Pregnant in the Time of Coronavirus: Approaching my Due Date with Gratitude
Over the last three months, I have been incredibly grateful for the pregnant women all over the country who have shared their stories, their fears and their hopes about bringing children into the world in the middle of a pandemic.
June 12, 2020 is my due date. I'm not sure how I would have gotten through this time without the support of these brave women and this project. Back in March, I shared a post on a Minnesota Moms Facebook group - and that served as the impetus for this series. I was so surprised and thankful to receive so many responses from other pregnant women who were willing to share their stories, ask questions and who wanted to create a sense of solidarity with one another around this experience.
While I might not have found out all of the answers to our questions about being pregnant during COVID-19, if the experience has taught me anything it is that we can rely on each other as we navigate our ever-changing realities.
Therefore I wanted to end this series like I began it: by hearing from some of the incredible women who were willing to share their stories and who helped me and others feel less alone.
Thank you.
Special thanks to the women who contributed stories to this episode:
Emily Olson, Erin Maye Quade, Kathy Ruzsa, Kristina Tucker, Kylie Foss, Michelle Abein and Nikki Peterson.
In you are pregnant and/or looking for resources for pregnant women during this pandemic additional information can be found here:
The World Health Organization (WHO) has a Q&A of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Breastfeeding available here.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States has a pregnancy/breastfeeding and COVID-19 page here
ACOG Practice Guidelines: The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists published a practice advisory here.
More from our “Pregnant in the Time of Coronavirus” series here.
African-American and Native American mothers are at least 3 times as likely to die within a year of giving birth in the United States. And Black Americans are 2.4 times as likely to die from COVID-19. Check out this installment of Pregnant in the Time of Coronavirus that explores the impact of racial inequities within the healthcare industry on mothers of color.
Even as pandemic-induced restrictions are easing across the country, Twin Cities Producer Kate McDonald reveals how pregnant people can take advantage of a range of digital services, including online prenatal classes and baby showers on Zoom.
Many pregnant people during this time of pandemic have had to make some unexpected decisions about their original birth plans. Meet two women who chose to forgo hospital births for other options that made them feel more comfortable during this uncertain time.
