These Silent Victims of the Global Pandemic Are Facing Tragedy In An Unexpected Way

Photo by Kristina Tripkovic on Unsplash

 

The global coronavirus pandemic has created many difficult situations for families.

We are distanced from friends and loved ones, especially when they reside in nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities or are hospitalized in order to keep one another healthy.

But there is another tragic consequence of this social distancing in medical facilities – compounding grief for mothers when they need their support systems most.

Many of us have the heard the heartbreaking stories on the news – moms who are getting ready to deliver their babies, knowing they may have to go through childbirth alone as hospitals limit nearly all visitors.

Some medical facilities are allowing husbands and partners to be present during delivery, clad in gowns, masks, and gloves as they coach their wives and hold their babies for the first time.

But siblings, grandparents, and friends are often kept away from visiting the new mom and baby when she is often in need of that support.

It can be especially difficult when older children cannot visit mom or be able to bond right away with their new sibling.

But there is a greater tragedy to arise from this global health crisis, one that expectant mothers may have a difficult time recovering from.

Women all over the world have already experienced pregnancy, stillbirth, or infant loss immediately after childbirth while in the midst of this pandemic.

And they are forced to grieve alone.

Many women who have experienced a miscarriage are sent home with little medical care or follow-up support due to hospitals being overwhelmed with cases of COVID-19.

Some go into the hospital with pregnancy complications and lose their babies while admitted for care.  In some cases, even their husbands and partners are prohibited from visiting when their wives need them most.

Cases have even been reported in which a new mom lost her baby soon after birth without the father being present, being the only one able to hold their precious child for those few brief moments — something that neither parent is likely to ever fully get over.

A director with an Infant Loss Support group told Today that: “Support from loved ones is so crucial during the time of the loss, and a mom giving birth alone with no support to a baby who has died or will die after birth is going to be at great risk for complicated grief and PTSD.”

It is heartbreaking enough to deal with the loss of a pregnancy in the best of times, surrounded by a loving and supportive family.

While it may be medically necessary during this time of social isolation, dealing with this type of loss alone can be more than a woman can bear.

The shining light in this pandemic has been the devotion of doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals.

When women face a pregnancy loss alone in the hospital, their only connection may be with their medical caregivers – and they are stepping up to the challenge, filling in for missing loved ones with kind words and a shoulder to cry on.

For women who have lost a baby during these unprecedented times, they have seen the best and worst that life has to offer.

They’ve experienced the worst tragedy a mother can experience, yet they’ve seen the compassion and tenderness of near strangers who have stayed by their side and offered what they could when their family support system could not be there.

Our prayers are with these moms at this difficult time – and with the angels of the medical profession who are doing much more than their jobs.