3 Beautiful Aspects of Having a Baby During the COVID-19 World Pandemic
Yeah, you read that right. There are beautiful parts to having a baby during a pandemic. Maybe you think I’m crazy, but I try to look at that glass half full. I had my first baby at the first peak of the pandemic in April 2020.
I lost out on both my planned baby showers, my maternity pictures, newborn photos, and much more. At the time, it was so hard but it was also what needed to be done – so I guess that made it easier. After the fear of getting COVID or my newborn getting COVID subsided a little, it’s easy for me to look back now and realize the beautiful parts of that time.
This didn’t happen overnight. I wasn’t thrilled how quickly things changed considering I was in the home stretch of my last trimester when it all really got real.
At my 34 week appointment, the doctors told me they were more concerned about me getting the flu and there were so many unknowns with COVID. I also remember the doctor saying, “we don’t even have any confirmed cases in Michigan.”
This made me feel a little better...for a second.
I got a call before my 36th-week appointment that my former husband could no longer come with me and I’d have to wear a mask during the appointment. I was also told I’d have to stop working at the job I loved as a Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA) because it was considered high-risk. And to be allowed in the hospital, my family would both need to isolate.
It was no doubt a seriously scary time. But looking back now a year later, these are the 3 most beautiful parts about having a baby during the COVID-19 world.
You Won’t Have To Clean Your House As Often
This may seem silly, but I’m not kidding you, it’s a blessing. When people come over, even if you have a newborn, you’ll feel the need to clean and tidy up. And even though you’re exhausted, you will.
I had many parents text me this after our daughter was born. They said it was an added stress to be dealing with a newborn at home. And believe me, the last thing you’re going to want to do is clean.
Our pediatrician and medical team recommended 8 weeks with no contact. Just our little family of 3 for two solid months.
I remember my mom coming to visit on day 5, and honestly being grateful that she couldn’t see the mess we were living in. She saw our new baby, her 7th grandchild through our front porch window.
When she left, I quite literally bawled my eyes out. It was so hard to have her so close and not hug her and hand over my baby to her.
But I’m really glad I didn’t have to tidy up. I remember I just had to move a couple of things around in the living room because that’s basically all she could see. Our kitchen was a mess, our bathroom was a mess, we were sleep-deprived, and just in survival mode at that point.
After surviving the first 6-8 weeks, I feel like life settles down...just a smidge.
2. You Might Get to Be At Home More or Even Work From Home
Being at home with my baby is everything now. I decided to leave my job as a COA because my former husband and I were terrified of the risks my job would bring to the health of our baby. I worked for busy ophthalmologists and would be exposed to so many more people if I had gone back.
I’d been working as a medical copywriter on the side before I had my daughter. I started working in eye care because I love nerding out about our eyes. Plus, I had years of experience in the field and was compassionate about patient care. I found I was really good at writing doctor’s websites and blogs to reach their patients.
After having my daughter, Penelope, and the amount of research you do as a new parent, I started thinking I could write in the motherhood space too. I was reading all these blogs and articles and thought, “I can reach people this way and help parents this way if I work with the right companies.”
So, I did.
I started writing for my first parenthood company that I truly believe in with every ounce of my being. The company is helping parents navigate the journey of infant food allergies. Penelope was diagnosed with food allergies at 4-months old – a story for another day.
Content marketing and copywriting are all about reaching people. I wanted to help reach people and parents struggling with everything it takes to keep a newborn alive and well.
The point is — because of this pandemic, a lot of jobs have more flexibility and are more comfortable with people working remotely. Is it always easy? Nope. Some days I feel like I’m killing it and other days I’m working nights when Penelope is sleeping because I got approximately zero done when she was awake.
But if you can be a parent – the hardest job out there, you can be a work from home parent too.
If I were you, I’d be asking my employer about this possibility or consider looking into remote jobs.
If working from home was never your intention, that’s okay too. Whatever you do for your family is the best for your family! There is no right answer here. What works best for someone, might not be what works for another family.
I personally love working as a copywriter writing for parenthood and eye companies.
3. You Likely Won’t Have to Travel Far With a Newborn
The first time we went anywhere with Penelope, she was a little over 2 months old. It was the 4th of July and after already not seeing my family for almost 4 months due to COVID. We decided to take the plunge.
Have you traveled with a newborn before? Good God, it’s ridiculous and there is so.much.to.pack. I started getting ready a few days before and just watched the pile grow. And we used most of it.
You need all the things.
Travel Crib
Bottles (which now have 89,789 parts to them)
Milk/Formula
Clothes
Toys
Bottle Rack
Baby dish soap
Diapers
Wipes
Baby swing (we didn’t use this)
More clothes
Blankets
Pacifiers
Bibs
Burp Rags
I’m gonna stop now.
It was stressful. The fear of COVID. The long car ride. The dogs. The other kids. I sat in the back with Penelope because I was scared and learned I don’t do well sitting in the back seat for long periods. I felt nauseous, but also couldn’t leave my baby.
I’m not sure if everyone feels this way. But for us, we had been in our bubble for so long, that everything else was just scary.
Traveling with a new baby sucks in my opinion. We didn’t leave our house again for close to 5 months after this one overnight stay. And don’t even get me started if they cry during the ride, because Penelope only cried for 30-40 minutes of the 2-hour ride. I consider that good.
It was good for our souls to share her a little though. For us to see my family longer than a few hours. That part was great. I think a vital part of making the best of having a baby during the pandemic is adjusting your mindset.
Adjust Your Mindset When Having a Baby During The Pandemic
The pandemic will likely change a few things with giving birth and bringing your baby into this world. With the vaccine out now and being distributed, there is hope things can go back to somewhat normal soon.
Until that day comes, I recommend adjusting your mindset. If you constantly look at what you can’t have instead of what you do have, it leads to a slippery slope of sadness. And you’re already dealing with postpartum hormones, to begin with.
Maybe you won’t be seeing your family as much, but you’ll be soaking it all in with the family you’ve created and added to. You’ll get to watch your spouse be a parent and learn new things every day about motherhood.
If you’re a motherhood or parenthood company and need help reaching your audience using content marketing – let me know and schedule a call with me here. You might even be lucky enough to meet Penelope!
If you just stumbled upon this blog, I hope you find peace knowing it’s not all bad having a baby during COVID-19. At the end of the day, you still have that beautiful baby.
