Pregnancy and Delivery During COVID-19
Pregnancy and COVID-19 can be a stressful mountain to face. Here’s how I got through it and how you can too.
Having a baby during the COVID-19 pandemic was challenging. I wouldn’t wish the experience on any expecting mom. I am stronger now for it, and though I am proud of that growth, three aspects in particular that made the experience difficult; attending prenatal appointments alone, facing the possibility of birthing solo, and birthing in a masked hospital. Each aspect required unique navigation while still coping with the normal stressors that every expecting mom faces in regular life. Truth be told, when my husband and I decided to have a second child, COVID-19 didn’t “exist”, so you can imagine our surprise when everything changed overnight.
Attending appointments alone was difficult, exacerbated by the fact I was considered high risk due to my first pregnancy. I had additional ultrasounds, appointments and was even diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I had all the things—of course. Everything was understandably masked and that might have been the hardest part of attending appointments alone. Isn’t it amazing how much comfort can be given or taken away just from a facial expression? During pregnancy you want encouragement that everything will be okay, but my doctor couldn’t do that. I remember her saying “I know this is the last thing you want to hear, but I can’t give the reassurances I normally do—we are in uncharted territory.” And we were. And I was scared. Things like gender reveal, critical anatomy scans, and other appointments were faced alone for better or for worse.
This notion of being alone came to a head when New York started banning support persons from being present during labor and delivery. I was floored, hysterical and I remember calling my sister saying, “I know I won’t make it if Bryce (my husband) can’t be there.” I had an extremely traumatizing first labor which resulted in a nine-day hospitalization, so you can imagine the thought of going through that ALONE was scary. But I acted, asking everyone I knew to sign a petition against the ban and I even submitted a video speaking my personal truth on the situation—the host of the petition on change.org even featured my video! I had never thrown myself at a cause so quickly and so passionately, but I knew banning support persons from delivery rooms wasn’t right. In the end the ban was lifted—thank God—and women were allowed to have the support person they absolutely deserved. For me, that’s Bryce, my wonderful husband.
Delivery slowly crept up in my mind and body. It was nearing time and I was scared for a lot of different reasons. At this point I had to surrender to God’s plan and trust Him. That is a word I became keenly familiar with. Trust God. Trust myself. Trust the doctors and nurses. I was told early on my daughter would likely weigh more than nine pounds at birth so honestly a lot was at stake and my “high risk” diagnoses just kept growing. Without getting into details I delivered my perfect 9lb daughter after 30 minutes of pushing—the hardest and most rewarding work of my entire life. Delivery was the part I feared most, and you know what? God saw me through. Having faith doesn’t mean God takes away the work. What a lesson that was. He showed me, “Kindra you have to face your fears, but I’ll be there every moment to support you.” That was life changing.
I never saw the face of a doctor or nurse—except one. At the end of my second nurse’s shift she pulled her mask down just enough for me to see her face and she said to me, “I can tell you are stronger than you think.” I won’t forget her. Birthing in a pandemic is not for the faint of heart, but I will hold on to the lessons I learned. I am thankful for the strength I never knew I had. If any mamas are newly pregnant, or approaching pregnancy, and want to chat I am happy to talk. Shoot me an email and I will be there for you.
All my best,
Kindra
The Rose Wife
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