I gave birth during COVID-19, and I LOVED it!
Is it possible to find a news channel today that isn't talking about the Corona Virus? Sure, just as possible as it is to see a real unicorn running the Boston Marathon. When the Corona Virus first hit the news, I was 8 months pregnant. I wasn't too worried as cases were only found in China at the time. Even when the first cases were being reported in New York, I was not concerned. After all, I live in Southern California, over 3,000 miles away.
Then the first cases began to surface not only in California, but in the city I worked in. Again, was I nervous? Not at all. I was (and still am) a healthy 20-something year old with no underlying medical conditions. Well, except for being pregnant which I personally do not consider a 'medical condition'. As more and more new channels began to talk solely about COVID-19, I went about my daily routine. Work in the morning, gym in the evening, weekend hikes, and the occasional visit to my OBGYN. Then, people at work and the gym began to ask me, "Aren't you nervous?", "Do you think this can affect your baby?" My answer always remained the same: "Nope." After all, I figured COVID-19 was a virus, just like the flu. If the influenza virus couldn't cross the placenta, then why could the Corona Virus?
At work we began to wear face masks when we saw patients, which was honestly more irritating than anything. Again, more people started to ask if I was worried or if I was taking maternity leave early to isolate myself. Personally, I did not plan on taking maternity leave until about a week before my due date. I know I can take up to 4 weeks off pre-birth, but honestly I would rather pass the time working than siting at home waiting around for my baby to decide she was ready to be born. So I reassured my patients I would be working well into April.
One Monday morning though, about mid-March, I had one co-worker bring up the Zika virus and that fact that that virus could cross the placenta... So if that virus could cross the placenta, why was I so sure the Corona Virus couldn't? Later that day I had another co-worker share with me a news article reporting the first new born to be diagnosed with the virus. Okay, now I was nervous.
Even though I did not want to, I ended up taking a full 4 weeks of maternity leave before my due date to limit my contact with patients and limit the possibility of contracting the virus. Up until that point I had next to no fears about this pandemic, but I figured I did not want to jeopardize my unborn baby's health just so I could keep busy.
With 3 weeks left until my due date, we received news that partners were no longer allowed to join at any doctor visits and only one person was allowed to accompany you to the hospital when you were about to give birth. Not having my husband at my doctors appointments was sad, but not horrible - thank you FaceTime. Especially since I ended up having to see a 'specialist' for additional testing twice a week. Honestly, I think my husband was happy to have an excuse not to have to attend so many needless appointments with me. Yet only having one person accompany you to give birth?!? That was going to be tough.
My mother or my husband; my husband or my mother. That was one choice I never thought I was going to have to make. Thankfully my husband and my mother both agreed that since this was our first child, my husband would be the one to accompany me into the birthing suite. This was a choice I was actually thankful for. Don't get me wrong, I adore my mother, yet sometimes it is nice not to have someone who knows you so well, and who literally knows exactly what you are about to go through there giving you advice you don't want to hear.
As my due date came closer, my baby was measuring "small for gestational age" on all of the ultrasounds, so my doctor and I agreed with everything going on, it was safer to induce my labor to make sure the baby was okay. At first I was mortified by the idea of getting induced, but it turned out to be the best thing that could have possibly happened. To read more about that, check out My Birthing Story.
Anyways, the quick synopsis of my birthing story was that my birthing experience was calm, controlled, quick and surprisingly easy and enjoyable! I know, words like 'easy' and 'enjoyable' are rarely associated with giving birth, but I am serious! Sure, wearing face masks the entire time was annoying, but the extra precaution by us and the nurses made me feel totally comfortable during the entire process. Also, due to the new regulations stating we had to stay in our room the entire time, there was next to no noise in the hallways which allowed us to sleep and focus on ourselves. I completely attribute that to giving birth during the Corona Virus Pandemic.
Had it not been for the pandemic, I do not think my doctor would have recommended an induction. Also, I probably would have had 6-10 people accompany me into the birthing suite if they were allowed to. Now don't get me wrong, I love my family and friends dearly, but you know how in stressful situations, sometimes your family is the best but also worst people to have around. I probably would have yelled at them to get out, or to leave me alone, or other harmful things I did not mean at the time. Plus, you know everyone would have their cell phones out taking pictures of everything, especially you and the baby as soon as you were done giving birth. Can we talk about unflattering and flat out annoying?
In addition, who there wouldn't want to hold the new born baby? A small, fragile baby whose immune system hasn't even had a chance to develop before people carrying who-knows-what begin to hold it and breath in this poor baby's face. Personally, even before this pandemic and the social distancing restrictions, my husband and I decided that we were not going to have any visitors or anyone hold our baby beside immediate family until she was at least a few weeks - give a baby a chance after all! Plus, I did not want a bunch of people stopping by whenever they wanted 'bearing gifts' or whatnot as an excuse to come see our child. I know people have the best intentions, but that was just something I did not want to happen. Enter social distancing and I was not the one who had to break the news of not being able to come over. Again, thank you COVID-19 restrictions!
Now as our daughter is about to be 1 month old, family and friends have started to come over, wearing face masks and staying six-ish feet away (let's be real, a cute baby's face needs less than 6 feet of distance to be appreciated), and I am much more comfortable about that. I am no longer sleep deprived, we have figured out our new routine as a family, and everything is back to being calm. As far we I know, none of our family members or friends have tested positive for the Corona Virus, so while I am still 'not worried' about myself contracting the virus, I am still 100% paranoid about my daughter. So while states may be easing restrictions and reopening business, I will continue to use COVID-19 recommendations as an excuse to stay home with my precious baby and enjoy what I honestly think was the perfect birthing experience. I never thought I would be so thankful for social restrictions due to a horrific pandemic.
Now let me clarify that I am in no way thankful that this pandemic is currently plaguing our world, but I am thankful for the precautions our city and nation has been taking, in addition to our family and friends.
Then the first cases began to surface not only in California, but in the city I worked in. Again, was I nervous? Not at all. I was (and still am) a healthy 20-something year old with no underlying medical conditions. Well, except for being pregnant which I personally do not consider a 'medical condition'. As more and more new channels began to talk solely about COVID-19, I went about my daily routine. Work in the morning, gym in the evening, weekend hikes, and the occasional visit to my OBGYN. Then, people at work and the gym began to ask me, "Aren't you nervous?", "Do you think this can affect your baby?" My answer always remained the same: "Nope." After all, I figured COVID-19 was a virus, just like the flu. If the influenza virus couldn't cross the placenta, then why could the Corona Virus?
At work we began to wear face masks when we saw patients, which was honestly more irritating than anything. Again, more people started to ask if I was worried or if I was taking maternity leave early to isolate myself. Personally, I did not plan on taking maternity leave until about a week before my due date. I know I can take up to 4 weeks off pre-birth, but honestly I would rather pass the time working than siting at home waiting around for my baby to decide she was ready to be born. So I reassured my patients I would be working well into April.One Monday morning though, about mid-March, I had one co-worker bring up the Zika virus and that fact that that virus could cross the placenta... So if that virus could cross the placenta, why was I so sure the Corona Virus couldn't? Later that day I had another co-worker share with me a news article reporting the first new born to be diagnosed with the virus. Okay, now I was nervous.
Even though I did not want to, I ended up taking a full 4 weeks of maternity leave before my due date to limit my contact with patients and limit the possibility of contracting the virus. Up until that point I had next to no fears about this pandemic, but I figured I did not want to jeopardize my unborn baby's health just so I could keep busy.
With 3 weeks left until my due date, we received news that partners were no longer allowed to join at any doctor visits and only one person was allowed to accompany you to the hospital when you were about to give birth. Not having my husband at my doctors appointments was sad, but not horrible - thank you FaceTime. Especially since I ended up having to see a 'specialist' for additional testing twice a week. Honestly, I think my husband was happy to have an excuse not to have to attend so many needless appointments with me. Yet only having one person accompany you to give birth?!? That was going to be tough.
My mother or my husband; my husband or my mother. That was one choice I never thought I was going to have to make. Thankfully my husband and my mother both agreed that since this was our first child, my husband would be the one to accompany me into the birthing suite. This was a choice I was actually thankful for. Don't get me wrong, I adore my mother, yet sometimes it is nice not to have someone who knows you so well, and who literally knows exactly what you are about to go through there giving you advice you don't want to hear.
As my due date came closer, my baby was measuring "small for gestational age" on all of the ultrasounds, so my doctor and I agreed with everything going on, it was safer to induce my labor to make sure the baby was okay. At first I was mortified by the idea of getting induced, but it turned out to be the best thing that could have possibly happened. To read more about that, check out My Birthing Story.
Anyways, the quick synopsis of my birthing story was that my birthing experience was calm, controlled, quick and surprisingly easy and enjoyable! I know, words like 'easy' and 'enjoyable' are rarely associated with giving birth, but I am serious! Sure, wearing face masks the entire time was annoying, but the extra precaution by us and the nurses made me feel totally comfortable during the entire process. Also, due to the new regulations stating we had to stay in our room the entire time, there was next to no noise in the hallways which allowed us to sleep and focus on ourselves. I completely attribute that to giving birth during the Corona Virus Pandemic.Had it not been for the pandemic, I do not think my doctor would have recommended an induction. Also, I probably would have had 6-10 people accompany me into the birthing suite if they were allowed to. Now don't get me wrong, I love my family and friends dearly, but you know how in stressful situations, sometimes your family is the best but also worst people to have around. I probably would have yelled at them to get out, or to leave me alone, or other harmful things I did not mean at the time. Plus, you know everyone would have their cell phones out taking pictures of everything, especially you and the baby as soon as you were done giving birth. Can we talk about unflattering and flat out annoying?
In addition, who there wouldn't want to hold the new born baby? A small, fragile baby whose immune system hasn't even had a chance to develop before people carrying who-knows-what begin to hold it and breath in this poor baby's face. Personally, even before this pandemic and the social distancing restrictions, my husband and I decided that we were not going to have any visitors or anyone hold our baby beside immediate family until she was at least a few weeks - give a baby a chance after all! Plus, I did not want a bunch of people stopping by whenever they wanted 'bearing gifts' or whatnot as an excuse to come see our child. I know people have the best intentions, but that was just something I did not want to happen. Enter social distancing and I was not the one who had to break the news of not being able to come over. Again, thank you COVID-19 restrictions!
Now as our daughter is about to be 1 month old, family and friends have started to come over, wearing face masks and staying six-ish feet away (let's be real, a cute baby's face needs less than 6 feet of distance to be appreciated), and I am much more comfortable about that. I am no longer sleep deprived, we have figured out our new routine as a family, and everything is back to being calm. As far we I know, none of our family members or friends have tested positive for the Corona Virus, so while I am still 'not worried' about myself contracting the virus, I am still 100% paranoid about my daughter. So while states may be easing restrictions and reopening business, I will continue to use COVID-19 recommendations as an excuse to stay home with my precious baby and enjoy what I honestly think was the perfect birthing experience. I never thought I would be so thankful for social restrictions due to a horrific pandemic.Now let me clarify that I am in no way thankful that this pandemic is currently plaguing our world, but I am thankful for the precautions our city and nation has been taking, in addition to our family and friends.
Comments
Post a Comment