The birth of a child is a momentous moment in the life of any woman, which will forever remain in her memory. But for many, this important event has crossed another moment that will go down in history : the quarantine due to the pandemic caused by the coronavirus.
Because we know that it is not an ideal situation, and thousands of women in the world are going through it, we have decided to dedicate a few words to mothers who have given birth in times of quarantine, and feel isolated and afraid: you are not alone .
Being a mother in the middle of a pandemic
During pregnancy, women prepare for the desired moment of the birth of our baby. We attend childbirth classes, read books, blogs and magazines, and also look for support groups so we can be ready when the time comes. But then a pandemic takes place that changes everything.
If during pregnancy during a habitual situation it is normal to feel a roller coaster of positive and negative emotions, when living the last weeks or the last months just when a pandemic began, surely now you felt even more emotional and worried about what was to come .
Perhaps also, you have not been able to have the delivery you expected, because the safety protocols are very different from those that are usually carried out, and your delivery experience has not been ideal , in which the most important people in your family could be by your side.
What should be a moment full of joy, good news and sharing with the family the arrival of the new baby, has been clouded by a situation so great and out of our hands , that it is minimized and turned into an experience with many limitations. that would not take place in other circumstances.
Unfortunately, this situation has also extended to that very confusing stage called postpartum , that famous fourth trimester in which our body and mind will adapt to the new life that we will have next to our baby, regardless of whether it is the first, second, third party or whatever.
Then, thousands of new mothers are involved in a totally abnormal process and different from the one a woman usually has after giving birth. There are no help visits, no hugs from grandparents or photos of them with their newborn grandson. Small moments, but with a lot of sentimental value that have been taken from them.
And I could go on talking about the negative, about what it hurts not to have because of this pandemic that has completely changed everyone’s lives, denying us the presence of those we love the most not only at births, but also at birthdays and other celebrations that now we must do quarantine.
But with this writing, in addition to translating into words that help to understand and create awareness and empathy of those who read it towards recent mothers, it also seeks to be a support, a comfort for them, so that despite how difficult they may seem things there is still a positive side, and most importantly: they are not alone .
In spite of everything, remember this: you are not alone
It is true: your delivery has not been what you expected and you have returned home to find yourself locked up and isolated with your newborn baby. In addition, the environment does not help, when reading so much news of everything that is happening in the world. I get it, you feel more alone and scared than ever.
Not only should you be away from that family that you would like to be part of this important stage, you are also concerned, among many other things, that your baby, being so small, can become infected and sick , or that you are the one who is infected and put it him at risk.
These fears are normal in a situation like this. You may want to cry and feel angry that you had to experience the arrival of your child in this way. You’ve probably had times when you couldn’t hold back crying . Or on the contrary, you are trying to enjoy the happiness of having your baby by your side despite what is happening.
All those emotions, as different as they may seem, are completely expected and normal in situations like this. Although today you are living a time that can be very hard emotionally and physically (because postpartum is usually like this), remember the most important thing: you are not alone. You never are .
First of all, because you have your baby with you, and that is the greatest gift that life has been able to give you . And secondly, because although you may not be physically together, your family and all those people who love you so much are just a video call away.
It’s tough, yeah. It is not the ideal situation. But if we open our eyes wide and focus a little on seeing the positive side, as well as practicing gratitude and valuing what we have today, we will realize that even in the midst of the storm, we are lucky .
From a distance, and from the far corner where I write these words, I hug you and I promise you that this will soon pass. That soon you will be able to share your baby with your family, that things will improve and we will laugh again together.
That despite the fact that today the outlook does not look favorable, hope is still there, present. And the day we least expect it, we will once again share other special moments with those we love the most . But in the meantime, remember that you are not alone and in the end, everything will work out.
Photos | iStock
In Babies and more | Mom: you are not doing it wrong, simply motherhood can sometimes be very hard, “You are nursing, and you are doing very well”, a comforting message for all mothers, What your son would tell you if he saw you when you cry because you can’t anymore
