“Happiness is declining, fear is rushing”: What does it mean to be pregnant during a pandemic?

“This has removed pleasure from my last few weeks and replaced them with absolute fear,” says Megan. A 28-year-old from Cambridge, she is pregnant with her first child in 32 weeks and has a borderline personality disorder. Like many women, she is struggling to cope with pregnancy during a pandemic.

During the 19th week of pregnancy, I also found that excitement was being replaced by other emotions. Immediately after the first scan in February, Coronavirus While my stomach grew slowly, it spread worldwide and became a real threat. By Mother’s Day-I should have been with my mother and was excited by her first grandchild-extrinsic social contact for pregnant women was banned. The once exciting 20-week scan now requires participation alone, and no one knows what the birth of August will be. Do I have to go alone? Like some women China Have?

731,000 births were recorded in the UK in 2018 (latest dataset available). This is an average of about 2,000 births daily. Prenatal women usually have about 10 interviews with a midwife for an interview and a scan. Currently, for tens of thousands of women who are currently pregnant in the UK, most of these reservations are made by phone. The obstetric ward due to childbirth is increasingly subject to visitor restrictions, with the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) closing one-fifth of rural midwifery-led obstetrics and closing more than one-third of the area Reported that birth was restricted or stopped completely. The percentage of vacant midwifery jobs has doubled in the last three weeks Midwife, COVID-19Become sick on your own, or be forced to self-isolate due to illness in your home. The RCM is now urging NHS leaders to ring fence their childbirth services to prevent further vacancies.

Women who have a history mental health The problem has been particularly hard hit by these changes and uncertainties. “The midwife’s appointment was canceled shortly before,” says Megan. “And the current restrictive rules at the hospital-my partner is only allowed to work, not to visit or attend-I stay alone without any support I’m afraid to be alone, so I even thought about giving birth free. “

Perinatal Psychology Consultant, Julian Butareb, Founder Parent-child relationship in my heartWarns that “scary stories” can cause anxiety. She recommends recalling that the RCM still says, “A person can never enter work alone, there must be a partner.” She suggests that pregnant women continue to check with midwives about changes in circumstances and begin to develop traditional childbirth plans to ease future concerns. “It’s also about having Plan B, and possibly Plans C and D, in case your partner gets sick or you don’t really have one,” she explains.

Boutaleb says that if your former birth partner can no longer be with you, now is the time to say, “ Who is available to represent a birth partner when needed? It’s time to collect the senses and start talking to people about such a scenario. “

Some pregnant mothers are experiencing loneliness and loneliness throughout pregnancy, while being alone in the place of promise and even giving birth cause anxiety. Fiona, a 36-year-old from Fife, is five and a half months pregnant and feels she is experiencing the experience alone as her relationship breaks down and the whole family lives abroad. “I have no friends here. The closest drive is a two-hour drive,” she says. Fiona feels “completely abandoned and exaggerated” because her birth partner was not arranged, she could not see her friends and family, and her reservations and additional anomalous scans were canceled and changed.

“But I’m pretty sure everything will work out, even if I have to keep my mother on the phone until the baby comes here,” she says.

Boutaleb states that bringing people’s “support matrix” with us to pregnancy and childbirth “has not only real psychosocial effects, but also real neurological effects.” While some women use jewelry and other important objects as a way to feel like a loved one, mothers who are going to be mothers have their mother’s confirmation message as a voice memo. “Everyone who does it for your mother, or who does it for you, can really really calm down,” explains Boutaleb. Also, for free or low cost practical advice, such as learning grounding techniques, we recommend visiting groups such as The Birth Collective and The Real Birth Project.

Pregnant women are less susceptible to Covid-19, and there is still no evidence that the virus can be transmitted from mother to baby during pregnancy, but for some women, health and physical factors are of greatest concern Is causing. Natalie, 28, from Edinburgh, has been pregnant for 15 weeks since she lost her ectopic pregnancy last year. “I was over the month when I discovered I was pregnant again, but now that happiness has diminished and fear has arisen,” she says. Bleeding and worries about the baby’s heartbeat-everything that once could be dealt with at the time of booking-is now much more complicated. “My biggest concern is that this won’t be finished by September, or that pregnancy won’t go well along the way, and that you won’t get the care you need,” explains Natalie. “I aim to be positive, but it is difficult.

Midwife Lesley Gilchrist, clinical director of My Expert Midwife, recommends using online tools to manage physical health. “Being active during pregnancy can help manage stress and anxiety. A more active lifestyle will prepare you for delivery and childbirth and help you recover faster during the postpartum period There is evidence that it can help cope with pregnancy, “she says. “If you’re not used to exercising, start exercising gently and gradually increase the duration and intensity of your favorite activity.

Balancing financial concerns with health concerns is another burden for pregnant women. Sophie, 31, a support worker for a hearing-impaired child from Halifax, is 26 weeks pregnant with her first child. Sophie is married to a truck driver who cannot work from home. “He is not in a good place,” says Sophie. “He has to put himself at risk for work. He is not only financially making sure we’re fine, but also keeping me safe and healthy Many pregnant women are still working on their own, and advice depends on the stage of pregnancy.

Sian Elliott, Women’s Equality Policy Officer for the General Trade Union, urges employers to adequately support women. This is turning a pregnant woman’s health crisis into a socio-economic crisis. No one has to choose between their health and their livelihood. If the risks are identified and cannot be removed or prevented, the employer will need to temporarily adjust working conditions, for example by providing homework. If that is not possible, you have to provide alternative work at the same salary, away from risk. The law stipulates that workers be suspended for full payment in the absence of a suitable alternative. “

Julian Butareb Improve childbirth The project as something all pregnant women can expect at these uncertain times. “They share the positive stories people have given birth and the way they have dealt with them. Send a positive message,” she explains. “Yes, this is unusual. Yes, this may be scary. Yes, this is not the way you imagine it.

Anyone who experiences prenatal or postnatal mental health issues can get help from anyone PandaAnd those in need of support for a trauma experience in past pregnancies should contact Birth Trauma Association