Home births. They may not be for everyone, but thanks to COVID-19 and the global pandemic it has caused, it’s becoming the new normal and a bit of a spectacle, as one midwife revealed on Facebook.
With much of the world still social distancing and quarantined in their homes, home births have become quite the show. No longer is it just the midwife, the laboring mom, and her spouse. Now it’s the mom, her spouse, her other kids if she has more, and whoever else is quarantining with them at that point in time.
RELATED: Actress Lake Bell Reveals Both of Her Home Births Took the Same Scary, Unexpected Turn
In April, Heartscience Midwifery shared a photo of a woman preparing to give birth. As she sat on an exercise ball with her midwife rubbing the small of her back, there are five other observers, most of them wearing masks or shields, watching the miracle of childbirth intently in the background.
“This is the new normal. This pandemic threw us all into a tailspin,” the Facebook post begins. “How to manage the continuous stream of inquiries? How to continue to give the same thorough midwifery prenatal care? How to take care of stress and mental health that has such an impact on pregnancy? How to keep ourselves safe? And how to engage in the public discourse over birth choices?”
All of these questions were once that popped up as women found themselves needing to give birth in the middle of a global health crisis. Sure, expectant moms are still able to deliver children in hospitals but there are now rules around who can be in the room and how long, even for the other parent.
“We are managing well so far,” Heartscience Midwifery continued. Our clients have been truly amazing and stepped to the moment.”
“We feel like we are all in this together. We are even organizing masks for all other midwives. So fare we have distributed nearly 3,000 masks and over 500 face shields to every midwife who needs them. They say that a person is like a teabag. You really don’t know how strong you are until you are in hot water. We can report that the human spirit is alive and well.”
One of the midwives who shared the raw post is also part of the grassroots, community effort to provide N95 masks and other essential PPE to hospital, birth center and home birth midwives across New York City called Masks for Midwives. Those who are looking to help out can reach out to the campaign’s Facebook page for further information.
Contents
Mamas Uncut is THE online place for moms. We cover the latest about motherhood, parenting, and entertainment as well – all with a mom-focused twist. So if you're looking for parenting advice from real parents, we have plenty of it, all for moms from moms, and also experts. Because, at the end of the day, our mission is focused solely on empowering moms and moms-to-be with the knowledge and answers they’re looking for in one safe space.