Masks are still mandatory in hospitals, especially in places like Starship's neonatal intensive care unit.
But a new kind of mask with a simple but important modification is now available for parents.
It allows better interaction with their babies at an important stage in their development.
Thomas is a survivor whose journey into the world has been a rocky one.
"We called him Thomas after an Antarctic Irish explorer called Thomas Crean. We knew because we had known so early that this boy was going to need to be strong, to give him a good strong name," Thomas's mother Niamh McKain said.
In a scan, doctors found a blockage in Thomas' bladder which has caused issues with his kidneys.
His lungs are also damaged - requiring him to need oxygen and a ventilator at night.
"Thomas' lungs didn't develop properly. We found this out about week 24. They decided within the fetal medicine department to keep Thomas in me to grow," McKain said.
"To hear him breathe, that first moment of life was quite amazing."
Thomas was taken to Starship's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), a place he and his family called home for four months.
On top of this, it was the height of COVID-19 as Thomas was born in September 2021.
"My main focus was Thomas getting well and whatever that meant and if that meant we had to mind him and protect him then that was part of the journey was wearing a mask," McKain said.
"But there were days, quite a few days, when things would become overwhelming, Thomas had a lot of tubes connected to him. So I would see all the tubes, and I felt the mask on my face and I felt this disconnect."
A nurse in NICU saw this disconnect especially when Niamh tried to read to Thomas and do facial expressions that were covered up by a mask.
It made sense to the NICU nurses to try a different kind of mask.
"By removing some of the mask, by having a clear window, babies can mimic and see smiles from mums and dads and so much of our communication is nonverbal," Auckland District Health Board's neo-natal course coordinator Lauren Kendrick told Newshub.
The specially designed masks have been available for parents in NICU to use since mid-2022.
"It's been overwhelmingly positive. It's just one less barrier. They have been used around the world. A lot of NICUs have been implementing them," Kendrick said.
Because seeing faces is vital for development.
"Babies in their first year of life, they need to be able to see faces to develop those communication skills, those social and emotional communication skills as well," paediatrician Dr Jin Russell told Newshub.
It is all possible because of a simple modification to the mask.
"It's hard enough as it is being in there, it's one less thing to worry about," McKain said.
While protecting our most vulnerable babies in what might be their greatest time of need.
