SUPPORTING A PREGNANCY JOURNEY DURING A PANDEMIC – A RESOURCE GUIDE
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This article was written for us by a guest blogger, Emily Graham, from Mighty Moms. To learn more about Emily, check out her website.
The journey to parenthood can be paved with both excitement and apprehension. Especially when parents are navigating this transition in the middle of an already stressful pandemic.
If you have friends or family members who are in the middle of such an experience, you can provide the support and compassion they need to stay afloat. You may just need a little more information to do so safely, and these resources from Tree Town Doulas can guide you.
Remind Them That They’re Not Alone
The pandemic and all of the social fallout: we’re all experiencing this trauma collectively. Even if we’re dealing with our own set of struggles, including pregnancy. Your loved one may need a little extra love and support right now, so consider sending gifts or even words of compassion.
- Surviving trauma like the pandemic requires grace, love and extra comfort.
- Your friend may appreciate a gift of comfort, like soft undies for home or the hospital.
- Or perhaps a thoughtful gift of cozy loungewear from a gender-neutral company.
- You could also offer to set up regular virtual dates to provide more social connection.
Understand Challenges of Pregnancy
While gifts and social connections are helpful, being able to understand and empathize with what your friend is going through can be even more powerful. If you’re not sure what sort of stressors they may be facing, you can do some research to find out.
- Depression can be very common both during and after pregnancy for various reasons.
- Expectant parents may also be more vulnerable to anxiety but self-care can help.
- The risks for COVID complications are also higher, which can cause even more stress.
- Even without a pandemic, pregnancy complications are always a risk for parents.
- Black parents are at an even greater risk for complications and even mortality.
Keep Parents, Newborns and Yourself Safe
It’s normal to want to be there for your loved one when they are pregnant during such uncertain times. But it’s important to remember that we’re still very much in the middle of this pandemic. Which means you all need to take the proper precautions to keep your interactions safe.
- While there’s a lot of information out there, you should follow CDC recommendations.
- This includes practicing social-distancing if you do visit new or expectant parents.
- Check in to see if you can offer support outdoors or virtually for new parents.
- A gift of non-toxic hand sanitizer from afar can help new parents and babies stay safe.
- You can also provide loved ones with online resources from sites like Tree Town Doulas.
While we’re all sailing through this pandemic ocean together, try to remember that we’re all in different boats and on different waves. Your loved ones’ experiences and worries may be quite different from your own. Particularly if they are preparing for parenthood amidst all of the chaos and uncertainty. This is why compassion and understanding are so important, and why you need to lead with these sentiments when offering your support.
Tree Town Doulas can help new parents build confidence, and provide the tools and resources both new and expectant parents need to ensure more positive experiences.
