PREGNANCY DURING LOCKDOWN | FEATURE
Back in March, I wrote a short piece on pregnancy during lockdown, as the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic began to take hold. Almost six months later, I now have a happy, milk-guzzling baby boy.
As expected, a lockdown pregnancy and childbirth had some serious ups and downs. It’s surprising how quickly you can get your house baby-ready when you put your mind to it – and when you’re willing to splurge on next day delivery.
However, Covid-19 meant that my partner could no longer be present at midwife appointments, hospital appointments, and could only be with me whilst I was in ‘active labour’. Three hours after our baby boy arrived in the world, he had to go home, forbidden to stay with us in the hospital. Though we were lucky that I was only in hospital one night – I know of new parents who have had to spend countless nights apart due to restrictions – this was tough for both of us. A situation which only adds to what is already an anxious and difficult time for both the mum-to-be in hospital and the parent left at home feeling helpless.
A big impact of the pandemic for new parents is the cessation of prenatal and NCT groups to prepare you for the delivery and arrival of your new baby. This also means you miss out on forming potentially vital friendships with other parents-to-be. We did an online prenatal course, run by The Baby Academy, which I would recommend for baby preparation itself – but there is no real opportunity to build relationships with other expectant parents. With this in mind, the All Wales Antenatal Education And Support Facebook group is also brilliant and invaluable. The videos are especially helpful for us new parents who have barely held a baby before, let alone changed nappies or cared for one.
I had expectations that my midwife would prepare a birth plan with me, explain pain relief and so on. However, for me this didn’t happen and I was often referred ‘online’. Should you find yourself in a similar situation, my advice is to do some research. Use social media: Instagram, for example, has so many good accounts now, such as The Modern Midwife or FeedEatSpeak. Buy a book, download an app and use the NHS website – but definitely spend some time forming a birth plan, and be prepared to rip it up and have a plan B, C and D.
Gain an understanding of what could happen, the terminology and things that could throw your plan off-course. It really helps to remove the fear factor when you understand what is being talked about. For example, I didn’t know that being induced would mean I couldn’t have a water birth, as I requested, nor was I told this. Once my contractions started and I was reaping the benefits of gas and air, though, I didn’t even think to question it until I’d already delivered our baby.
I was adamant I didn’t want to hear birth stories from people I know and I stand by this – if you’re like me, they’ll only fill you with terror and dread. Most importantly, trust the midwives and doctors, experts who do this day in day out. I can’t fault the care I received from the midwives and staff in the Heath Hospital during my labour and the night after it. My call button was certainly well-used and they were happy to answer even daft questions (“what do I do? My baby has moved!”).
What I have found most difficult is how utterly unprepared I was for what followed the arrival of my baby. You have expectations of pregnancy and labour – it’s going to hurt! – because they’re talked about, and post-natal depression is discussed far more openly than in past eras. The same can’t be said for the physical recovery after labour – or, at least, nobody talked to me about it. It was a shock to the system, quite literally, although I had a reasonably straightforward recovery.
With Covid ongoing, I was impacted by a lack of physical visits from midwives to check on my recovery and doctors doing their best to diagnose problems over the phone. Everyone is doing their best to muddle through, but it will inevitably affect new mothers – I know of cases where health visitors simply haven’t visited at all because of the pandemic. GPs and health professionals have neglected to check stitches or C-section wound recovery; there have even been delays in baby check-ups.
A return to normality will be much appreciated by us all in this area, and an improvement on normality for the sharing of information around postnatal recovery needs to start, regardless of a pandemic. Educate first-time mothers on what to expect so it doesn’t have to be so frightening in what is already a daunting and anxiety-filled time.
My experience of pregnancy and labour was, for the most part, a positive one, pandemic or no pandemic. Now, I just hope that potential local lockdowns don’t impact family and friends sharing in our little bundle of joy as he grows over the coming months.
words LAUREN PHILLIMORE photos SANDOR WEISZ / www.radiology-technician.com