Testimony
Become a mom in time
pandemic Covid 19
Céline is 34 years old, she has been the mother of a little boy since November 2020. She learned of her pregnancy during the first confinement: she testifies today about her experience of pregnancy during the Covid 19 pandemic.
How did you experience your pregnancy during the lockdown due to Covid?
I had the “chance”, if you can put it that way, to work in the restaurant business at the time of the first confinement and at the very beginning of my pregnancy. So I found myself at home from my 3rd month and I was able to rest and enjoy my pregnancy without having to work to the end, I think that is one of the only advantages that had this health crisis … In addition, as my partner also worked in catering, he was also at home from start to finish (and even until the little one’s 3 months, and that frankly, it was great, good better than a 15-day paternity leave!)
Not being someone who goes out a lot at the base, so I spent all the confinement quietly at home, gardening, sewing little things for the baby, taking the time to prepare his room …
How was the dad included in the follow-up?
That on the other hand, it was very difficult to live. Everyone dreams of having their first ultrasound while holding daddy’s hand and of discovering this new little life together … I was not so lucky because dad was not allowed to accompany me to the echoes. Fortunately, the doctor was very nice and allowed us to call each other by video, but it’s clearly not the same at all, I felt really alone and helpless.
"Everyone dreams of having their first ultrasound while holding daddy's hand and of discovering this new little life together ... I was not so lucky because dad was not allowed to accompany me to the echoes "
Have you apprehended your childbirth?
I imagine that no childbirth goes without apprehension … What scared us the most, daddy and me, is that he is not allowed to be present during the birth. , in which case I think I will have chosen to give birth at home because I did not want to live this ordeal alone in the middle of strangers. Luckily the daddy has been there all along, and honestly, at that point, the covid is the last thing we think about!
What was the most complicated?
The dad was not allowed to stay with us the first night, I was very anxious to be alone with this fragile little baby, having lived a very difficult childbirth I again felt very alone and delivered to me even.
After the birth, no one other than the daddy was allowed to come and see us, luckily he was still not working, so he was there most of the day, but I wish I could see my parents , some friends … In addition, I was hospitalized for a little more than a week, and because of health restrictions I was not even allowed to leave my room to go for a walk in the hallway … A week locked in a room is a very long time, especially for me, who is very active by nature and who needs to be outside!
"The dad was not allowed to stay with us the first night, I was very anxious to be alone with this fragile little baby"
Have you apprehended life after childbirth?
Honestly, not really, we were all 3 at home, we tried to limit visits from friends and family, and it was not bad, it allowed me to rest!
How is the monitoring of the baby carried out?
The midwife came to the house twice, then we got into the habit of going to the PMI once a month. The covid does not change the follow-up of the baby. The dad is not excluded.
"The covid does not change the follow-up of the baby. The dad is not excluded."
Any advice to give to mothers-to-be in times of the Covid 19 pandemic?
Do not hesitate to ask the health staff lots of questions, they are there to guide and reassure you, and above all to make sure everything goes as well as possible!