Maryland hospitals- Moms experiences delivering during Covid-19

I surveyed 45 new Moms who delivered a baby at Maryland Hospitals March-August 2020 to find out what their experience was like delivering a baby during Covid-19.

Disclaimer: This article does not provide medical advice. It is intended for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always follow the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have.

As if delivering a baby is not nerve racking enough, expecting parents are now having to worry about the fears and new regulations in place surrounding Covid-19. Having just had my first child in October 2019, my heart has really gone out to these families. I wanted to find out what their experiences were in hopes of answering questions and just sharing their stories to expecting moms who will be in their shoes soon.

I created a survey and these kind Moms were nice enough to share their experiences with me. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised at how positive their stays were amidst having to adapt to the recent safety measures.

The Questions:

What hospital did you deliver at?

What restrictions/rules were in place for Covid precautions?

How long did you stay after you delivered?

What precautions is your doctor advising you take at home? ( visitors, travel, working spouse)

Looking back is there anything you would have packed in your hospital bag ? (Snacks were a very popular answer!)

Was there anything you wish you would have known prior to going in?

Any other information you would like to share?

The following Maryland hospitals are included: GBMC, Sinai, St.Josephs, Mercy, Franklin Square, Johns Hopkins, Hopkins Bay View, Howard County General, St.Agnes, Upper Chesapeake, Harbor Hospital and Baltimore Washington Medical Center.

I start with GBMC since the majority of Moms delivered there. The other hospitals can be found after the answers from GBMC Moms.

• APRIL (C-SECTION)- Temp taken as entered hospital and answered the basic covid questions. Only one visitor. Visitor registered with me at intake. Only visitor the entire time (same person). Visitor was screened daily for fever and answer the basic covid questions. Visitor had to wear mask at all times until I was in my maternity room then visitor did not need a mask in the room with me/baby. I had to wear a mask until I was in the OR prep room. Baby (no complications) had to stay in room with me the whole time. There was no nursery. Only one nurse (again no complications) or Dr was in the room at a time – so if the baby’s nurse was in the room, my nurse would not come in. Once I was up and walking . I had to wear a mask in the hallways and someone had to be in the room with the baby. Baby was not allowed out of the room until discharge (again no complications). All baby check ups/ baths etc were completed in the room. No deliveries were allowed from outside the hospital (my visitor could bring in food and such to me). There was a lighter staff in general in the maternity/nursery ward.
• APRIL (C-SECTION)- Only one visitor and it must be the same person for the whole visit.
• MAY (C-SECTION)- Only one support person, they could come and go (hubby had to stay home with kids so my mom was there for delivery but then left). No siblings, nursery was closed so baby stayed in my room the whole time (sounds awesome but very hard to take care of yourself post surgery as well as a baby). Couldn’t walk halls unless wearing mask and baby couldn’t go with you (so I couldn’t walk halls since I didn’t have support person to stay in room with baby). Discharged 48 hours after c section.
• MAY – Temperature check before we went in. Only one visitor and it had to be the same visitor my entire stay. The nursery was closed and I could not walk around without a mask.
• MAY (C-SECTION)- Mask in hallway, mask can be off in room, baby stays in room- no nursery.
• MAY- Our temperatures were taken as soon as we stepped into the hospital, we were asked Covid-19 screening questions and given a “screened today” wristband that had to be worn and visible; one visitor the entire time our babies and I were in the hospital; masks were required at all times. No other visitors or siblings were allowed during delivery or postpartum.
• MAY (C-SECTION)- Masked unless in room and temp checked before entering L and D. Only husband as visitor, masks outside of room. No nursery. You can not leave room with baby (for my first walk I wanted my husband to be with me for physical and emotional support but there is no nursery and when we tried to leave the room with the baby in the cart the nurses stopped us) which got me very emotional.
• JUNE- Only one support person was allowed to be with me. He was able to come and go, but no one else could come in in his place. Masks must be worn in the hall way.
• JUNE- No nursery, masks worn in hallways, only one visitor.
• JUNE- One support person,no visitors,nursery closed except for medical need.
• JULY- Only one person allowed with you. Nursery was closed. Masks on except for in the l&d and postpartum rooms – basically in the triage and hallways.
• JULY- Only one/same visitor the entire stay. Masks needed in hallway only. Hardest restriction was that the nursery was closed so all of babies testing/vitals were done in the room. There is literally someone in your room every hour for either mom or baby so sleep was practically impossible. My husband and I probably got 5 hours total from when my water broke to when we were discharged.
• JULY-Only one guest per stay, nursery closed, no walking the hallways, baby stays with you during the duration of your stay, 24 hour stay.
• JULY-one partner, allowed to leave the hospital, but only that one person allowed back in. Temperature taken while in processing. Masks worn in the hospital.
• AUGUST-One visitor / spouse and all procedures done in the room. Baby never left.

How long did you stay after delivering?

• APRIL- Nothing special beyond normal precautions.
• APRIL- Nothing beyond what the normal precautions and to really not let people hold the baby.
• MAY- Don’t take baby out, no visitors unless outside, if someone wants to hold baby they need to wash hands, wear clean clothes and a mask and hold her outside.
• MAY- Nothing specific was discussed.
• MAY- My spouse works in hospital with covid patients so we are a little different but we take precautions and quarantine. We do Instacart and do not go in stores. Socially distance.
• MAY- We were advised against seeing anyone except our parents until the twins were 8 weeks. We have been very strict and have been staying at home, not allowing visitors in our house, and wearing masks anytime we leave to go to the grocery store, etc. Our babies never leave the house except to go to the doctors.
• MAY- Visitors are up to our discretion and judgement. Keep hands clean and wear our masks everywhere we go, no indoors unless necessary.
• MAY- Limit contact with all people outside of immediate family
• JUNE- No visitors or travel. My spouse was 100% remote so that wasn’t a problem. I was quarantined for the last 3 months of my pregnancy as a precaution. No baby shower or anything outside of going to my prenatal visits.
• JUNE- Routine precautions. Mask/hand washing.
• JUNE- Visitors must wear masks and gloves and limit visitors.
• JULY- No visitors for first 8 weeks. Didn’t ask about travel. And my husband is working from home for the foreseeable future.
• JULY- Limited to no visitors for at least 2 months for baby’s immunity to build.
• JULY- Practice social distancing. Only visitors with safe practices, wash hands, sanitize and mask.
• AUGUST- None were specified. Seems individualized

Looking back is there anything you would have packed in your hospital bag ?

• Not that I can think of – GBMC really provides everything for you.
• Jello. The jello selection was not great.
• Being there for such short of a time I would have packed less. Ended up only needing change of clothes for going home.
• Snacks and shower shoes I loved having!
• This was my third so I was a pro! Remember a boppy, your own pillow, robe, nursing tanks and comfy pants.
• More snacks.
• An extra mask. I lost my first one between our check-in room and the OR and had to hold a sheet over my face.
• No, hospital provided all I needed. Wish I would’ve brought more snacks but that’s it.
• I forgot shampoo, conditioner, and a robe!!!
• More snacks.
• Towels!

Is there anything you wish you would have known prior to going in?

• The nursery is closed currently so the baby stays in your room 24/7. (APRIL)
• That I would be sent home after 24 hours. (JUNE)
• That the nursery was closed so I’d be 100% taking care of baby- means no time to rest or sleep before going home. (MAY)
• Keep your spouse with you so you can sleep / nap.
• Again, this was my third. But the food was particularly bad this time around. We did door dash for all of our dinners.
• What to expect if an emergency c section were to suddenly become a possibility, procedure, recovery, etc.
• No, GBMC was simply amazing!
• That I would never see any of the staffs face, ever. It’s so bizarre that your sharing such an intimate moment with someone but if you were to see them on the street you would have no idea. I vividly remember all my favorite nurses from my first birth. I don’t know if I wish I would have known this, but I didn’t truly realize til after baby was born that we would constantly be woken up by nursery nurses checking on the baby as well as me. With my first they would take the baby to the nursery to do all the monitoring. Also, Mom and Dad can not leave room if there is no nursery.

Any other information you would like to share?

• It was a much calmer and less chaotic experience then I was expecting given the pandemic. It was actually nice to only be able to have one person because no one got feelings hurt and I didn’t have to be annoyed that people were in the waiting room or wanting to come visit right after birthing like they did with my first.
• As an extra precaution my husband and I did a full 2 week quarantine just to be extra safe before the delivery (scheduled c-section). Ask your doctor anything you are unsure of the hardest part was the 1 visitor (and I know there are moms out there doing this with no visitors) Baby is in the room the whole time -not a lot of sleep happened. My visitor was unable to sleep at the hospital with me due to home responsibilities. I relied on nurses to get my baby and put baby back in her bed after feedings before I could fully move since no extra family is there to help. Doctors wanted myself and baby out of the hospital as soon as possible. Safer from covid at home than at the hospital. Since no complications and both healthy as soon as we both hit all the check boxes we were released.
• Overall it was a great experience considering the times we are in.
• Hardest part of being pregnant/ delivering during a pandemic is not being able to plan or share the job. We had no birth plan because it seemed like every week policy was changing.
• I felt the hospital took everything very seriously and was very pleased with the experience just more sleep deprived without the nursery and once my husband went to work.
• Hospital staff made us feel very comfortable and reassured us throughout our visit. COVID was not the main focus the whole time.
• Everyone was super helpful and respectful.
• GBMC did not test me for covid. I know many other hospitals are testing moms before birth.
• Don’t be stressed. Having a baby during a pandemic is something to celebrate. We are resilient and your baby won’t remember any of it!
• Soak up the private time you and your spouse get to share with your new addition(s). Don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself. Make sure your spouse can advocate for you and your baby’s needs if you aren’t able to.
• We are so grateful for our experience with GBMC L&D and NICU.
• The nurses were very compassionate and attentive. I thought I would be really upset that we couldn’t have visitors but honestly it was nice to have the intimacy with the 3 of us and not to have that pressure to invite people. I kinda even forgot for a period that there even was a pandemic, it was like we were in our own little world.

Sinai, St.Josephs, Mercy, Franklin Square, Hopkins, Hopkins Bay View, Howard County General, St.Agnes, Upper Chesapeake, Harbor Hospital and Baltimore Washington Medical Center.

What restrictions/rules were in place for Covid precautions?

Johns Hopkins

• MARCH- 1 visitor the whole time
• APRIL- Only one support person allowed the entire stay and they could not leave the hospital once entered (couldn’t go to car or get food). If I had to have a c-section my support person could not be with me in the OR due to PPE shortages. Masks were worn by everyone including myself. Myself and husband didn’t have to wear while in our private room.
• MAY- Only one support person no other visitors, even my doula who was from the Hopkins doula training program was not allowed in. Support person could not leave the hospital once they were there. Staff wore masks the whole time but once admitted I was tested and then did not have to wear a mask, my support person was not tested but was also not required to wear a mask. We did have to wear masks prior to admission though when we were in the screening room and when in any hallways. The doctor told me prior to delivery that if I tested positive for covid that they would recommend my baby and I be separated for a quarantine period but wanted me to know that I had the right to refuse this separation if I chose to.

Mercy

• MARCH- Only 1 visitor allowed the entire time (i chose my husband) temp had to be checked every time he entered the hospital.
• JUNE- Only one guest in l&d; no visitors; masks on when we came in but didn’t need to wear during active labor.
• JUNE- Had to wear masks in the hallway, staff was in full PPE, husband and I had to get screened before entering hospital, only allowed 1 support person.

Sinai

• MARCH- Only 1 person and was only allowed to leave once to get hospital bag and then could not come back if he left again. We were there at the very beginning so they were still figuring things out. For the last few days we were confined to our room (unit with masks) and could visit our daughter in the NICU only with masks. Once we were discharged we were only allowed to visit her one at a time while wearing masks, the other one had to sit in the car (I couldn’t drive).
• APRIL- Only dad allowed, could not leave the room. Wore masks when in hallways but not delivery or recovery room.
• MAY- Husband had to wait in the car while I went to triage to determine if I would be admitted to minimize extra people in the hospital in case I wasn’t staying. Masks worn in the delivery room (which didn’t bother me) (but not in the postpartum room after baby was born) however when my baby’s heart rate dropped while pushing they immediately had me take my mask off to get more air. So I felt like they prioritized our health over “the rules”. Husband was not allowed to leave room for drinks/popsicles/snacks etc… the nurse brought all these to us.
• MAY- One support person (one entry/exit) plus doula allowed, no visitors, masks, limited staff (consolidating nursing/doctor visits to the room), and I was tested for covid upon admission.
• JUNE- My husband could not leave once we got there and we could not walk around the halls and I was covid rapid tested upon arrival for my induction as I was 40 weeks 6 days.

Franklin Square

• APRIL- No guests, child’s father had to stay the entire time.
• APRIL- I was tested before I could be admitted, my husband’s temperature was taken, all hospital staff wore masks, we couldn’t leave our room without a mask or leave the hospital and come back.

St.Joes

• APRIL- Only one support person permitted, no walking the halls, face masks/coverings to be worn at all times, no comfort measures/labor tools like the birthing Tub or peanuts or birthing balls allowed.
• APRIL- Only one visitor was allowed (spouse or doula, not both). Masks were required in hallways. No water births or birth balls/peanuts.
• JUNE- No visitors, only one support person, covid test for mom (mask required until negative result, mask required for support person, can’t leave room, no birth balls/peanut balls, no use of tub.
• JUNE- I was tested upon admission. Once my test came back negative, I was able to take my mask off. Hubby had to keep his mask on the whole time and was temp checked every 12 hours. We also had to stay in our rooms. If hubby’s test came back positive, I believe he would have had to leave.
• AUGUST (C-SECTION)- Had to get tested two days prior to surgery and quarantine. They also suggested that we quarantine two weeks prior to my scheduled surgery. Only one visitor for 24 hour period. My husband was allowed to be with me in the OR as long as I tested negative and stay in the room with me. He could leave the room to go to our car or pick up food but if he left the campus he would not be able to come back until the next morning. He also had to wear a mask whenever someone came in the room, but he could take it off when we were alone with the baby. He had to have his temperature checked at every shift change. The baby stayed in our room with us the whole time. Everyone in the hospital is wearing masks and all employees had eye protection as well. Security check in and temperature checks at the main entrance.

Baltimore Washington Medical Center

• MAY- Covid test/remaining in triage until results came back, one support person/no after birth visits, masks (encouraged but not enforced for me, mandatory for husband), had to remain in room, nurses had to bring drinks (couldn’t go get our own water/coffee from drink station).

Harbor Hospital

• MAY- I was only allowed one visitor, and they were not able to leave and come back once they arrived. We had to wear masks until we got into our room. I had to get tested for Covid before delivery.

Howard County Hospital

• JUNE- Masks to be worn at all times, even during labor and active labor. Only one support person. The mother takes a rapid covid test upon arrival- if it’s positive then your one support person can’t stay and you have to give birth alone. They asked that the support person not leave the hospital unless necessary the whole time. All of the staff had masks on and some had shields on. They did allow your spouse to have 2 free meals a day since they were asking them not to leave when typically they would have to pay for food. Also no visitors after baby is born either.

Upper Chesapeake

• JUNE- I was tested upon admission. Once my test came back negative, I was able to take my mask off. Hubby had to keep his mask on the whole time and was temp checked every 12 hours. We also had to stay in our rooms. If hubby’s test came back positive, I believe he would have had to leave.

Johns Hopkins Bayview

• JULY- One support person. No one in triage until Covid test comes back and you’re admitted.

St.Agnes

• JULY- Wore a mask during delivery.

How long did you stay after you delivered?

What precautions is your doctor advising you take at home?

• MARCH- My doctor honestly didn’t tell me any precautions due to Covid. I took it upon myself to not have visitors for a while, I’m not traveling for a long time. And after 3 months I just went back to work, but I’m taking a lot of precautions. (JOHNS HOPKINS)
• APRIL- Was advised no visitors for first few months and if we saw anyone to be outside and if anyone held baby to have them wash hands and wear a mask. (JOHNS HOPKINS)
• APRIL- Limit visitors, they should wear masks, no travel. (SINAI)
• APRIL- Practice hand hygiene, wear a mask when out, use good judgment when/if allowing others to hold baby. (ST.JOES)
• APRIL- I didn’t get any advice. We allowed both sets of grandparents to meet her on separate occasions. We kept her pretty isolated until 8 weeks old. (ST.JOES)
• APRIL- Stay home. (FRANKLIN SQUARE)
• MAY- Doctor has not provided much guidance at all but has talked with me a lot about postpartum depression that has been increased due to covid travel restrictions and lack of physical support from family members. (JOHNS HOPKINS)
• MAY- Masks around all visitors. (SINAI)
• MAY- Limiting visitors and travel, plus taking all normal COVID precautions (social distancing, masks, etc.). (SINAI)
• JUNE- Our doctor said that we can have family visit as long as they are feeling healthy, do not have small children in daycare, wear a mask, wash hands, have not been traveling, and we know that they are being safe. The doctors feel strongly that without help from family you have a much greater risk of postpartum depression. As far as working spouse they just said for the spouse to be safe and take all precautions but unfortunately if you have to work you have to work, they don’t want us taking the baby in to crowded public places-only like to the park for walks and stuff. So we haven’t taken the baby to any stores or anything. Only to the grandparents house. (HOWARD COUNTY GENERAL)
• JUNE- Limit exposure as much as possible, limit guests in the house, guests in house should wear masks and wash hands. (MERCY)
• JUNE- Wash hands, limit outdoor exposure, limit visitors, disinfect as much as possible. (MERCY)
• JUNE- Work from home as long as I can. Very minimal. Close family, maybe close friends depending strictly on what their doing. (SINAI)
• JUNE- No real guidance. Mostly was told “use your best judgment” by midwives and pediatrician. My husband took two weeks off and has been going into the office since. (ST.JOES)
• JUNE- Stay home as much as possible, no visitors! (ST.JOES)
• JULY- Limit interactions with those outside of our “bubble”. My husband was able to work from home luckily. (JOHNS HOPKINS BAYVIEW)
• JULY- Limiting visitors and self quarantine. (ST.AGNES)
• AUGUST- Limit visitors to immediate family and use common sense if someone is at risk of exposure. Wear a mask when introducing the baby to anyone. Use good hygiene and common sense. (ST.JOES)

Looking back is there anything you would have packed in your hospital bag ?

• More snacks- kitchen was not fully staffed and they forgot to bring us dinner (after not eating for over 12 hrs). (BALTIMORE WASHINGTON MEDICAL CENTER)
• Snacks. (FRANKLIN SQUARE)
• I would have packed less – without visitors I didn’t really need clothes. Just a robe.
• I would have to say no. I’m an over packer so I would say I wouldn’t have packed as much stuff. The hospital gave me a lot of things for me and my baby. (HARBOR HOSPITAL)
• My friend told me to pack cards. I was induced so the cards were a lifesaver while we waited so we didn’t have to watch the news!
• No but I was happy I brought my own pillow and snacks because we got stuck in hospital for a while because my daughter had a high bilirubin score. Typically they would have sent us home but they were worried if it kept going up we would have to be admitted into peds and my husband wouldn’t be able to come because I would be my daughters one visitor. So they kept us together for longer to get treatment. Hospital food stinks!! ( JOHNS HOPKINS)
• The hospital really had everything I needed and sent me home with a ton of postpartum care items. (JOHNS HOPKINS)
• I wish I would have brought my boppy with me, and/or my body pillow. Also, hopkins has no idea what a postpartum pad should be, so I wish I would have brought some of mine from home. (JOHNS HOPKINS BAYVIEW)
• Maybe some better snacks since you can’t really leave the hospital much. Although they did allow other people to drop us off food which was nice because the hospital food wasn’t great. (HOWARD COUNTY GENERAL)
• Nope I over packed – so glad I brought a nightgown and robe to wear after my first post-birth shower.
• No the hospital supplied everything actually wish I packed less. (MERCY)
• An extra mask since the one I wore into the hospital is the one I wore during labor and would’ve been nice to have a fresh one and the hospital didn’t give out extras. (SINAI)
• A brand new, long, IPhone/iPad charger! The charger I packed was on its last legs and we were almost doomed to watch hospital tv for days on end. Thank goodness they allowed my husband to run out to my moms car to get one that she picked up for us. Also, more than 1 pair of pants.
• Always rec a very large beach towel which I have brought for both of my babies births. Hospital towels are tiny so I did not forget but could see other moms not realizing to bring.(SINAI)
• More clothes because we stayed so long.
• We were very prepared! Grateful to have packed lots of snacks! (ST.JOES)
• Definitely some more food/different food. The hospital selection was worse than expected. Hubby was allowed to go out to get takeout or something, but we didn’t feel right exposing him and potentially endangering the staff. (ST.JOES)
• Extra masks, More snacks (ST.JOES)
• Extra snacks. I don’t know if it was covid related, but I delivered at 2 am and the cafeteria was closed and they had very few snacks available. (ST.JOES)
• More snacks, personal pillow (ST.JOES)
• Snacks (UPPER CHESAPEAKE)

Is there anything you wish you would have known prior to going in?

• How long the test would take – 2 hours. (FRANKLIN SQUARE)
• That the on call doc may not even be from my office. The on call rotates between hopkins odenton and hopkins white marsh. Luckily everyone was AMAZING. ( JOHNS HOKPINS)
• It was a much more relaxed atmosphere than I had expected. They did a great job making me feel comfortable and they did not focus much on covid precautions, did there best to make everything feel normal. (JOHNS HOPKINS)
• That you have to hold your breath when pushing!
• How lonely I would be, especially when my husband would come home to check on our animals.
• No, overall great experience and almost identical to my first child with the exception of masks and no visitors. I enjoyed the time with just my husband and baby. And the hospital staff were amazing. (SINAI)
• That I would have to wear a mask during labor, but I think this is because it progressed quickly before my covid test result came back. (SINAI)
• It was a pretty traumatic event even without Covid (had pre-eclampsia/didn’t actually ever go into labor even after induction and baby aspirated meconium), and being there in the first week of the lockdown was pretty weird, especially doing it all without my mom. Hopefully they’ve gotten things figured out at least a little better since then. I do have to commend the nurses for how awesome they were through it. (SINAI)
• Spouses meals are provided free! (SINAI)
• How to best use my doulas virtual support options – in the heat of the moment we didn’t really think of calling/FaceTiming her.
• My midwife made it sound like masks would be required for the labor and delivery. Nurse and midwife at L&D told me not to worry about it. I would have been much less stressed knowing that ahead of time.(ST.JOES)
• No. I think I pretty much knew all the info before hand because I made sure to really keep up with the covid rules as my due date approached. I maybe would have liked to have them suggest the quarantine prior to my due date idea sooner so I could have spent less months worrying and stressing about the delivery experience. Because it helped me to have a better mindset like okay as long as we do a strict quarantine beforehand we should not test positive when the time comes.

Any other information you would like to share?

• Enjoy the time with your babe!
• It was a much calmer and less chaotic experience then I was expecting given the pandemic. It was actually nice to only be able to have one person because no one got feelings hurt and I didn’t have to be annoyed that people were in the waiting room or wanting to come visit right after birthing like they did with my first.
• My doctor did recommend that we both do a strict quarantine at least 2 weeks before the due date if not 3. To try to ensure that we would be covid free so that I would not have to deliver alone. I thought that was a great idea to ease my anxiety.. unfortunately he came 3 weeks early so we didn’t get to do that but it all ended up okay anyways!
• Hopkins was great and I’d definitely have another baby with them!
• Don’t be afraid to over pack so that you’re comfortable; you don’t need to bring a lot for the baby except a going home outfit – they provide a lot at the hospital; mercy has a phenomenal lactation team that will help you figure out what’s best for you!
• Bring lots of stuff to do and make sure to have your support person take lots of photos for a keepsake.
• It is different, but different isn’t always bad! We were sad at first with no visitors and not getting the traditional pictures of our oldest coming to the hospital to meet his new brother but overall it was such a relaxing experience and I had much more time to bond with the baby!
• Overall I felt safe and my daughter and I were well cared for. I’d encourage people to reach out to their networks for as much support as possible because being pregnant, delivering, and caring for yourself and baby postpartum during a pandemic are no joke!
• It really isn’t too different than a regular birthing experience. I’m very glass half full in general though so I will say the nurses and doctors were absolutely amazing. I was just so happy my husband could be there since that was the biggest concern ever back in March. It was nice just being the 3 of us. My older son still met his baby brother outside our house so while I missed the hospital meeting experience it was ok. Felt peaceful just being there with my husband and our newborn. No crazy family rushing in. Having to feel bombarded. It was just calm and easy honestly. I’m blessed to have a new healthy baby and wish all moms to be a happy healthy experience! You got this!! Also go on Etsy and get cute mama and dada masks. I did and they’re adorable and the nurses and doctors loved them! Haha.
• They do test you for covid at the hospital.
• No visitors was actually really nice and great way for us to bond with the baby the first two days.
• Aside from not getting visitors in the hospital, it was a pretty normal experience.
• Overall we felt safe.

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I hope these stories help calm and answer questions of those Moms that are delivering soon. I know they sure inspired me. As one mom said “we are resilient”! We create life and grow an entire human inside us. We make it through weeks of morning sickness, sore backs, constant worrying, scares and plenty of tears.

When you are leaving the hospital with your mask on and your baby (or babies) in your arms, just think of it as earning your first of many bad ass mom badges! Like these Moms said, soak in the alone time with your new baby. Make the best of the time since you can’t change things. And don’t forget to take extra snacks!

You got this Mama!!!!

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Enjoy hearing others birth stories? Check out “The Birth Hour” . I really enjoyed listening to this podcast while pregnant. Each episode is about an hour and there are so many diverse stories. You can also read the stories via the website if podcasts aren’t your thing. There are even a few stories from Moms who delivered during Covid. Highly recommend!

Check out my blog post about my hospital bag. I talk about my favorite items and what I wished I took to Franklin Square when I delivered.