As you can probably imagine, being pregnant in the height of a pandemic wasn’t something I had totally planned for. I read a few books, watched a few Youtubers talk about their pregnancy, but once Coronavirus came to the US, a lot of my “What to Expect When Expecting” knowledge went out the window. The whole world changed trying to cope with a virus that seemed to be taking over.

To be fair I don’t know what it’s like really to not be pregnant during a pandemic, except for in the beginning. At first, Brian and I were able to go to the appointments together, we both got to see the ultrasounds and hear the heart beat and everything was pretty normal. We even had a small gender reveal in February with our friends and close family. We kept it small mainly because I wanted it small, nothing really to do with Covid.

We even went to Florida right before it really came to Connecticut in the beginning of March. Soon after we got home from our quick Florida trip, the country started to show major outbreaks, especially in Connecticut. I was still working in the office, and I was so nervous about being pregnant and still having to go to work in a big corporate building. What if I caught something even just being in the elevator? No one really knew how it spread at that point. One of my coworkers was about 9 months pregnant and I cried to her about how scared I was because they didn’t know how it would affect us. Some reports said that it could cause miscarriage, some said early labor, but most just said that they really weren’t sure how it would affect the baby or the mom. That day my manager told me to start working from home the following week, which I was so grateful for.

I was happy to be avoiding leaving the house because I was really scared of Covid since it was the very beginning of everything, but I soon realized just how lonely it can be to work from home. I think I was also dealing with a bit of anxiety and depression while pregnant. I started having crazy dreams and I would sob all day every day about the craziest things. This went on for a lot of my second trimester, which was hard because I had heard that was supposed to be the best part of pregnancy!

Because we knew literally nothing about Covid, Brian was very nervous about coming home from work. We decided it would be best if he slept in a separate room and he tried to stay away from me as much as possible for about a week. I couldn’t really handle being secluded from everyone including my husband, so we decided to start taking different precautions. He’d get home from work, shower and change his clothes right away, and we felt that was enough that we could be around each other again. At some point we knew my mental health was just as important as dealing with Covid.

Being pregnant during a pandemic wasn’t bad, there were a few changes but we were able to deal with them one step at a time. We didn’t really have any other options, and we wanted to make sure we were being as safe as possible. So here are some things, good and not so good, you can expect with a pandemic pregnancy that you might not get from a regular pregnancy:

1.) Solo Appointments

Most doctors now require that only the patient be present for any appointments. The doctors are really understanding of the fact that you are suddenly going to these appointments alone. Most doctors are welcoming to FaceTime and phone calls now, just to try to make sure the rest of the family is included. I didn’t mind this part as much because there were some appointments that I wanted to ask questions that maybe I would’ve hesitated to ask if anyone else was there with me! The only appointments that bummed me out were the ultrasounds, but I just took videos of them to show Brian later and we made it special in our own way.

2.) Appointments Over the Phone

In addition to solo appointments, some of my appointments were switched to teledoc appointments. I didn’t really mind this too much either because waddling in to some of the appointments and changing into the robe thing and sweating through the sheet on the table… it was all just a lot that I definitely didn’t mind avoiding! I was able to FaceTime my doctor and ask any questions that I had so I was okay with just staying home. Plus I liked that I was staying safe from any additional exposure that might have happened from going in to the office.

3.) Masks

At this point I think we’re all kind of used to the masks, but when I first got pregnant it was still pretty new. A lot of people have asked me about whether or not I had to wear a mask at the hospital during labor, and I would say to check with the nurses and doctors at the hospital. I don’t know the actual protocol, but when I went for a tour at the hospital in June, I was told that I would have to wear a mask upon entering the hospital, and once I got in my room as long as I tested negative for Covid I could take my mask off. Once I was there, some of the nurses seemed to prefer that I keep it on all the time. When I was in active labor I remember I took my mask off at one point and then couldn’t find it, and then when they moved me for my C-section I think I had to wear it again, but in the pictures I’m not wearing a mask. It’s kind of all a blur, but again, the doctors and nurses are all pretty understanding, and everyone around me was wearing a mask. But be prepared either way.

4.) Online Classes

One of my friends had recommended that I take a birthing class and said that the one that they went to was a few weekends and covered everything that they could have possibly wondered about labor and bringing home a new baby. I really wanted to find something like that, but because of Covid most things switched to online. I took two classes that were each an hour long from a local hospital over a zoom meeting. The classes were free which was nice, and I got some good information from them. I recommend searching the smaller local hospitals for childbirth classes, you’ll likely find one for free as well.

5.) Drive By Baby Shower

My mom and sister threw a drive up baby shower for us, and it was really cute. Some people decorated their cars and a lot of people stopped by, it was just a really nice day and it was even better that I didn’t really have to worry about Covid. I won’t say that it’s the same as a regular baby shower, but it was a special day. And bonus- I HATE opening gifts in front of people, I’m so appreciative of everything but I think it’s so awkward and that people get so bored watching, so I was happy to avoid that!

6.) Online Shopping

This has definitely been a change for everyone, not just for pregnant people but when I was pregnant pretty much the whole state was on lock down, even Homegoods and Marshalls were closed! This isn’t the case in most places anymore, but just be ready for some serious online shopping!

7.) Therapy

Because I had such a hard time being alone, I sought help during my pregnancy. I reached out to my OBGYN, and they recommended a therapist that they refer to. I started talking to my therapist once a week over a Zoom-like app, and she really helped me get through Covid. I don’t know that this is something I would’ve needed if it weren’t for Covid, but it’s definitely something that I would recommend if you are struggling at all being pregnant in a pandemic, or being pregnant at all for that matter.

8.) Covid Testing

Max was so late (41.5 weeks!!) so my doctor scheduled me to be induced. One day before my appointment, they had me go in for blood work and a Covid test. I’m not completely sure what they do if you go into labor that is not scheduled, but I imagine they test you upon being admitted, as this is what they did for Max whenever he was admitted to the hospital. If you haven’t had to get Covid tested yet, I promise you it’s really not that bad!

9.) One Support Person for Labor

I was only allowed to have one support person for my labor, which was I guess good and bad. It made it more about Brian and I, and I liked having just him and I in the room together waiting for our baby boy. I do have to admit that I called my mom like 87 times throughout the 12ish hours of labor, and we were constantly talking to Brian’s mom as well. I rely on both my mom and Brian’s mom when I’m scared about anything with health, so when Max’s heart rate kept dropping and they told me I’d have to have a c-section, I was definitely a little bummed that I didn’t have them there with me, but Brian was my rock as he always is and we got through it together.

10.) Visitors after labor

Most hospitals are not allowing visitors while you are at the hospital after delivering. Because we were at such a small hospital and the numbers were so low in Connecticut when I had Max, they did allow one visitor at a time, including Brian so when my mom and sister came to the hospital, Brian had to leave. That was sort of the case for Max’s hospital stay as well, because only one of us was allowed to stay with him at a time, but I know at that hospital they didn’t allow any visitors for adult patients or for women in labor besides having one support person. I would check with your hospital to see what the policy is just to be sure!

All in all being pregnant in a pandemic wasn’t so bad. It definitely started out a little scary, but working from home meant that I got to wear leggings every day and could sit on my comfy couch to work all day if I wanted, and I actually stayed more active because I was able to walk the dogs at lunch and being outside was the only way I got to see my friends. So if you are pregnant right now, try to focus on the good things and turn the negatives as positive as you can!