Motherhood is a journey indeed—a smooth one that mums hope for. But especially for new mums, it could turn into a rollercoaster ride filled with twists and turns along the way especially in face of giving birth during COVID-19.
It was definitely not what new mum, Kate Yong, had expected in her first pregnancy. She was due to deliver during the Circuit Breaker.
“I was in the third trimester, week 36 of my first pregnancy, when the Singapore government suddenly announced a partial lockdown,” she shares her experience with the Dear Covid-19 memory project, a platform that details the everyday life of Singaporeans during COVID-19 through the letters or stories sent in.
With the Circuit Breaker in motion, services that were “deemed non-essential” had to be cancelled, such as the post-natal massages Yong signed up for.
According to the Singapore DJ-producer who is more widely known as DJ Tinc, she would also not be able to use the newborn baby photo package she had purchased.
“Everything was ruined. I wanted my confinement to be quiet and with time and space to recover.”
“These are moments I can never get back. My baby will never be a newborn again and I can’t turn back time.”
Photo: dearcovid19sg
Giving Birth During COVID-19
In light of the COVID-19 situation, husbands are not allowed in the delivery suite if a C-section delivery is to be carried out, according to Yong.
And this piled onto the fear that Yong had, in the event she had to undergo a C-section.
But on the brighter side of things, the 29-year-old said that she enjoyed the “quality solo time” in the hospital for her recovery “without people visiting every hour”.
Due to the Circuit Breaker restrictions, visitors were not allowed which the founder of This Beat is Sick (TBIS) academy describes as “a blessing in disguise”.
“We wouldn’t have had this precious time together if not for the circuit breaker”
According to Yong, it was “a really nice change of pace for [them]” to have her husband by her side during the last month of her pregnancy, due to his shift to working from home.
“Even though he was working, his presence made me feel safe. Having him around during my confinement also made me feel a lot less stress and depressed.”
But through it all, Yong said at least all 3 of them are “in this together”.
“We wouldn’t have had this precious time together if not for the circuit breaker.”
Giving birth during COVID-19: “We wouldn’t have had this precious time together if not for the circuit breaker.” | Photo: dearcovid19sg
Irreplaceable Precious Moments
Still, there were some lost moments that came with the Circuit Breaker restrictions, such as Yong’s grandmother “missing out on so much of [baby’s] first month” despite being updated through daily video calls.
“Precious moments like these can’t be relived but we make do with what we have.”
“It is still a tough pill to swallow,” lamented Yong as she shares how her grandmother is still waiting to see her first great-grandson.
With COVID-19, Yong said that it made her realise the importance of not taking freedom for granted and learning how to cherish what she has.
As much as this period has given Yong quality time with loved ones, she shared that it also cost her precious moments that she “can’t get back”.
Yong announced her pregnancy back in December 2019 via her Instagram page where she expressed her excitement in becoming a mum.
With her dream come true, kudos to the new mum who made it through the COVID-19 pandemic.
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