Going it alone
Stephanie and Christian Hamilton with baby Charlie.
Adjusting to new parenthood is hard enough, let alone in the midst of a global pandemic.
Concerns about exposure to coronavirus combined with physical distancing recommendations can make this a particularly anxious time for new parents.
Stephanie Hamilton hasn’t been able to connect with other new mums and family outside her bubble since she had her son Charlie on Easter Sunday, which has made things more challenging.
‘‘That bit I am struggling with – not being able to go to breastfeeding groups or a coffee group for first-time mums is really difficult, and not really knowing what I am doing.
‘‘Not being able to see someone face to face and make sure that I’m doing the right thing and having that reassurance is really tough.’’
Claire MacDonald, midwifery adviser at the New Zealand College of Midwives, said midwives were fielding more calls from women during and after pregnancy, and Covid19 was a topic on the mind of most mums-to-be.
Midwives are working through the lockdown but face-to-face checkups have been reduced. ‘‘Every conversation in the ante-natal period involves Covid. It is a huge part of additional considerations.’’
Separation from support networks could be particularly difficult, she said. ‘‘Having a baby is a huge life event and it’s time when we want to have everyone around us.’’
The increase in women requesting home births suggests some anxiety around hospital. But they were still safe places to be, she said. ‘‘We know that our hospital system is really well equipped to ensure infection control.’’
Hamilton said she wasn’t worrying too much about the virus when she went in to Wellington Hospital to give birth. ‘‘It was in the background going into it but we had an appointment and we knew beforehand what they were doing.’’
Visitation rules under lockdown mean those giving birth are allowed one support person during labour and up to two hours after birth.
But her husband Christian was allowed to stay with her the whole time because she has epilepsy.
Hamilton had nothing but praise for staff on the maternity ward.
Plunket, which helps new mums, has had to cut face-to-face meetings during lockdown and is providing support via phone and Zoom.
‘‘The Covid-19 pandemic is a challenging time for everybody, particularly for those with tamariki who don’t have their usual in-person support networks to call on during this time,’’ said Jane O’Malley, chief nurse at Plunket.
You can call Plunket on 0800933922.
Gemma Walker gave birth on the lounge floor of her Gisborne home, without the assistance of a midwife.
Two weeks before her due date, Walker’s midwife told her a lack of Covid-19 protective gear meant she couldn’t attend the planned homebirth.
‘‘I offered my midwife different methods, like video-calling during my birth or just calling her on the phone, but she had to look after so many different people [and] it wasn’t possible.’’ Walker, 27, decided to go it alone but was also forced to extend her bubble by having both her partner and mum there for support. Baby Athena was born on the morning of April 6, still in her amniotic sac, weighing 7.7 pounds. There were a few calls ‘‘for guidance’’ made to an aunty in Napier, who is a midwife, but other than that, Walker trusted her body to do the work, she said.
Her partner delivered the baby and she had skin-to-skin contact for about 40 minutes. The days leading up to the birth were filled with nerves, Walker said, but she was determined to birth at home.
A shortage of protective gear has been impacting midwives across the country, as suppliers struggle to keep up with the demand.
But NZ College of Midwives adviser Claire MacDonald wanted to reassure women that they would not have to birth at home alone if that was not appropriate for them. ‘‘Midwifery care, maternity care is and will continue to be available to all women.’’