Pregnancy and Childbirth during the COVID-19 pandemic

The covid pandemic has changed everyday life drastically and it’s no surprise that pregnancy and childbirth has been affected as well.

Everyone is of course going to have a different experience with it. Maybe it doesn’t bother you much or maybe it’s been heartbreaking. No matter your feelings about it there’s no denying things are a bit different.

This is an overview of my experience being pregnant and giving birth in 2020.

I found out I was pregnant at the beginning of 2020 with my second child when my daughter was only a few months old.

Covid was only just starting to be talked about really and I had no idea that it was going to change things big time for my pregnancy and labor.

My husband left for army basic training in March and very shortly after they announced lockdown. Right away this affected life. Goodbye went all the zoo trips, pool plans and playtime at the park I was wanting to do all summer with my daughter. Instead we were stuck home lonely for the next 5 months.

Despite this it hadn’t yet affected my pregnancy, other then wearing a mask inside the doctors office, considering my husband was away. I would be going to appointments alone anyways so it didn’t make much of a difference.

At my 20 week ultrasound they found brain abnormalities which was terrifying for me. It meant more doctors appointments and monthly appointments at a bigger hospital 2 hours away.

Not long after this my husband was finally home. This is when covid really started to affect my pregnancy. Even though my husband was home now I still had to go to appointments alone. I had to try my best to remember everything the doctors said about our sons condition so I could relay it to my husband. The only time I was allowed to have my husband with me was when I had an MRI and a meeting with the neurology team that would be overseeing my son after he was born.

He missed out on seeing ultrasounds of our little baby kicking and yawning. He missed out on hearing his little heartbeat in the womb. I was alone to hear both the good news and the bad news.

I still can’t make sense of why he wasn’t allowed to be there when it was his child yet if we wanted to we could go sit down in a restaurant and have dinner immediately after.

On October 13th I went in for one of my weekly appointments. I was 37 weeks. When I received my cervix check I was told I was nearly 5cm dilated, despite this I was sent home with strict order to head to the hospital as soon as I started feeling any contractions no matter how far apart.

I was halfway home from the doctors when I got call saying they changed their mind and they wanted me to grab my bags and head up to the hospital that day.

I told my husband and he left work early. I was both excited and scared. I picked up my daughter from my moms house and went home to pack a bad for my husband, my daughter and myself. After I had everything ready to go I had to drop my little girl off at my moms once again. A 2 hour drive late and we finally arrived at the hospital. I got checked in and brought to my room. Shortly after a nurse came in a told me I would be getting the dreaded Covid test. It was uncomfortable to say the least.

The part that really didn’t make sense to me is I was the only one tested even though my husband was right there with me.

When I gave birth to my daughter my husband, my mom, my dad, and my mother-in-law were all there. This time they weren’t allowed to be there.

Labour was quick and before 3 o’clock that morning I was holding my son. I wasn’t allowed to have any visitors to meet him.

On the 15th I was discharged but my son was taken to the Children’s Hospital NICU. We knew this would be happening previously as the doctors told us they wanted to keep him for a couple days to do a few tests due to his brain abnormalities. I had never left my daughter for very long so at this point I missed her tremendously. After making sure my son was settled into the NICU and going over the plan with his nurse we started on the 2 hour drive home to see my daughter.

Unfortunately we very quickly found out that my son would be there for more than just a couple days when he ended up with a feeding tube and put on oxygen.

Since we were a few hours away from the hospital we applied to stay at the Ronald McDonald house across the street and were approved but they told us that we would not be allowed to have our daughter stay with us.

This was yet another thing that didn’t make sense to me as we were allowed to come and go as we pleased yet my daughter who lives in the same home with us and thus had the same germs as both of us was not allowed there.

We decided to stay at a hotel about 10 minutes away instead so that we could have her with us. We would rotate between one of us staying at the hotel to watch my daughter and one of us going to the NICU to be with my son throughout the day.

Unfortunately we very rapidly ran out of money so my husband went home with our daughter while I stayed at the Ronald McDonald house to be with our son.

Every couple days I’d come home to spend a night with my daughter. There were also a few times we sent her to my parents so my husband could come to the hospital as well.

I absolutely hated having to choose every day between which child I wouldn’t be seeing. This whole thing only lasted about three weeks but it felt like an eternity.

Even though we’re home now Covid is still affecting things. My son has many follow up appointments and I’m the only one that’s allowed to bring him.

His early development and physical therapy is only a video call.

That being said though I have both my babies home with me now and for that I’m so grateful.