Giving Birth During a Pandemic
COVID-19 first appeared on Molly Bukoskey’s radar screen when her two-year-old son was hospitalized in January for RSV and pneumonia, but the thought that she would be delivering a baby during a global pandemic really hit home when she started to hear about the restrictions New York hospitals were placing on partners in the delivery room and overall visitors.
“I asked Dr. Clay a lot of questions at this time, and he always answered honestly and as best he could,” she said, noting that she appreciated the precautions (including the “cute new front desk barrier”) and communications from Clinic Sofia.
All of her prenatal visits were in person so her cervix could be checked. The main difference from earlier visits was the “hot, weird” mask that she wore and those worn by providers. Molly’s induction was scheduled and “she forgot about COVID once she got to the hospital.” Only her husband was with her in the delivery room, but that was all they had planned.
She was induced at 8 a.m. and baby Ellie was born at 2:27 p.m. on April 14. Post-delivery, Molly noted how quiet it was in the hallways this time, but that she “always felt supported by the nurses. I knew that they were there for us and I never felt alone. The nurses felt like friends.”
Her husband went home at night to be with their son, and Molly hoped the baby could spend a few hours in the nursery so she could get some sleep, but the nursery is closed for the time being. The staff brought everything – from materials for the first bath to the hearing test – into her room: “It’s pretty cool to be part of that, but it can also make for a long night, since someone is pretty much always in the room.” Another challenge involved limited hours from pharmacies and stores: Ellie had some initial stomach issues and they were prescribed Nutramagin formula, which they couldn’t get right away.
Otherwise, “everything went pretty great” and the family was discharged two days later. They were not allowed to take any fabric items home, such as burp cloths that would have previously been provided, but Molly and her husband “felt like all of the safety precautions taken by the hospital were very good. I love Clinic Sofia and felt like I had a great overall care experience.”
