Pandemic pushing families to alter birth plans

Women who thought they'd decided how they wanted to deliver their babies are going to have to rethink their birth plans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

First-time mom Deanna Reschke, who is 33 weeks pregnant, was planning to have her husband and doula in the delivery room, but new measures aimed at curbing the spread of the respiratory illness mean the doula can no longer be there for the birth if her husband is present.

"It's hard to not feel devastated. It's not what anyone envisions for their birth," Reschke said. "As a first-time mom, you want to do it right. You're never sure, let alone during a pandemic."

On March 16, local hospitals announced new restrictions for visitors. At The Ottawa Hospital, that means women are allowed just one support person with them during labour. That could be a spouse, partner, relative, friend or doula, but women will have to choose.

The Queensway Carleton, Montfort and Kingston General hospitals have adopted similar policies.

Worried about exposure

There are also restrictions on who can attend pre-natal visits, and most routine checkups are now being performed by phone.

For Candice Wallace, who is pregnant with her fourth child, that meant her husband wasn't allowed in the room with her during her last ultrasound. And because her father-in-law, who lives with the family, has a compromised immune system, Wallace may also decide to avoid the hospital altogether and give birth at home.

"I don't know what I am going to be walking into," Wallace said.

For some families, child care is an added concern.

Erin deWinter, who is 26 weeks pregnant, is also considering a home birth so she doesn't have to worry about bringing someone into her home to watch her four children while she's in labour. If she does decide to give birth at a hospital, her husband will have to stay behind to look after the kids and witness the birth via FaceTime.

"With social distancing, finding people to watch our children is not an option. We'd have to ask them to self-isolate for two weeks ahead of time. We don't [want to] introduce what they [might] have into our home with a newborn," deWinter said.

'Do not let anyone kiss the baby'

But home births simply aren't an option for some. For women at risk of certain complications like high blood pressure or a breech birth, or who want an epidural, the Ontario Association for Midwives is recommending a hospital birth.

There are growing concerns too about the risk coronavirus poses to pregnant women and their unborn babies.

New data from China suggests COVID-19 is probably not transmitted from mother to child in utero, according to Graeme Smith, head of obstetrics and gynecology at Queen's University.

But if a mother tests positive for COVID-19, she will be required to wear a mask during labour. The baby may be kept separate from the mother after birth, Smith told CBC's All In A Day, though they may be allowed to stay in the same room.

Smith recommends mothers limit social interaction between their newborn other family members.

"One thing I have been telling new mothers: Do not let anyone kiss the baby," he said.

That warning comes as a blow to Reschke, who was looking forward to introducing her parents to their first grandchild.

"Focusing on what I can't do is debilitating," she said. "I remind myself of what I can do, let myself cry, and then move on."