October 2020

I met mummy number 12 at the beginning of July when she was in her 24^th week of pregnancy with her second boy and I kept seeing her every 4 weeks. We didn’t only discuss pregnancy, but life in general as Covid-19 has brought great strains; how it might affect the practicality of everything, the risk of contracting it and being taken to an unknown hospital, if total lockdown was imposed how would she travel, how would her nanny get to her, how would I get to her, would I need a PCR test beforehand to support her? So many questions where no answer could be given until delivery day.  

As the situation worsened though, she was relaxing more, realizing that nothing could be done about it so we would just have to pray all would work out just fine. She had chosen to birth in one of the smaller private maternity hospital with beautiful grounds and low buildings – it looked like a big house with a lovely garden around. She was carrying her baby overdue and as another lockdown was imposed, her husband rented an apartment close by for me and their nanny to stay and wait to be on hand. I had a relaxing day after my first night there, we had dinner together and I gave her a foot massage and chatted to her before bedtime. Would you believe, she went into labour that night. I think the full moon had something to do with it. We drove with their “curfew driver” to the hospital, spending the night there, not much was happening. We somehow napped on and off the three of us in the room, taking in turns for the spare bed with her husband. She was contracting every 10mins the whole night, managing to rest in between. She went for frequent walks with her husband in the grounds trying to feel the power from the full moon. She had some breakfast (spicy omelette), hot showers, sleep and a healthy lunch (salad and grilled chicken) on a small pretty porch.  Her water broke at 12.30, at 13.10 they took her to the labour room and at 13.30 she birthed a baby boy Vitya. She made it look so easy, with no pain relief, no noise, no fuss, and her doctor made it just in time nicely. What a star, it was just as she imagined. Complete contrast of how she was feeling during pregnancy, she had control over this and loved it. She was back in the room within 2 hours and I was able to relax and feel proud of her. I left them in privacy, asking the “curfew driver” to drive me back. They were home at lunch time the next day and their fist born loved having them home, presenting them a big poster he had made for his new baby brother.

Another family was born amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Isn’t it marvelous, that babies are being born despite the world being upside down?

Rennie