Pregnant During a Pandemic

Never in a million years did I ever think I would be pregnant in a pandemic, let alone experience a pandemic in my lifetime. I’m sure I can speak for most of us when I say that we never thought we would be going through what we’re currently going through in the world. However, this is reality. We are truly experiencing unprecedented times.Towards the end of my second trimester and the beginning of my third, is when everything hit the fan and things totally changed. During that time, my OB-GYN’s office only saw pregnant women and women who needed to be seen for other important reasons. When the new rules were enforced, it was so awkward sometimes being the only person in the waiting room. I was suddenly instructed to attend doctor’s appointments alone. Up until that time, my husband had been to every single one. Together, we would look forward to seeing the growth of our son and hearing about the progress he was making. Instead, I just updated my husband when my appointments were over. Also, wearing masks and getting temperature checks each visit was a requirement.Another way in which the pandemic impacted my pregnancy is that I was unable to participate in childbirth classes and not allowed to tour the new hospital where I delivered. I was a bit bummed about not being able to do those things, but thanks to technology, I was able to tour the hospital virtually and also took pregnancy preparation classes online. Of course I preferred the in-person, hands on experience, but the online classes were better than nothing.I really wanted to have a “babymoon”, but things got bad when we were planning, and it just wasn’t worth taking that risk. Of course, with the spread of the virus, we were forced to postpone our baby shower. We were hoping to be able to have a “sip n’ see” later this summer, but things haven’t really improved much here in the United States, so it looks like it’s going to be canceled. Having a lot of family and friends come over to assist us with the baby has also put things on pause. Only a select few have actually been able to come and lend a helping hand. Despite it all, we are thankful for our village. They have been a blessing!At the very last minute, we were able to take maternity photos (social distance style). North Carolina opened some businesses during phase one a couple weeks before delivery, which was right on time for us. Taking pictures was one thing I really didn’t want to miss out on, so I’m so thankful we were able to capture those moments in my last couple weeks of pregnancy. All in all, things were definitely not as I planned, but everything happens for a reason. I’m grateful that through it all, we are still here and healthy.