The nurse told the court carrying the dead baby was the ‘hardest thing I’ve had to do’ (Picture: PA/ SWNS)

A nurse accused of murdering multiple babies said carrying a newborn to a mortuary as his father cried on the floor was the ‘hardest thing I’ve had to do.’

Letby, 32, is accused of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others while working in the neo-natal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital, during the 12 months leading up to June 2016.

Manchester Crown Court was told on Monday that Letby, messaged a colleague about the death of her first alleged victim at the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit in June 2015.

She is said to have murdered Child by injecting air into his bloodstream and then allegedly attempted to murder his twin sister, Child B, by the same method on the following night shift.

The jury of eight women and four men was shown a series of messages the defendant exchanged with other staff members, along with her activity on social media.

Less than two hours after she finished the shift during which Child A died she made a Facebook search for Child A’s mother, the court heard.

Later on June 9, before her next shift started, she replied to a fellow nurse who asked: ‘Hi Lucy. Hope you are OK?’

Letby is charged with the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of another ten (Picture: PA)

Lucy Letby is currently on trial at Manchester Crown Court (Picture: Facebook)

Letby was charged after a three year investigation into the death of babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital (Picture: Chester Standard / SWNS)

MORE : Lucy Letby ‘says it was just a coincidence that she was at death of every baby’

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MORE : Mum begged ‘please don’t let my baby die’ after Lucy Letby ‘injected excess air’

Letby responded: ‘I think we all did everything we possibly could under very difficult and sad circumstances. Haven’t had much sleep. Don’t really want to see parents but it’s got to be done.

‘I said to (another nurse) that I can’t look after (Child B) because I just don’t know how I’m going to feel seeing parents.

‘Dad was on the floor crying saying ‘please don’t take our baby away’ when we took him to the mortuary. It’s just heart-breaking.

‘It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Hopefully have a more positive one tonight.’

Hours later Child B collapsed while Letby was on duty, before the youngster later stabilised and was eventually discharged the following month, the court was told.

Another online search for the twins’ mother was made on Letby’s Facebook account just a few hours later.

Letby is on trial over the deaths of babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital neo-natal unit. (Picture: Facebook / Cavendish Press)

Two days later Letby texted a nurse who had looked after Child A when he was born.

Letby wrote: ‘It was awful. He died very suddenly and unexpectedly just after handover.

‘Waiting for post-mortem results. Hopefully they can get to the bottom of it.’

Her colleague replied: ‘It’s so terrible.

‘You are not having a great run at the moment. Hopefully we will find out soon.’

Letby replied: ‘I was not supposed to be in either.

‘I took pictures, hand and footprints etc. They are besides themselves worried that they will lose (Child B) too.’

Five days later Letby messaged a colleague to say that Child B had moved to a recovery room in the unit following her collapse earlier in the month.

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Her colleague said: ‘There’s something odd about that night and the other three that went so suddenly.’

Letby asked: ‘What do you mean? Odd that we lost three and in different circumstances?’

The colleague replied: ‘Were they that different? Ignore me, I’m speculating.’

Letby said: ‘Well (Child C) was tiny, obviously compromised in utero. (Child D) septic. It’s (Child A) I can’t get my head round.’

Letby is alleged to have murdered Child E on August 4 and then tried to kill his twin brother, Child F, the next day.

On September 9, Letby again searched for Child A and B’s mother on Facebook, the court heard.

Letby, from Hereford, denies all the offences.

The trial continues.

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A colleague messaged Letby and said: ‘You are not having a great run at the moment. Hopefully we will find out soon.’