Hospitals are crowded with COVID patients, doctors are not taking in new patients with non-emergency issues and pregnant women are asked to stay away from any kind of possible contamination zones. Gynaecologists are worried about their pregnant patients and their unborn babies. But, pregnant women are not only facing a health crisis but also grappling with many other issues leading to a rise in feelings of anxiety, pressure and stress too.
“When I got to know about my pregnancy, last year, I had it all sorted. Maternal leave from the 6th of April and my mother to come and stay with me but now because of the coronavirus outbreak everything has changed. My mother has not been able to come because of lockdown and fear of taking public transport. I don’t have any househelp or nanny. And to complicate things further, my husband is experiencing salary cutbacks. Where we were planning a comfortable stay at home to avoid any kind of physical exertion, everything is messed up and it is making me extremely anxious as well”, says a 27-year-old pregnant Hemakshi from Ahmedabad about her worry during the pandemic phase.
Most pregnant women are feeling helpless and lost during this phase. Their plans of bringing their baby into the world in a comfortable space are going for a toss. With the virus spreading so rampantly meeting with the doctor, getting leg or foot massages to relieve pressure, connecting with carpenters to design baby’s room or furniture, going out to shop for baby clothes and other things, hiring household help or a nanny to help with the baby—everything is left in limbo.
Moms-to-be don’t know how to proceed and are stressing a lot about it. More than that they are frequently worried about how to go to the hospital for their delivery, and then coming back from there without them, their family member, or the fragile newborn getting affected by it.
And constantly thinking and worrying about it is making them nervous, lose faith in themselves, and they are finding it very difficult to enjoy or be calm in this critical phase of their life. The anxiety and stress of it all is giving them sleepless nights and in some cases also creating blood pressure and stress-induced physical manifestations. They are becoming prone to depression, irritable, cranky, and are reporting more aches, pains and discomforts than before.
It is important for the family members to look after the pregnant women during these difficult times. We need to understand that they are going through a lot of hormonal and emotional changes that might stress them not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well. They might start feeling unsure about having a baby with the uncertainty looming in front of them.
- It is best to ask them to list their worries down and then deal with each issue thoroughly and practically.
- If it is baby clothes, supplies, they are worried for, order them online with all safety precautions; borrow from family or friends who are reliable; get them delivered at home and then keep them as per safety guidelines.
- Tell them calmly that the plans for doing up the baby room can be postponed. On your end do as much DIY jobs as you can...there are lots of videos you can get ideas from. Paint small cartoons yourself, paste stickers, paint simple rainbows etc.
- Choose a hospital that is a non-COVID hospital for delivery and you can additionally check with the hospital on their sanitizing routines.
- Even if you can’t hire a nanny, assure her that you will share all the work with her and that she should not feel alone about it.