Yes, I had my baby during the Covid-19 Pandemic, and yes, we are surviving. Life very rarely goes as planned and giving birth to my baby during a time like this definitely was not in the plan!
In the days leading up to the birth of our son there was so much going through our minds, and so many people asking us what we were going to do. Well, simply put, or not so simply put, “We are going to have a baby.” Did we have a choice, or did we know exactly when our little man was going to arrive? No. With constantly changing hospital policies, were we worried that when the time came that my husband wouldn’t be allowed in the hospital with me for support and to see the birth of his newborn baby? Absolutely! You can’t put the birth of your baby on hold; it’s just something you can’t do. So, we continued to take it one day at a time, one step at a time, as to not get overwhelmed in preparing ourselves for the worst. (Delivering alone, being in an overwhelmed, crowded and panic-stricken hospital, and even being exposed to the virus).
With everything going on, I was blessed in knowing I was under amazing prenatal care from my midwife, Jennie Joseph. She was there for me every step of the way via text, email, and phone call when my appointments were abruptly canceled at 37 weeks. I was also blessed knowing I had chosen a hospital that would give me the utmost care and attention I needed, and that hospital was AdventHealth Orlando. We had heard and read so many positive things about The Baby Place® when deciding on where to deliver and knowing that my midwife worked very closely with the team at AdventHealth, I had no doubt this was where I wanted to give birth. Soon enough I experienced AdventHealth for myself, and with a phenomenal team of nurses, doctors, a midwife and staff all around, they did not disappoint!
My birth plan did not go as expected, but nonetheless it was very successful and the team at AdventHealth was there for me every step of the way. They were calm, empowering, and positive throughout my whole labor and delivery. I ended up having a very quick, non-medicated (that was definitely not in my plan!) delivery that thankfully only lasted about 25 minutes.
Before we knew it, we had a beautiful baby boy! Zander Nicholas was born at 4:55 pm on March 28, 2020, weighing in at 7 pounds 5 ounces and 21 inches long. The labor and delivery nurses immediately took great care of him, and the care didn’t end there. Recovery was just as outstanding! We were well taken care of up until discharge. The team at AdventHealth went above and beyond to make sure mommy, daddy and baby had everything we needed and made sure we were all comfortable. We never once felt like we were just another number, and we are so thankful for that.
Adjusting at home is definitely taking some time with a newborn and 4-year-old. We are so blessed in so many ways, especially for everyone’s health. Ryker is in love with his baby brother, and is a big helper – most of the time! It is an unfortunate time, during this Pandemic as we cannot have visitors, but things could be worse. We hope Zander gets to meet everyone soon, but in the meantime, we are thankful for social media and video calls.
And one last thing. To all the pregnant mama’s out there… Stay strong, calm, positive, and beautiful! It will all be ok. If we can do it, so can you. This too shall pass, and you will come out stronger in the end.
