COVID-19 DIARIES: Covid during Maternity

Covid positive woman gives birth to covid positive child.

This is a story of a couple, during the maternity period of the wife while the 2nd wave of covid hit Mumbai. Shruti and Dev were a married couple for over 2 years and have always supported each other through thick and thin. Their marriage life took a new turn when they found out they were about to be parents in September 2020.

Dev worked in the bank and Shruti was a housewife, taking care of her in-laws and her hard-working husband. The one that narrated this story is a close relative of Dev and Shruti. The relative mentioned how during the days of pregnancy it was difficult for Shruti to ignore her pregnancy cravings due to covid. Shruti only stepped out of the house with her husband to get essential things required by her and avoided eating outside food for the sake of her and her child’s health. Dev always took great care of Shruti, just like how any other husband would during their wife’s pregnancy. Mumbai was already suffering as the 1st wave of Covid-19 came to an end. The rise of the 2nd wave was encountered to be even more tragic. The happy couple was about to be struck by a disaster despite taking all the necessary precautions.

During the 8th month of Shruti’s pregnancy, many people in her locality had been tested covid positive. There were 2 covid cases in the same apartment where Dev and Shruti lived themselves. Even though the covid positive people living in the apartment were home quarantined for the safety of others, the fact that Shruti and Dev were about to bear a child in a month should have been a clear signal for them to move out of the society. In the last month of pregnancy, there was a lot of to-and-fro motion with the couple to the obstetrician. Although Dev tried his best to shelter Shruti from falling ill, the change of weather in the end week of May due to rains told the couple otherwise. 2 weeks before the due date, Shruti began to fall ill and thought it was viral cold. But within two days, Shruti’s health started to worsen as she lost her appetite due to no sense of taste and smell which was bad for the child that she was carrying in her womb.

Dev in tension immediately called the doctor who came to the apartment for Shruti’s check-up and to test her for covid-19. On 13th May 2021, Shruti was declared covid positive while the due date for her to bear her first child was on 26th May 2021. Two weeks apart from the due date for the couple to have their first child ever, could not keep them at ease from worrying about what was about to happen to their unborn child? Shruti was quarantined in her bedroom as she couldn’t be kept away from her husband due to her needs. Dev had taken three weeks off from his job due to his wife’s situation. The relative that told me about this situation of Dev and Shruti also mentioned, “It was as if God was testing them whether they were worthy of being the perfect parents and the perfect couple”. No matter what happened, Dev never left Shruti’s side and aided her with everything she wanted. He would often sit out of her room and talk to her, sing for her and meditate with her with his mask and gloves on to cheer up her mood. A week had gone by and yet Shruti barely showed any signs of recovery and was even more frustrated on the situation of her child’s birth. The doctors advised Shruti to be admitted to the hospital as the due date for her child to be born was barely a week away so that any casualties could be avoided.

Imagine the situation of Dev, who couldn’t even hug, comfort, or pamper his wife with all the troubles she was going through while she was being admitted before her due date and was even covid positive. On 28th May, Shruti went into labor which was two days after her due date. Shruti was then admitted to Nair Hospital, which is a well-known hospital for pregnant women to deliver during the pandemic. All the family members and relatives along with Dev began to pray for the health of Shruti and the child. The doctors then transferred Shruti to a special delivery ward and encouraged her to stay calm. The doctors then took the risk of delivering the baby from the covid positive mother. Four hours after Shruti’s labor, she gave birth to a baby boy. It turned out that the child born was also tested covid positive. There was nothing that Shruti or Dev could do to aid their newborn child at that moment but make sure he gets the best possible treatment required to keep him safe and healthy. Shruti could not even hug her baby boy or give him kisses or show the child affection because of his and her condition. The relative that told me this story also said, “Imagine a mother not being able to smell and hold her newborn child close to her to keep him warm right after the delivery.”

Two weeks had passed after the delivery of the child of Shruti and Dev. By that time, Shruti and her child had recovered completely from Covid-19. But the child was said to have respiratory issues and was also diagnosed with asthma. The treatment of the child is yet on and is healthier now as mentioned by the relative. Dev and Shruti thanks all their relatives and friends that kept them in their prayers and praises the almighty for keeping her and her child safe.

What’s an important take-home message based on this story?

Move-out – If Shruti and Dev had thought of moving out of their apartment while there were covid patients quarantined, Shruti and her child would have not gone through the trauma they faced at the time of delivery nor the child’s health would have complications.

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Disclaimer:

The story is interpreted in the form of an article based on narration received by one of the relatives of Dev’s family, who does not wish to be named. The names ‘Dev and Shruti’ are also namesake names, as the relative does not want to hurt the emotional sentiments of the family if they happen to read this article anytime in the future.

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