What new moms face in the eye of a pandemic

 The Global pandemic has certainly changed everyone's life. The "old normal" we once had has been replaced with doubt, fear and anxiety of the unknown just to name a few of the many emotions we may feel. 

Being a first time mother during this difficult time has been even more challenging. So what exactly have new mother's faced in the eye of this storm? 

I can honestly say from first hand experience that it has definitely been a rough ride. First, being pregnant during this time has caused myself and a lot of new or expecting mother's to even further social distance from family, friends and " normal" activities that any happy, excited mother would and should enjoy. Such as hosting a baby shower, shopping, being pampered at the salon, enjoying luncheons and outings with friends who are also excited to share  the moment with you. 

So what does one do? The logical solution for my family was to isolate ourselves to protect us and the unborn baby as we still don't have enough evidence to show what this awful virus can do to a fetus. Which means roughly nine months of isolation. With the only outings being essential, such as doctor appointments or grocery shopping. Even that was scary. Places full of strangers with  no clue who is carrying the virus. Each time included washing our hands frequently, lots of sanitizer accompanied by laundry and a shower when we got home. Groceries were sanitized before they even hit the shelf in the kitchen cabinets. And in the beginning we definitely stopped ordering takeout as we again feared the unknown. We had no clue if the person preparing our food was sick or if we were at a higher risk to get sick so we avoided it at all costs. Finally after a few months we became brave enough to order a pizza. We figured it came right out of a 400+ degree oven straight into it's box so it was the safest choice with less cross contamination. That alone was tough, as most people understand pregnancy can cause increased appetite for all sorts of strange things so being limited to only what your willing to put the effort into cooking when you may not be feeling your best was an obstacle. 

You soon start to realize how fortunate we are to have all these conveniences or freedom of choices that we never gave much thought to before. I suppose as they say you don't know what you have until it's gone. 

Another issue that arose for many mother's to be was employment. Being pregnant working with the public or just your coworkers causes stress because your putting yourself at a higher risk to contract the virus. However, on the other end of the spectrum is if you are unfortunate to have lost your job. Now you're without income as many are having a hard time collecting unemployment benefits, but also totally isolated. Where working out of the home at least gave you some sense of freedom and interaction with others. At the time when all the shut downs began, I happened to own a business that was part of mandatory shut downs, a small hair salon. So not only was I scared about the financial state of my business, how my clients were going to feel and how long could I sustain the overhead without revenue coming through the door. Being an independent small business owner, I didn't have maternity pay or paid vacation time, so the money I had saved up for maternity leave was used to pay the rent and utilities for an empty shop. Not the plan I had prepared for. By the time maternity leave came, I was out of funds to keep the business afloat. Like so many others I made the tough and logical decision to close the business. Through it all I felt some sense of relief that I had a safety net because I knew I wouldn't lose my clients because all salons were closed, so I had time on my side in that regard. Fast forward a few months and although business restrictions were lifting. I was too far along in the pregnancy and the pandemic was getting worse. So to go back behind the chair wasn't an option. It was then the realization I was homebound for a long time set in. It was hard at first. After a few weak moments of hormone fluctuations and resentment for life as I knew it and the routine I had become to love now ending, I reminded myself when one door closes another opens. I had a beautiful baby on the way which was going to enrich my life in ways I couldn't fathom and fill my time in a much more rewarding way. 

Another scary aspect of being pregnant in the pandemic is the actual childbirth. The restrictions set in place at the hospital are much different than the "normal" protocol. Family and friends are prohibited from visiting or being present for the birth. The rules also continued changing on whether your partner was permitted to be present. Not only are you going through possibly one of the scariest experiences of your life, the thought of doing it alone without support from your loved ones can be terrifying. And it also seems unfair for your partner to miss out on the birth of their child. A once in a lifetime experience. Thankfully my partner was able to be there. I couldn't have done it without him. The room is set up for Covid. So in the unfortunate event that your sick, extra precautions are taken. There's a large air filtration system and extreme sanitary protocols for the medical staff to follow. Which is comforting as the hospital is probably the most sanitary it has ever been. So as long as there's no complications from the birth, you are sent home sooner than usual. Which can be difficult as you don't realize how helpful it is to have nurses at your beck and call for care the first couple days. 

The impact this has had on everyone, parents or not has been devastating. Being an expectant parent and experiencing this  has been tremendously difficult because life is not only evolving in one sense but also your entire lifestyle as you know it is transforming. Such as quitting bad and sometimes pleasurable habits, eating differently, lack of sleep and body discomfort are enough to send anyone into fury.  Now add a pandemic and everything that comes with it on top of it. And if you aren't expecting and have kids already,  the stress of keeping them safe and healthy is enough to deal with because not only are you responsible for keeping yourself healthy you have little fingers that love to explore the world around them to keep germ free. If they are in school now the hard part comes...

Who helps care for homebound kids and can effectively teach school lessions while parents are working? Like many children, some are raised in a single parent home, some have both parents living under the same roof but must both work and then there may be those that don't have family or friends to help or cannot afford daycare and risk of coronavirus coming with it. This presents major challenges for families. In today's day in age it appears to be more a luxury to be a stay at home parent as most families just make ends meet with two incomes due to the higher cost of living. 

So with that being said, how does a parent simultaneously do it all? Normally with a lot of help from family and friends. However since we're in the middle of a pandemic we have had to social distance from everyone that is not part of our household. This is where one may feel inclined to take the risk seeking outside help as they have no other choice. Big or small, children have also been making adjustments and isolation has been shown to cause social anxiety disorders, even in babies. 

 Needless to say, unless you've been living under a rock which may not be a bad thing considering the circumstances, it's been a lot of adjustments for the entire world. With many more to come. But not without a silver lining. With the dark comes light. For the first time in years people are essentially forced to be grounded. Which seems outrageous considering our busy lifestyles. We are spending more time as families together and expanding our education. Finally having the time to cook dinner together, play games with our kids, help them with schoolwork, having movie nights, get in shape, rest and self care and learning new skills and hobbies. Things we always wished we could do but usually had no time for. We are all growing as individuals with a new outlook on what's important in life. And we will hopefully all emerge from this epic time healthy, safe, happy and with a new found appreciation for life and the people around us.

 Hang in there, we're all in this together and if we all work together, we'll get through it!

~by: Beauty Geek Uncut ~