Pregnancy During the Pandemic

Some time early 2020, the world experienced another bout of pandemic after the last one a century ago (the Spanish flu) and most countries were forced to close their borders. Who would have known that at this day and age, despite having treatments and medicine for almost all diseases or ailments, we would experience such a global crisis and a global recession. What we thought to be just a few weeks or a couple months of lockdown and restrictions had already been going on for almost a year (at least in my country).

If you know me, you would know that I am an introvert and that I am a person who just loves staying at home so quarantines or staying home are not a big deal. I was actually thriving at the onset of the lockdown. The only exceptions for me to go out of the house are when I need to meet friends, do errands or attend parties and events. (Yes, I do have friends even though I am an introvert). But even introverts get sick and tired of not being able to inhale fresh air or go wherever they feel like because this situation has been going on for too long. We need to go out, too (you know).

Early this year, my husband relocated to another city so he wasn't staying with us. So during the lockdown, we weren't together. Though a lot of people and even statisticians say that because of the lockdown and quarantine, there will be a lot of women who'll get pregnant, I never thought I would be one of them. Late May our city finally allowed residents to come back to the city and without hesitation, my husband decided to come back home and be with us for good. By the end of June, I missed my period and voila! By early July, we confirmed that my husband and I created another (our 2nd) tiny

human being.

We are happy to be growing our family of three to a family of four. We have waited so long to have another child and she came again when we least expected. (Yes, we'll be having another girl). However, with the virus still around, the restrictions, the new and ever changing protocols and the recession, parents can't help but worry about getting pregnant or giving birth during the pandemic.

I recently found out that when I get pregnant, the first trimester is usually delicate for me since I was placed on bed rest both my first and 2nd pregnancies. I tend to have a sub-chorionic hematoma at the early weeks of gestation hence, I always need to take a leave from work whenever this happens and take extra care. Though my work was not affected by the pandemic, my pregnancy affects my work and vice-versa. I even passed out in front of my student this time (me being and ESL teacher). And since I always prioritize my baby's safety before anything else, I have to let go of my work for the mean time so my pregnancy won't be affected negatively. My husband's work, on the other hand, was impacted by the pandemic. Before the pandemic, he was into real estate sales and because of the lockdowns, the project has been temporarily stopped. Hence, he decided to come back to our city for good. On top of that, I need more check-ups than usual during the 1st trimester despite the pandemic because of my situation. Doctor's fees, food and necessities are also becoming more and more expensive as months go by.

Through the months, there were so many changes that happened and changes still continue to happen. So how does it feel to be pregnant during a pandemic? Let me tell you about it.

A friend of mine got pregnant at the end of December 2019 and by March 2020, we had a nationwide lockdown and she wasn't able to have check ups from the months we were placed on lockdown. You can just imagine the worry and anxiety pregnant moms had during that special period especially if they are first time moms and have no idea what to expect during the different weeks or months of pregnancy. You'd die wondering if your baby is safe and healthy.

When clinics started re-opening, we were required to secure an appointment first and on the appointment day, we had to go through triage with the exception of the swab test of course. Our husbands or significant others were not allowed to stay with us during the check up and ultrasound this time and they had to stay in a designated waiting area. This was so different from before the pandemic took place wherein husbands or significant others were allowed to enter the clinic to be able to see their little ones on the screen and be more involved in the pregnancy. A lot of parents-to-be have complained that they felt robbed of this precious moment and opportunity to be able to see their little ones for the first time.

When I was pregnant with our first child, my husband was with me every time I had an ultrasound. He saw our daughter's facial profile, he was there when the gender was revealed by my doctor etc. so I felt like my husband was more bonded to her than our 2nd wherein he can only see the results of my check-ups and ultrasound through the baby book where they attach the print outs of my ultrasound and write the results there. Being able to see those little heads, hands or feet even just on a screen has a huge impact on the bond babies get to have with their dads early on. Of course, we expect everything will change once our baby is born and we expect that my husband can bond more with our 2nd daughter once she is out. After all, being able to hug and touch your little ones is still a lot better and exciting than seeing them on the screen.

Another thing is the use of face shields. Even before the government required people to wear face shields, my doctor already required us to wear them when going to our check-ups or else we will be declined of getting checked. The reason behind this was because just like the elderlies and children, pregnant women are also prone to getting the virus because our immune system is much weaker than pre-pregnancy. And though it hasn't been proven whether face shields do help in protecting us from acquiring the virus, we basically don't have any choice. And trust me, when you're pregnant, it is a little bit more difficult to breathe. Add a face mask then a face shield, you feel like you are getting suffocated. After some time, the entire country required people to wear face masks with their face shields especially when going to the business district or market. So now, everyone has to deal with it.

If you don't need close monitoring or aren't high risk, clinics or doctors also try to minimize your check ups. Sometimes you don't get a check up appointment until 6 weeks later. Unfortunately, they also have a protocol wherein if you didn't have your check up for more than a month, a health declaration or a swab test is already required depending on where you are from and especially if your area is a hotspot for Covid-19. If they trust that you didn't travel or go out of the house, a health declaration without the swab would suffice. But unfortunately, some pregnant women also lie about their real status which compromises the entire protocol during doctor's appointments. Some went out of the city and lie that they don't have symptoms but end up getting a positive swab test in the end.

Recently, the DOH also announced that one of the new strains from the UK has already entered the country and though they are trying to contain it so it won't spread, we can never really know. We aren't certain about whether it has really been contained or if it is already spreading in the country since there are a lot of asymptomatic carriers of the virus. Because of this, clinics stepped up in protecting themselves and their patients. So from my last check-up, we were required to use PPEs (provided by the clinic) already which meant additional fees to pay. Also, after the 34th week of gestation, pregnant moms need to

have their check ups weekly already. (That's a lot of fees but it's necessary to make sure that mommy and baby are safe and doing well!)

Another concern is because some patients don't tell the truth about their histories, nowadays, when patients have symptoms of flu (or any Covid symptom) even if it is just a mild one or even if you are sure you are experiencing allergic rhinitis, some doctors will already require you to get tested. Then, once you reach 37 weeks, a weekly swab test is also required before you are confined in a hospital. Without the negative swab test result, you will be confined in a Covid ward which can be risky to both the mom and especially to a newly delivered baby whose immune system is still developing. A swab test usually costs about 5,000 php in my city for private establishments. The testing in Manila is more expensive though. If you have Philhealth, you are supposed to get a discount and only pay a little over a thousand pesos in private testing centers but because the Philippine Health Insurance is having issues paying private testing establishments (because according to them, the pandemic used up a lot of their funds so now they are having difficulties paying them), these establishments don't give Philhealth discounts anymore so you need to pay in full. To avail of the free swab test, it has to be done in government testing sites like government hospitals. Usually results come out in a day if the test is done through a private testing site and 2-3 days if done through a government testing site since they have more people to attend to. While waiting for the results, pray that you won't pop yet.

And finally, the recession. Since a lot of establishments have been affected and a lot of employees lost their jobs or had a decline in their paychecks since the onset of the pandemic, a lot of people have been suffering financially. What more when you have kids and a new baby on the way. And the truth is, most Filipino families belong to the lower middle class who are living from paycheck to paycheck and most families might be struggling to make ends meet during this pandemic let alone produce the fees you need in order to give birth aside from the check ups and prenatal vitamins you need to take. But one thing is for sure, no matter what problems or difficulties we face during this pandemic, once we see those little blessings and be able to touch and care for them, everything we've been through and all the struggles we've gone through will surely disappear.

So do I think it is a good idea to get pregnant during the pandemic? Personally, for me, I think there is no right time to get pregnant. Whether you get pregnant during the pandemic or not, we all hope for a healthy pregnancy and a safe delivery and at the end, all the expenses will be worth it.

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