Having a baby in a pandemic

She was born in July 2020 and no matter what was going on in the outside world, giving birth to her was just as wonderful, painful and scary as when I had my first baby in 2017.

Despite the NHS being under a lot of strain, Bolton hospital did an amazing job, and left me with a positive birth story. In this blog I would like to concentrate on the differences, pre and post Covid-19.

Throughout the pregnancy no one was allowed to come with me to scans and appointments. I was hoping this would have changed towards the end but restrictions remained. The security staff at the maternity entrance didn’t let any man passed the entrance except to go to delivery suite. I was so happy when I learned private scan clinics were opening and booked us straight in. My husband was delighted to see an image of our baby for the first time. This alleviated the slight sadness that came with not having his hand to hold at the 20 week scan. There’s nothing quite like seeing that tiny being in black and white for the first time.

At 37 weeks gestation I went in for an induction as my baby was measuring very small. 2 days before my induction I went to the hospital for a Covid test. I opened my mouth while a masked nurse swabbed the back of my throat and inside my snotty nose (allergies mean I have a snotty nose for most of the Summer). It was quick and painless.

I arrived at the hospital 2 days later. I was shown to my room, which was shared with 3 other women. There was a designated bathroom for women who had tested negative, I was negative, and another down the corridor for those who were still waiting on a result. The actual room was what you might expect of a hospital at any time, apart from the staff down the corridor in full PPE preparing to enter the room with patients who were waiting for test results. The healthcare staff were quite open about discussing who was getting suited up to enter that room and who’d already done it today so it was someone else’s turn. It all felt a bit outbreaky, like the film. I’m sure I wasn’t the only person to avoid the room with the amber sign on it. As if the potential virus could crawl out into the hallway. We were told we didn’t need to worry about masks on this ward but to wear them outside the doors, in the rest of the hospital. Other than that I could walk about the hospital freely. Meals and drinks were brought to the bedside. Patients weren’t allowed in the kitchen for water, apparently they were before. Most of the time there were staff around when me or the other women needed something but there were periods where you could be waiting a good 40 minutes or so for someone to come to the bed and help. They certainly seemed short staffed at times. I’m not sure this is because of the virus but it was obvious that they were stretched thin.

I stayed in the induction ward for 3 days, patiently waiting for things to happen, whilst being closely monitored by midwives and other healthcare professionals. I spent much of that time in the car park outside and walking round the perimeter of the building with my other half, as he wasn’t allowed in. Walking was a good way to try and bring on contractions but I could’ve used his hand to hold whilst making my way back upstairs, as the next contraction hit. I remember laying in the hospital bed all alone, in a lot of pain. All I wanted was a hug but I just couldn’t bring myself to go downstairs and outside again. There were times when I was ready to just sign myself out and go home until something happened but I knew I had to do what was best for my baby.

The best and worst part about having a baby during covid is that there were never any visitors on the ward. This meant that we all only had each other for company. I remember feeling pretty isolated after just a few hours, but then I got talking to the woman next to me. That made the time pass more quickly. Before long we all had our curtains open and were chatting to each other about all sorts, men, babies etc. We were all in the same boat and we got on so well. There’s something unique about a group of women, all heavily pregnant and tired, having a good chat with no visitors about. It was so different to the last time I had an induction, where we all kept ourselves to ourselves. That’s not to say there weren’t times when I could really have done with my husband but every cloud has a silver lining.

After 3 days I was taken to delivery suite to have my waters broken. My husband was allowed in from then on. There’s not much to say from then in terms of Covid. My midwife was so understanding and tried her best to give us a positive experience. Labour didn’t start naturally so I was put on the syntocinon drip. I knew what to expect from my first baby. I also knew the cannula would not go in my hand, from my last labour, so they put it in my wrist after one attempt. The epidural was a trauma in itself. The anaesthetist got it in on the third attempt as my spine is apparently very compacted. I vaguely remember hearing something similar in 2017. I just closed my eyes and imagined I was swimming in the sea, my happy place, as the needle went in and out of my back. I could hardly believe she’d managed it when it was finally in place. That was about 10pm. The rest of the night passed in a dimly lit room, with just me and my partner. The midwife came in every so often to do obs. It was really peaceful and I couldn’t feel a thing from my abdomen down. I drifted off to sleep now and again and had a few snacks, ready for the birth at 7am. She came out after 2 pushes and I was only left with a graze. Me and baby were shipped out of delivery suite after a couple of hours and my husband was asked to leave the hospital again. It was heartbreaking to see him leave, especially with all the drugs and hormones running through my body. I think that was when the separation was the hardest and I was in no condition to go outside and see him.

I spent 24 hours on a recovery ward, in a room with 3 other women. We exchanged stories of our other children. I even offered some advice here and there from my previous experience to the first timers. Again I was lucky and the women in my room were lovely. That was apparently the hottest day of the year and I felt every second of it. It was horrendous. I was recovering from all the medication and I couldn’t move, as my legs were still numb for the first few hours. The first thing I did when I got the feeling back was have the cannula and catheter removed. Being able to pee with no trouble was a massive relief. After a few hours I slowly went downstairs to collect some extra things from my husband. He wasn’t allowed to bring them upstairs. It would have been better for him to have brought them to me considering I’d had a baby a just 5 hours prior but I managed. After some pushing, we were discharged around 4pm and told to expect a visit from the midwife the next day.

In conclusion, I had a positive birth experience. The midwives and doctors that I encountered made me feel cared for and listened to. It may be hard times for the NHS right now but I felt like I was properly cared for. I understand the need for virus control so I don’t feel upset that my partner wasn’t allowed in but I do feel bad for him that he had to stay away from me and his new baby for the first 24 hours of her life.