When I thought of this second pregnancy, never in a million years could I have prepared for the times we are in right now. There’s a virus sweeping the nation that makes people so terribly ill you could be on a ventilator, or even worse, die. We are quarantined to our homes, schools are shut down and parents are homeschooling their children while still potentially having to work from home, businesses have now shut down or have the capability to work remotely, and that’s just to name a few.

We are on a #SafeAtHome initiative, we have been social distancing but since people can’t do what the hell they are supposed to do, it’s been tightened up even more with limiting the amount of people gathering and how far apart you need to be to be deemed at a safe distance. There’s literally a toilet paper shortage. So much so that stores had to physically limit people to buying one per transaction because people came in and bought all of it up, leaving none for the rest of us. It’s a hoarding situation of essentials. People literally feel like Marshall Law will be called. Times. Are. So. Freaking. Weird.

Here’s how it’s affected my pregnancy:

At 36 weeks pregnant, we had our baby shower. People were in from out of town, we had some of those out of town guests staying in our home, caterers and food were being delivered, bartender was already hired etc. This was basically the weekend before the Coronavirus blew up. We debated cancelling the shower because of the uncertainty floating around. We decided to have the party but lots of people cancelled for obvious and respectable reasons. We week later, boom. Quarantine.

Leading up to my 37th week, I was told by my OB that no one could accompany me to doctors visits anymore. This was very bittersweet for me. I understood but it did not take away the sting of savoring those last few appointments, listening to baby’s heartbeat with my husband. I’m very sentimental when it comes to stuff like this.

At 37 weeks, the hospital I would be delivering at issued a “no visitors” policy. Sheer panic hit our household. Luckily, the hospital had a few exceptions allowing only ONE guest for a few specific situations, one being labor and delivery. THANK YOU JESUS. They seem to be honoring this exception, but it’s such an uneasy feeling seeing as New York literally just banned ANY VISITORS AT ALL. So there are women out there, going into birth, alone. Worst. Nightmare.

So here we are, leading up to week 38. I’ve been homeschooling my kiddo for 2 weeks and honestly it’s not been that bad. Emma is SO stinking smart and has a great attitude about school for the most part. We have a great relationship in the first place so it’s easy to communicate, when she wants to listen LOL. I mean she is still 8 years old. It is still going to be a challenge in general. The nursery is ready, the hospital bags are packed, and everything is cleaned for the most part. We are ready to have a baby. But there is a lingering panic in the back of my mind… will my husband be able to be in labor/delivery with me?

New York banned any visitors in the hospitals, period. The longer time passes, the more each state seemingly shuts down little by little. I’ve had all sorts of messages from other pregnant women asking what my thoughts are. I’ve had messages from friends of friends who had delivered locally and out of state just giving me tips and advice of what to expect. The cafeterias are shut down. You can’t leave your room. THE STARBUCKS IS SHUT DOWN YALL.

Brett and I have now re-crafted our snack bag, water bottles, and even considered bringing a coffee maker (per the recommendation of another couple who use gave birth at our same hospital!!). We have talked to midwives, people who have home birthed, and really honestly considering doing the damn thing at home but it was just over consuming information…just wanted to know our options if things came to this point!

At this point, we both agreed that we aren’t going to cheat fate. That God has a plan for us and this baby no matter the circumstances going on around us. We are going to come together and pray, we are going to pray separately, and we are going to ask those around us to pray for us as well. If for some (awful) reason, I had to go to the hospital alone…without Brett…and have this baby…(he’s be on FaceTime) – it would emotionally kill both of us. But God is always there. God is always the same. He is faithful. That’s what we have to focus on. Instead of continuing to try and control the situation with consuming massive quantities of information, we just stopped. We let go.

We are giving God the control and relinquishing our fears, anxieties, burdens, and more back at the foot of the Cross where they belong.

Communication between me and my husband is paramount right now for my mental health.

Prayer and time with Jesus is vital to our family.

Doing things that create calm in this home are steps we will be taking. Cue the diffusers, sound machines, bouji coffee, meditation, ***BLOG POSTS LIKE DIS LOL***, etc.

Love you guys so much. Thanks for reading these posts and thank you even MORE for praying for our family. We have been so blessed and God isn’t going to stop now.

Love,

B