Having a baby in the corona age: “Safety is above curiosity” | Right away

Maternity visit is a visit to the window, the mother only has to go to the exciting 20-week ultrasound, and if you wanted to give birth with a doula or her mother, you can write that on your stomach. Babies are born during the Corona crisis with as few people as possible and should only be admired through glass.

The Royal Dutch Midwifery Association (KNOV) had its premiere on Monday: digital consulting in which pregnant women were able to answer all their questions to two midwives, one of whom specialises in anxiety problems.

Can my doula be at birth? As a pregnant woman, are you fed up with coronavirus? And can grandpas and grandmothers at least visit? The answer to all three questions is no.

Just to the Echo

Pregnant women are always full of questions, says KNOV spokesman Joost Heeroma, and in this day and age all. Physical checks are less than usual, but pregnant women can always call their obstetrician by (pictured).

The care of pregnant women has been adapted to the measures of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and is constantly changing. The measures that are now in place and have the greatest impact are, in particular, the reduction of non-medical physical controls, says Heroma: they are done by telephone.

Echoes politics have also been tightened: with all the echoes, such as the 20-week echo, which is exciting for many parents- Maternity visits are strongly discouraged. So-called funny echoes don’t go through. The birth itself can be attended by another person next to the mother. In addition to your partner, do you also let your (in-law) mother or a good friend watch? This won’t do. “The partner can always be there. Even with Corona, we pack it all the way.”

Concerned about the coronavirus, many women are thinking about a home birth, according to KNOV. ‘That’s not our advice, it’s the choice of parents. Hospitals have sufficient capacity and separate patient flows are being cared for.”

Baby Sam is four weeks old and gets a visit from his grandfather and grandmother behind glass. (Photo: Sjoukje Mos)

Waving behind glass

For the time being, safety exceeds curiosity, reports KNOV. And that is sad, says Sjoukje Mos (30). Four weeks ago she gave birth to her son Sam; On the very day of Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s televised address. Maternity visit is not the intention, she understood after birth.

Mos: “When I was at home with the baby in my bedroom, my parents climbed down a flight of stairs to the balcony and looked at him through the glass and waved it.” It was difficult, says Mos: there were tears behind the glass and there is still no question that the grandparents can hold their grandchild.

“I used to think, “Shouldn’t I let them in, hug them quickly? This can take months. But we really have to be content with it. Maternity visits go through the window and the three of us are really in a baby bubble. We get lots of nice comments and creative cards. He is a bright spot in a difficult time. Later we have a special story to tell him!”

Joy prevails

Everyone is disappointed, but above all there is understanding, says Heeroma. Renata Roos (39) is overwhelmed by the joy of the unborn child: she is twenty weeks pregnant and has just received her ultrasound. The baby is fine.

Roos: “It’s a pity my friend wasn’t allowed to come, but it’s just no different. This helps me to put things into perspective. The appointments are much shorter, the obstetrician wears a mouth cap, so Am, and no time is needed to catch up. You can do this later on the phone. It’s just a pity, but I’m really happy that I’m pregnant and I can sit opposite the midwife.’

The benefits of this situation, according to Roos: Doubts about whether you should go in the evening and whether you should take more rest is not there. “Everything is quiet.”