Covid-19 is not new to us anymore. For more than half a year it is something we are confronted with on a daily basis all around the world. The pandemic has brought a lot of change to the world. Some good but mostly bad. The changes that happened for pregnant women, giving birth and the postpartum period has changed a lot in a negative way.
Hospital visitors rules during a pandemic
The worst thing that can happen when you are going through a life changing moment is when you have to do it all by yourself. The fact that your partner, mother(in law) or best friend can not be there when you get your first ultrasound is devastating. It is a harsh reality when you are not able to share that beautiful moment with someone you love. It gets cruel when you hear that your partner or your support person is not allowed to be at the birth of your child because of Covid-19 visitor rules and it is out of proportion when you can not have family or friends help out after birth when you are at home recovering from birth. Many new mothers can't have their family or friends helping out at home because of border closure or because they can not fly into the country.
When your family can't help out during a pandemic
When you have gone through such a lonely nine months with so many restrictions you should not then also go through a big life change like having a baby without the ones that are closest to you. To recover from birth and to give your newborn the best start in life you should be nurtured, cared for, being loved and supported. You should be able to share this new experience with someone that can help you with your questions, with someone that can look out for you when you are both exhausted and with someone that only needs half a word to know what you need.
What can you do to support yourself in your postnatal period
When your friends or family are unable to come you should look into some other support that you might be able to get. At Queensland Cradle Care we are supporting a lot of families at the moment that can't fly their own family over. Because we make a care plan together before birth, we know exactly what kind of service you are after before you give birth to make the transition as comfortable as possible for you. Remind yourself that when you see other mothers carry this load of the postpartum period alone, it doesn't mean that it is not really heavy. Be kind to yourself and look out for yourself to make sure that you and your newborn have the best start in life by being supported and taken care of even when family is not able to come to your house.
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