Pregnant During a Pandemic- Interview with a New Mom

Anna McGovern is an employee at Alaska Children’s Trust who gave birth to her second son, Brooks, this winter. Anna graciously took time to sit down and discuss her experience giving birth in the midst of a pandemic as well as actionable tools for friends and family as they support new moms and pregnant moms in Alaska.

Interviewer: Hi Anna, first let’s talk about your feelings, being pregnant during a pandemic- were you nervous about the unknown aspects of COVID? Especially since you had it during your pregnancy. 

Anna: When COVID first hit in February, I, like many others were completely thrown for a loop and the first few months were plagued with uncertainly and extreme unease of the unknown of the virus. What was the most terrifying for me was not knowing how my body would react if I were to ever catch the virus. When I was 24 weeks, I had a bout of nausea one night and extreme fatigue and headaches following. Brushing it off to pregnancy, I didn’t think twice about the symptoms until my husband urged me to get tested just in case. I found out that I tested positive. There were so many emotions that ran through my head. I was stunned, horrified, anxious. I, like many others who found themselves in a similar situation, found general guidance but not much scientific research on the effects of COVID during a pregnancy. I was gripped with anxiety as I called my doctor and was told to rest and to call if symptoms got worse. I hung up feeling defeated, scared, and guilty. Who do you turn to for help during this entirely new experience, even for doctors and the CDC? You do you turn to when there wasn’t enough research to ease your fears?

Ultimately, I did the only thing I could do- wait it out. I had symptoms for several days after and recovered completely in about a week. My two-year-old never got COVID but husband tested positive while our son was in the NICU. As more emerging research came out noting the passing of antibodies through breastmilk, I knew that the vaccine was the only way I could provide protection for my toddler and newborn.

“It has been a relief to be have received the COVID vaccine and have the ability to pass on antibodies through breastmilk to my kids.” - Anna

Interviewer: That’s a great way to ensure their protection until the vaccine is fully tested and approved for young ones. So, this was your second pregnancy. How did this pregnancy differ from your previous one?

Anna: There were many things I anticipated with my second pregnancy, but nothing prepares you for a pregnancy during a pandemic. With my first pregnancy, I attended in-person birthing classes. I opted out of birthing classes this time, but I had friends who attended virtual classes that lamented about missing out on an in-person experience. Additionally, being so far from family living in Alaska, we are accustomed to not always having family around for consistent support. Nevertheless, it was still difficult to not be able to see anyone, throughout the entirety of my pregnancy. Living in a Zoom world, with your face on screen, I felt like this pregnancy was forgotten, and the joy and excitement that comes with a new baby was clouded by stress and anxiety due to a pandemic. What was helpful to me was maintaining a close group of mom friends. We all live in separate parts of the country but keep in touch daily. That support from like-minded moms to multiples helped me cope and stay connected.

Interviewer: I’m so glad you had that support while so many were feeling disconnected and socially isolated. It’s so important for moms to have support. Can you tell us about your hospital experience? 

Anna: When Brooks was born at 33 weeks, we were in the thick of winter, so guidelines at the hospital had been established, but not as strict as in the beginning of the pandemic. Since I had a preemie, Brooks was in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) until he was ready to head home. Parents were allowed to the NICU as often as they liked, so long as they didn’t leave the hospital, but no visitors were allowed and no extended family, which was a change from my first born’s NICU stay in 2018. My husband was allowed in the delivery room but was instructed that he could only leave the hospital once within a 24-hour period.

Interviewer: Could people visit you? If not, how did that make you feel? 

Anna: I could not have visitors. Only a single support person was allowed in the hospital once every 24 hours. Having my baby in the NICU, and not being able to connect with others while I recovered was incredibly difficult. There seemed to be less doctors/nurses in an out of the room as well (possibly to minimize contact) and it felt very isolating. 

Interviewer: As Alaska continues to be vaccinated, how can people support friends and family that are pregnant? What things did people do for you that helped the most?

Anna: Celebrating pregnancy- the best part of being pregnant is showing off the bump! Naturally when you are in a normal setting, co-workers, friends, and family can clearly see that you are pregnant and ask about you, or mentions something about your pregnancy, but during a pandemic, you aren’t in an office around others. In Zoom you only see people’s faces. I think when others asked about the pregnancy, or asked to see how your bump looked, it really helped bring back a little bit of excitement of being pregnant.

While visiting in doors was not possible, offering to drop off food, checking in, goes a long way to help lessen the feeling of isolation.

Interviewer: What things did you not want from people?

Anna: Jokes about a pandemic baby. Not personally, but I have had many friends who have struggled with infertility and have been TTC for months and years and it so happened they became pregnant during the pandemic. Jokes about pandemic babies insinuates these pregnancies are accidental, an afterthought, or a result of boredom. These flippant remarks are so incredibly insensitive to families who are TTC or have planned for the pregnancy. I did not have a challenge with unwanted visits, but PLEASE check with families to see what their boundaries are with contact and please respect that.

Thank you, Anna, for taking the time to chat and talk about your experience!