parhau i'w achosi. Ar ryw adeg efallai y byddwn am ystyried a fyddai'r cyfnodau o gyfyngiadau symud wedi bod yn angenrheidiol pe bai Llywodraethau wedi gweithredu'n gynharach i ddileu trosglwyddiad cymunedol, pe baem wedi sefydlu system brofi ac olrhain a oedd yn gweithio'n iawn, a phe baem wedi gosod y math o fesurau rheoli ar y ffin a'r cyfleusterau cwarantin canolog sydd wedi golygu bod llawer o wledydd ym mhob cwr o'r byd wedi gweld llai o gyfyngiadau symud a chyfyngiadau llai llym. Byddwn yn byw gyda chanlyniadau hyn am ddegawdau, ac oherwydd hynny, rhaid i'n hadferiad ddechrau gyda ffocws ar fabanod a phlant - ffocws sydd wedi bod ar goll hyd yma. Ddydd Llun diwethaf yn unig y cyhoeddodd y Llywodraeth y byddent yn rhoi cymorth ariannol i rieni plant sy'n gorfod ynysu. Pam na chafodd y mater ei ystyried cyn hynny? Onid yw'n dweud llawer, ar wahân i faterion addysg, mai dyma'r ddadl gyntaf lle mae plant a babanod wedi'u gosod yn y canol? Mae dod yn rhiant yn her pan nad oes pandemig; ni ellir anwybyddu'r hanesion am y pwysau ychwanegol y mae pob un ohonom wedi'u clywed, rwy'n siŵr. Rydym yn gwybod, ac rydym eisoes wedi clywed, pa mor bwysig yw'r 1,000 diwrnod cyntaf o fywyd plentyn. Pan fydd rhieni'n ynysig, yn cael trafferth ar eu pen eu hunain, neu hyd yn oed mewn cyplau, mae'r risg o ddatblygu problemau iechyd meddwl yn cynyddu. Fel y dywedodd un fam newydd wrthyf, 'Rwyf wedi gweld yr ymwelydd iechyd ddwywaith. Mae hi'n gefnogol, ond mae'n rhaid i mi fynd yno ar fy mhen fy hun ac rwy'n anghofio llawer o'r hyn a ddywedwyd.' Dywed un arall, 'Dylem ganiatáu rhywfaint o gymorth swigod ychwanegol ar gyfer babanod o dan flwydd oed, byddai hynny wedi gwneud lles i fy iechyd meddwl. Ni welodd fy mabi neb ond fi a fy ngŵr rhwng mis Mawrth a mis Awst.' Gall ymdrin â phethau arferol ar eich pen eich hun fod yn straen, ond mae hyd yn oed yn waeth pan fydd pethau'n mynd o chwith. Mae rhai o'r straeon mwyaf dirdynnol a glywais wedi dod gan fenywod sydd wedi gorfod prosesu'r newyddion gwaethaf y gellir ei ddychmygu ar eu pen eu hunain, tra bod eu partner yn aros y tu allan yn y coridor neu'n gorfod eistedd yn y car. Mae'r mater hwn yn haeddu mwy o sylw gwleidyddol; rydym yn cronni problemau hirdymor fel arall. Mae'r gweithlu mamolaeth yn haeddu cael ei ddiogelu a'i ymestyn. Fel y dywedodd un fenyw, 'Roedd y staff yn dda iawn, ond gan nad oedd partneriaid yn cael ymweld, byddech yn meddwl y byddai ganddynt staff ychwanegol, ond na'. Felly, mae arnom angen adnoddau ychwanegol ar gyfer hyn, mwy o gyllid ar gyfer gwasanaethau iechyd meddwl arbenigol, ac i alluogi ymweliadau diogel. Yn gyffredinol, rhaid inni weld mwy o gefnogaeth i rai o'n dinasyddion a fydd yn byw hwyaf gyda chanlyniadau COVID-19, yn ogystal â'r rhieni a fydd yn eu helpu i gyrraedd yno.