Dan and I had always talked about having two children, and we had hoped to get pregnant or have our second before we moved to Indiana. We had even gone through fertility exams again, including a round of IUI before we moved. After the IUI didn't take, we seriously discussed adoption again, but we knew that I'd gotten pregnant before in the cycles after my HSG exam before and I hoped it would happen again... and it did!
In March of 2020, just a few days before the pandemic shutdowns hit our area, I found out I was pregnant. We'd been trying for over a year like we had with Kenny, so Dan didn't quite believe me when I told him. The timing was also challenging, as we'd just moved and I was starting a new career. But we knew this was what we wanted, and thankfully our move had brought us close to family who would be able to help us.
- Virtual Visits instead of in-person visits
- I didn't really have much of an exam before my last trimester! Since I found out about my pregnancy right as the first pandemic shutdowns and protocols hit, so they honestly didn't really even want to see me other than in-person.
- Curbside Blood Draw
- Since I had pre-eclampsia last pregnancy, they wanted to be sure to monitor me closely in case it happened again. But what was different is that for one of my big blood draws, I was asked to pull up in my car and have the phlebotomist draw blood while I sat in my vehicle!
- Masks for Visits
- No surprise there, but I had to wear a mask every visit.
- No Partner for Ultrasounds
- Dan was unable to attend the two main ultrasounds, as no guests were allowed. This protocol changed later in the year, so when I needed an ultrasound close to my due date, they allowed him to join me.
- No Babymoon, or traveling in general. All my trips for the year were cancelled.
- Virtual Hospital Tour
- We were delivering at a new-to-us hospital, but we couldn't take a tour of the maternity ward. Instead, I watched a video online!
- Limited Hospital Guests & No Hospital Photographer
- Our hospital only allowed one guest per day, which included your support person. So if I had tried to rotate someone else in, Dan wouldn't be allowed back. But this worked out just fine because we only stayed at the hospital for 36 hours, and my parents were caring for Kenny.
- For Kenny, there was a photographer who did a newborn photo shoot on-site in our recovery room. This was not the case in 2020!
- COVID-19 test in the delivery room
- Apparently I refused this test pre-epidural (can you blame me? I was in pain!) but the doctor asked me again once I had my meds and I consented. It sucked! It was a swab that went way down your throat, then the same swab went way up your nose. It made my eyes water, and I had to cough afterwards.
20-week Ultrasound |
portraits by Amanda Field Photography |