The coronavirus pandemic has reshaped everyone’s lives. For pregnant women and new mothers, this time has been particularly stressful: There are the unknowns of how covid-19 might affect pregnant women and babies; decreased in-person appointments; and changed birth plans.
Alanna Butler, 38, was six months pregnant in early March, when Philadelphia reported its first covid-19 case. We asked Butler to keep a 30-day diary starting in May, about a month before her due date, which was June 19.
Butler lives in the city with her husband Jacob, 34. She manages the masters in public health fieldwork program at Temple University and he is the director of operations at the Movement Alliance Project.
Day 1
May 15
My office threw me a surprise Zoom baby shower this afternoon. Some normalcy was attempted — there was a baby question poll: guess the baby’s sex, due date, weight. It was really sweet and also awkward, like any group Zoom event is. Typically, my university office would have hosted me a brunch, with kind small talk and well-wishes over cupcakes and boxed coffee.
Day 2
May 16
Today would have been our baby shower. We picked out the date in late February. It was going to be at our home, overflowing into the backyard and on to the front porch. Femi and Sulaiha, our friends in the apartment upstairs, would have helped us host. Femi would’ve DJed, Sulaiha would’ve prepped food, my mother-in-law would’ve baked something, our friends would’ve brought snacks.
Jacob learned how to put the car seat in the car today while I worked inside. He used a stuffed animal to practice with. Initially, he couldn’t figure it out; the seat was coming up and moving around too much. I went outside to help him troubleshoot, but neither of us has ever done this before. Why is this so complicated?
In the early evening, our friend Kacia came over to take maternity pictures of us. We haven’t had anyone take a picture of us together since a family wedding in February. It felt good to have a reason to put on a cute, springy dress, and for Jacob to shave and put on a collared shirt.