Being Pregnant during a COVID-19 Pandemic
By: Mom Jeans, Dog Hair
Tags: Newborn, Covid 19, Pandemic, New Mom, Pregnancy

Many fellow pregnant ladies have expressed their feelings about being pregnant during the pandemic, so I thought I would join in the fun. I have one word, angry. And the worst thing is, I don’t have anyone to point the proverbial finger at to blame for the new chaos.

Now 6 months pregnant, I am glad I have an excuse to take each day one at a time at a sloth’s pace, but what if things don’t settle down by August this year when my bundle of joy is due to arrive.

Is This Corona Virus World Safe For My Newborn?

Being pregnant during a pandemic conjures up many questions and worries. I have read countless articles written by doctors and other professionals about how we don’t have to stress because of this that and the other. How do they know for sure? This is a new virus and they have only had a limited time to get to know the ins and outs, which leaves me nervous whether I can trust all the incoming information. I am a natural overthinker and worrier, so yes, this does come naturally, and I should trust more, but as a first-time mom, it is easier said than done.

Baby Shower Or Not To Baby Shower During a Pandemic

Everyone knows the natural order of things when you get pregnant is happiness and announcing to all friends and family, then the gender reveals and if you are lucky enough the babymoon and finally in the last months of pregnancy, the baby shower.

I was told by many moms, who have been there done that, to not be tempted to buy any cute baby grows or baby items during the pregnancy as the baby shower will be the day where everything that you need would appear, except for of course the cot, pram etc, unless you have rich friends from Constantia or Llandudno (the money mecca of Cape Town). While I was being fed all these interesting tips and being the good first-time mom, I resisted the urge to buy and decided to wait for my special right of passage into motherhood.

Boy, was I wrong, but no one could have predicted it. I was lucky to have a few items that my family had bought along the way and when I could not resist the urge while shopping. Browsing through shops leisurely, which is now a thing of the past. But will it be safe to have a Baby shower? It is a question that nobody will be able to answer until the end of July and see what the situation is. I feel this right has been taken away and my Greek side (that I married into) is upset that I miss out on all the free stuff, which would have really helped during this time.

Don’t Show Off that Belly during COVID-19

They say, ‘you are not stuck at home, you are safe at home’. Which is true and I am fortunate I that I have a roof over my head and more than one room for a daily change of scenery. When I was younger, I always pictured wearing cute pregnancy outfits and showing off my bump and strangers asking about it, so that I could answer and give them a weird look for talking to me.

Please note I am not talking about crop tops with my belly all out there, that would make anyone run away for miles at the best of times, never mind now that I am pregnant. I am talking about those dresses and cute jerseys with tights with the pregnancy glow, or sweat, with how I am feeling lately, it may very well be the perspiration and not so much glow.

I have not had an easy pregnancy thus far, it has been extreme nausea, handbag full of plain Provitas, plastic bags for incase and four visits to the hospital, fixed to the drip for a few days at a time. I was hoping at the beginning of the year that this was my time to shine and enjoy the last part of my pregnancy, but it seems the universe had other ideas.

The Pandemic Pressed Pause on Adulting

I have to admit, I am proud of our president, I am not a very political person. I was always pro-lockdown, as we could see that not putting it in place has had serious implications for other countries across the world. The only problem is, we just bought a house and as all the paperwork was about to go through, it was halted by the new lockdown laws.

Now our living conditions have changed. My husband is staying with my father-in-law and I am staying with my parents with the dogs so that they have a garden to run around in. So not only have we no longer got a place of our own that the father of my child can live with us, I do not know when I will be able to move in to ‘our’ place and live out the natural instinct to nest, just before the baby comes along.

No-one Wants To Hire a Mom-to-be

Many businesses are struggling during this time, people have lost their jobs and incomes have been sliced and diced. We have also been hit by this new trend and now I must find a way to make an income to help us along, especially with the pending bond and baby on the way.

I only have 3 months to go until I am in the maternity ward with my newborn, which is not a great selling point with potential employers. I am a teacher by trade and the online teaching market is saturated with others looking desperately for work and many companies have had to close applications.

I have many reasons to be thankful and I do consider myself blessed, I am just angry at the situation and I wonder each day how this ‘new normal’ is going to affect my baby’s upbringing and whether we will have a normal type of life again or will we be too fearful to venture out and be bound to the home.