Pregnancy during Covid 19

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I've been reluctant to write about this. I want to stick to posts that I feel like are helpful to others and I'm not sure what advice and new information this can give. But there is also value to hearing other people's stories. I've been very very blessed in this whole situation. I am currently living in Australia. Our case numbers have been much milder than in other locations. I am also seeing a private OB rather than going through the public health system.  As an overseas patient, I didn’t have a choice at the beginning, but from talking to others it really has been a blessing. Which is why I have been reluctant to talk about my experience.  The timing for us has been just right in every step of the process. 


We found out that we were expecting in November 2019. So long before the pandemic started.  I remember hearing about it and wondering if it was going to spread past china.  I also remember when they decided to test everyone going to and from China. At that point, I was in my second trimester and told my husband that we needed to be careful.  I have some public health background and I was worried it had already spread beyond China. Which is what happened.  But it really didn’t affect us much at that point.  I started making my husband wash his hands and change when he got home from work. And his boss suggested that he work from home before the country shut down. We were lucky that my 20-week scan during the second week on March and my husband was able to attend.  We got to find out the gender of our little girl together and both got to see her!  At week 28 when I needed to do my Glucose Tolerance Test, we were much more locked down, and I was wearing a mask and waiting in my car in between blood draws. It actually allowed me to get seen much quicker with my gestational diabetes diagnosis because the office had an opening that day and it was virtual so easy to fit me in.  Around this time, Nick was not allowed to attend my antenatal appointments with me, but we would not have had him attend those anyway.  I had a 33-week ultrasound scheduled to check baby’s growth. They changed the restrictions the week before my appointment so Nick was able to attend.  Because of the results of the scan, we did have Nick attend my next doctor’s appointment.  At that point, restrictions in our area where loosening because cases had lowered.  So we were able to hike and have the active pregnancy I wanted.  We reached out to our new church and got surrounded by an amazing community that welcomed us completely.  I think the pandemic actually allowed us to get to know people better than we would have without it.  At the church, we would have been the new people in a crowd of familiar faces, but since we where introduced one on one to people, they really made an effort to reach out to us.  We got introduced to another couple expecting a baby just 2 weeks before us.  So amazing to be able to make friends expecting a baby so close together.  Nick’s boss also introduced us to a couple his wife knew from her work expecting around the same time. We went from knowing zero pregnant couples to knowing two in about 2 weeks. It really was a blessing.  


My doctor had been talking about induction so we brought Nick with me to my week 37 appointment.  We both wore masks, but he was allowed in.  I was so glad to have him by my side when we were given an induction date. And he thought of the questions that I completely forgot to ask.  If that appointment had been even 2 days later, he would not have been able to come.  We are back in stage 3 lockdown, just in time for baby to be born. This is actually comforting to me because it means that many more people are wearing masks and are obeying social distancing.  I wish we did not have this many cases, but it makes me feel safe. 


Our hospital policies seem to be supporting women. Nick is allowed for my entire labor, including the entire induction, although he may go home and sleep.  They just don’t want him coming and going.  We do not have to wear masks when I am in labor, only if we leave the hospital room.  And he is allowed to stay the entire time that I am in the hospital.  


We are very blessed and know just how lucky we are.  Covid 19 has definitely put a damper on my pregnancy, but I am able to see the blessings in it as well.  I know not everyone has had those blessings. It has been a much tougher experience for others and my heart breaks for those.  How has Covid 19 affected your pregnancy?


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