GIVING BIRTH IN PANDEMIC
Reporter, baby doing fine
Regina Leader-post reporter Jennifer Ackerman may be on maternity leave, but she is still doing interviews.
Lately, though, Jen is the one who is answering the questions.
I thought it would be interesting to get her perspective on what it is like to have a baby — William Marshall Edward Ackerman was born on May 24 — in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I would love to!” Jen said via Facebook Messenger on May 25, in the company of her husband, Clinton, and their seven-pound, 13-ounce son.
At the time, Jen was still in hospital, from which she was discharged the following evening.
“I feel a bit like I got hit by a bus and then gave birth to it (you can quote me on that) but we are all doing well, all things considered,” she wrote.
After taking some time to get settled at home, Jen followed up by letting me know that she was amenable to an interview.
So was William, as it turned out. The moment Jen answered the phone, the Ackermans’ first child ensured that his sentiments were heard, loud and clear.
Jen paused periodically in order to soothe William, proving once again that she is a natural.
We noticed that from the day Jen first set foot in the newsroom. It seemed as though she had been with us for decades. Personally and professionally, she was a perfect fit from the first hello.
Jen is equally well-suited to motherhood. You can hear the love in her voice as she informs William that “we’re talking about you.”
“You carry him around for nine months and have all sorts of thoughts about what it will be like when he’s on the outside,” Jen reflected.
“As soon as he was born, they put him on my chest — goop and all — and I started crying. There was a lot of effort involved in giving birth, but it felt easy in that moment, because he was there and he was so cute.
“It’s as beautiful as everyone says it is, and why it’s worth it.”
Jen knew that William, who was a week overdue, was becoming impatient the night before his arrival. The mom-to-be’s water broke while she was watching, coincidentally enough, Rosemary’s Baby.
Next stop: Regina General Hospital.
Jen and Clinton were both screened for COVID before being admitted.
After being called into a waiting room, they waited for a phone to ring. Once it did, they were screened for COVID once more.
“When they realize you’re OK, they come to get you,” Jen said.
Leading up to William’s arrival, there was one notable departure from the norm. Each attending hospital employee was wearing a mask.
Jen had to don a mask for a few minutes, strictly as a precaution, after her temperature exceeded 38 C.
“The people who helped us at the hospital were wonderful,” she said. “The people in the Mother Baby Unit, the doctors and the nurses all blew my mind with how comfortable they made us feel, even though they all had their faces covered. We could only see their eyes, but we could tell how much they cared for us.
“They wear a mask 24/7 and deal with changing protocol, but they didn’t let that change our experience. It shows that everyone can still have a great experience despite the pandemic and the restrictions that have been placed on everyone right now.”
COVID -related restrictions have also impacted the Ackermans’ life since they returned home.
“My family can’t come here from B.C. and I don’t know when they will be able to,” Jen lamented. “Clinton’s parents were able to come in from Humboldt (on Friday).
“There has been lots of Facetiming with family on both sides.”
Jen and Clinton are being very judicious as far as welcoming visitors, keeping social distancing in mind, while cherishing every moment with William — the third recent newsroom baby, following Emory Switzer (b. Aug. 26, 2018) and Evelyn Davis (Feb. 17, 2020).
“It’s bittersweet, for sure,”
Jen said. “A baby shower was cancelled, along with prenatal classes and a hospital visit. My family was going to visit before and after William was born.
“But, as much as COVID has taken away from us, it is still a wonderful experience.”