Was there one specific moment when the severity of the situation hit you\u2014that you\u2019d be having a baby during a pandemic?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Brian:<\/strong> Probably the second week of March. Schools were closing. We heard rumors that some hospitals weren\u2019t allowing anyone in the room with the birth mother. Then Grace\u2019s doctor called and said I wouldn\u2019t be allowed in the office for the next ultrasound appointment. I think that\u2019s when the panic really started setting in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grace:<\/strong> That was probably my biggest fear come to life, because I always imagined Brian would be at my side when I delivered. And to have that potentially taken away\u2014it was one of the darker moments for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brian:<\/strong> Luckily that didn\u2019t turn out to be the case. But we knew based on what they were saying on the news that Grace\u2019s due date was during what was predicted to be the peak of Coronavirus cases. That only intensified our anxiety. Then low and behold her water broke 10 days early.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n I had this feeling like we had walked into a burning building. We were in a safe spot, but the fire was closing in on us.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n I imagine it was still nerve-racking being in a hospital at that point. Can you describe what it was like?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Brian:<\/strong> We got to Monmouth Medical Center around 1:30 a.m. on March 30. There was a huge, makeshift tent set up outside. We parked, I grabbed the bags, and started walking toward it. I saw two people in masks watching us from behind the hospital door. I was giving them the sign that Grace was pregnant, and sort of saying, \u201cHello, is anyone going to help us?\u201d But the people just stayed behind the door and kept staring at us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We walked into the tent and there were two other workers there, both in masks and gloves. You could see in their eyes how exhausted they were. They immediately put masks on us and said, \u201cThis stays on at all times.\u201d They took our temperatures, asked us some questions, disinfected our bags, and put those into bigger bags. Then they quickly whisked us out of the tent and in through a side door into the delivery area, where we were immediately quarantined in our room. Everyone had a mask on, and you didn’t hear or see another person\u2014other than hospital staff\u2014the entire time. It was isolating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grace:<\/strong> The whole process was pretty quick, but it was strange. I was in labor and I just wanted to get to the hospital room, but first we had to go into the tent, and get questioned, and have our temperatures taken, and put masks on\u2026. And we had to wear those masks the entire time. I was trying to take my breathing seriously, but it wasn\u2019t easy with the mask. You can’t get much air when you’re wearing one.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n At any point did you think about what might be happening elsewhere in the hospital?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Brian:<\/strong> At some point I looked out our window. Right underneath us was the tent. There were sick people being dropped off\u2014they all had masks on\u2014and they were lining up, waving for help. I felt terrible for them, but it was also kind of a nonstop reminder of what we were surrounded by. I remember I had this feeling like we had walked into a burning building. We were in a safe spot, but the fire was closing in on us.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n What happened after Amaya was born?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Brian:<\/strong> The doctors said they wanted to get us in and out in 24 hours. Amaya was born at 5:12 Monday evening, and by 9:45 Tuesday night we were on our way home. As first-time parents going through that process\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grace:<\/strong> It was a pretty quick turnaround (laughs). I mean, we did<\/em> want to leave, but I also felt like, \u201cWow, this is happening so fast.\u201d They didn\u2019t make me feel rushed in any way, and they did everything they needed to do. It was just so\u2026compact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brian:<\/strong> We had nurse after nurse showing us what to do, giving us pamphlets. It was a lot of information to absorb, but we understood why they were doing it so quickly. And they did an amazing<\/em> job.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Looking back on it now, is there any advice or insights you\u2019d offer people who are about to experience what you just did?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Grace:<\/strong> Something we tried doing before Amaya was born was checking in with each other. Working together as a unit is always best for couples. So you might ask each other, \u201cWhat can I do to support you?\u201d \u201cHow can I help you finish your hospital bag?\u201d \u201cHow can we calmly talk about contingency plans?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For expectant mothers, I\u2019d say just stay calm. Don\u2019t let the news, or thoughts of what could or might happen, get to you. Some days I just had to say myself, \u201cWell as of now, I can still have my support person in the delivery room, and I’m going to live this day as if it’s going to stay that way,” rather than living in dread for the worst that could happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, know that precautions are being taken, and you just have to trust that you’re going to be OK, that you’re in good hands. Focus on what’s really important: getting through your labor and working with the staff to deliver a baby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brian:<\/strong> Be prepared for a different type of experience. At a minimum you\u2019re going to have to wear a mask the whole time, you\u2019re going to be quarantined to your room. So if there\u2019s something you\u2019ll want or think can give you comfort while you\u2019re isolated\u2014maybe it\u2019s essential oils to help you relax, or music you want to listen to during delivery, or just even some reading material\u2014make sure you bring it with you. Once you\u2019re in the room you can\u2019t even go into the hallway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And while you need to stay informed about the ongoing pandemic, don\u2019t overdo it. The last couple weeks [before Amaya was born] I was checking the news every 15 minutes, and I let it consume me. I got caught up thinking, \u201cOh my gosh, I have to have a plan for every scenario.\u201d That didn\u2019t leave me in a healthy state. I wasn\u2019t sleeping; I had trouble breathing; I had panic attacks. It\u2019s important to unplug and take a breath. Just get it in your mindset that it\u2019s going to be a different experience, but you\u2019ll be alright if you\u2019re there for each other and help each other out.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Alumni couple shares what it\u2019s like giving birth during the COVID-19 pandemic. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":9419,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"image_focus":"","hide_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"thumbnail":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/image004.jpg\")
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