What To Expect When You’re Expecting During A Global Pandemic
A Story Of Two New Parents’ Experience Amid COVID-19
A little over 31 thousand babies were born in April every year between 2014 and 2018 in Canada. Assuming this trend continued into 2020, approximately 31 thousand mothers have already given birth this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In case anxieties about carrying and delivering a baby weren’t enough on their own, thousands of women and their partners have had to endure all the normal stresses of childbirth in conjunction with a global health crisis that has infected millions worldwide and claimed the lives of thousands in Canada alone.
While research about how COVID-19 afflicts pregnant women is inconclusive, the World Health Organization (WHO) does acknowledge that respiratory illnesses can be especially damaging to new and expectant mothers due to changes in their immune systems. And once the baby is born, he or she is entering a world where people are being instructed to stay two metres apart — instructions that will last for the foreseeable future.
Reality Sets In
Maria, a first time mother who lives in Port Moody, B.C., is one of the 30 or so thousand women who experienced both pregnancy and childbirth during COVID-19. She remembers exactly where she was when the gravity of the global pandemic set in.
“I wasn’t really scared about it until the first week of March. I was aware of it before that, but I thought maybe the media was making a bigger deal out of it than it was. But then I started to become really nervous when I saw how it was affecting Italy and the UK.”
By then, she was 35 weeks pregnant. A week later, governments started taking action and effecting changes to everyday life, including bans on large public gatherings and implementing social distancing recommendations. There was also an influx in hospitalizations across the province, including at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, B.C., where she would eventually deliver her baby.
“I knew the hospital was full of sick people. So I thought to myself: what if I catch it? What is my baby or my husband catches it? I was really scared,” she recalls feeling.
Then came a moment when Maria’s obstetrician (OB) was unusually late for one of her weekly appointments. Maria found out that her lateness was due to her doctor having to manage the regular amount of women at the hospital who were in labour or giving birth on top of the increase in hospitalizations due to COVID-19.
“Hospitals were at max capacity, so women were having to be transferred to other hospitals. So I was like holy shit — what if I have to be transferred to a different hospital while I’m in labour?”
Sharing The Burden
Naturally, the added stress of carrying a baby to term during a pandemic isn’t felt just by the mother. Maria’s husband, Jordan, also bore the brunt of uncertainty and dramatic change to everyday life — having to find a way to balance running the family business while supporting his pregnant wife and mitigating risks of contracting the virus.
“Maria and I have discussions all the time about walking the fine line between protecting our baby and still living our lives,” he said. “I have to go to work, grocery shop. But other than that, and two or three visits with my parents, I haven’t gone anywhere and neither has she.”
Despite being cooped up at home caring for a newborn and trying to feign some semblance of normalcy — and a few tense moments along the way — both mom and dad say they’re doing well, all things considered. (Their healthy baby boy, who was born on April 7th, was unavailable for comment.)
They also praised the care and attention received from hospital staff. Although extra operational precautions had to be taken, including some that had an impact on the couple’s experience (the delivery took place in a semi-private room as opposed to a fully private room), the whole process was handled with warmth and care.
“The maternity ward at RCH was very chill, very normal. So everything was different than what I was expecting,” Maria said. “Staff at the hospital were amazing, with more than enough doctors and nurses on shift.”
“The service level they continued to provide with all that was going on was nothing short of commendable,” Jordan added.
What Now?
Thankfully, their new baby boy, Jordan Jr., has no idea of the state of the world into which he was born. After taking proper precautions, Jordan Sr.’s parents have been able to visit their first grandchild on a few occasions. But the decision making process that went into determining who, if anyone, would be allowed to visit was not necessarily an easy one — COVID-19 anxieties abound.
“Staying away from family and friends is very hard. For example, I don’t know if I want my brother and his wife to come see the baby just yet. We’ll have to play it by ear and see how things progress,” Maria admitted.
In place of the normal warmth and celebrations of having a new child, including everything from small visits with family and friends to larger gatherings, Jordan Jr. has met only four people in his first month of life.
This won’t be the case forever. With governments and health authorities around the world beginning to slowly phase in loosening of restrictions around gatherings and stay-at-home recommendations, there will come a time in the not so distant future where the newborn will be able to meet all the family and friends who are dying to meet him.
But perhaps the most painful impact of having a baby during COVID-19 for this new family is the ban on international travel. Maria, who moved here from Brazil in 2015, finds herself in a situation where she is unsure of when her parents will be able to travel from their home in Recife to see their Canadian grandson. “I know how much they’d like to be here.”
In all likelihood, a resumption of non-essential international air travel will become reality months — if not years — after a domestic return to normalcy.
Of course, all the inconveniences and uncertainty the couple experienced, and continues to experience, as a result of bringing a baby into the world amid the COVID-19 pandemic pale in comparison to the joy and happiness of having a healthy, happy baby boy. Like all new parents, Maria and Jordan adapted to their situation and, thanks to support from medical professionals and loved ones alike, their story is a happy one.
And if they can manage to look on the bright side and persevere through all the madness, so can we.
