They say a newborn is like the beginning of all things—wonder, hope and miracles of life. In the midst of global gloom over COVID-19 pandemic, newborns have brought a wave of hope and happiness in many families in the City Beautiful.
While many COVID-19 (Coronavirus) positive couples have welcomed their newborns under the shadow of the virus and are yet to even hold the baby in their arms, they are breathing a sigh of relief for being blessed with a healthy baby in extremely uncertain times.
A 30-year-old woman, who was tested positive for Coronavirus, had delivered a baby boy on May 31 at a Manimajra Health Centre here. It’s been ten days, but she is yet to hold the newborn in her arms and breastfeed him.
Soon after delivery, the baby was separated from his mother and taken to an isolation neonatal intensive care unit to prevent the mother’s infection from passing on to the newborn. A total of seven family members including parents of the baby were tested positive for the deadly virus and sent to Dhanwantry Hospital, Sector 46 here for treatment while the baby was shifted to Government Multi Specialty Hospital Sector 16, where the nurses are now giving motherly care to the infant.
“It was a normal delivery. I remember shedding a few tears as I saw the face of my child for the first time. But then, he was taken away by the healthcare staff to keep him safe from the infection,” recalls the new mother. “My husband and other family members have not met the baby yet as we all are admitted in Dhanwantry Hospital. My mother, who was tested negative, is staying with the baby at GMSH-16 and I stay in constant touch with her. My son is also tested negative for Coronavirus,” she says.
“We have been told to stay here for three more days after which we will be shifted to a post discharge quarantine facility for another seven days. All family members are asymptomatic. I am just counting down the days until I am reunited with my son,” says the mother, who is a resident of Sector 26 here. Her husband says, “Though I could not see my newborn son, my mother-in-law had shared his picture. We are worried about being separated from our infant but at the same time, we are thankful to the healthcare staff for taking care of him in our absence.”
“The family could not hold a naamkaran (naming ceremony) but we have decided to name our son as ‘Aditya’ which means Lord of the Sun,” says the first-time parents, who were found infected with Coronavirus within hours of the birth of their bundle of joy.
Kush Ram, 31, a resident of Bapu Dham colony (BDC) here has also not met his newborn daughter, who was born on May 23 at GMSH-16 here. His wife was tested positive for Coronavirus and after delivery, she was shifted to Dhanwantry Hospital for treatment. “I was tested negative and was told to observe home quarantine. Five family members were also tested negative and were sent to a quarantine centre at a hostel in Panjab University,” he says.
“When my wife was tested positive and we were not allowed to meet the baby, all family members were worried and could not hold back their tears. I could not meet my wife after she delivered our baby,” he recalls.
“My daughter is healthy and discharged from the hospital. My elder brother’s family living in Sector 56 here is taking care of my daughter. I cannot bring her home as BDC is a containment zone and there are movement restrictions here. While I am stuck here, my wife is stuck in hospital,” the father tells while sharing his agony. He, however, expresses gratitude towards healthcare workers and family members for taking care of his child and hopes to reunite with his first baby.
His 25 years old wife, who is currently under treatment, says she misses her daughter and keeps looking at her pictures shared by the family members. “I am having mixed emotions. There is a feeling of joy and contentment for the birth of my first child and at the same time, I am feeling helpless and anxious for staying away from her. I could not even clearly see the face of my daughter after her birth as the nurse immediately took her to the neonatal intensive care unit,” she informs. “I miss her and talk to my family members several times a day to inquire about my daughter,” the mother says while adding that she is keeping her fingers crossed that everything goes well and she meets her newborn soon. The couple shares that their daughter has brought sheer joy in their life in difficult times and they will name her “Khushi”.
Amid the pandemic, medical experts and hospitals across the country have been following varied protocols in order to prevent mother-to-child transmission of Coronavirus. Only recently, a picture surfaced from Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, where the healthcare staff, donning personal protective equipment (PPE), was seen celebrating after a COVID-19 patient gave birth to a healthy baby girl through Caesarean section.
The COVID-19 test is mandatory for pregnant women ahead of delivery. Also, a detailed Standard Operating Procedure has been laid out by the hospital authorities to ensure safety of COVID-19 pregnant women and delivery of their babies.
According to the ‘Guidance for Management of Pregnant Women in COVID-19 Pandemic’ by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), vertical transmission of COVID-19 from mother to baby is ‘probable’. This means that a COVID-19 positive mother may be able to transfer the infection to the baby in utero (when the baby is still in the womb). The document adds that it is unclear what proportion of pregnancies are affected, and what the prognosis is for the newborns.
Health experts say that pregnancy is stressful for many mothers under normal circumstances but during the Coronavirus pandemic, the anxiety has increased exponentially. From the time period of pregnancy to the birth of a baby and taking care of the newborn, the parents are dealing with a fair share of difficulties due to the deadly infection.
Atul, 25 and his wife Khushboo, 24, residents of Sector 26 here had welcomed their twin daughters in the month of March and had recently undergone COVID-19 test. When Khushboo gave birth to the twins on March 6, the Coronavirus still felt like a vague threat but the pandemic has now altered the lives of the first-time parents. With infants at home, they made some adjustments for their safety and had to put restrictions on visitors coming to meet them.
“Our daughters, Ridhi and Sidhi were born in PGIMER in the month of March. Since the pandemic had just hit the country at that time, we were given instructions by the doctors to be extra cautious about our children,” Atul says. The first-time parents share, “One of the twins had developed fever two days back and they went to GMSH-16 for medical checkup. Both mother and baby were tested for COVID-19 and were found to be negative.”
“It has been an unusual experience so far. As several pockets in our area were tagged as containment and buffer zones, we were not able to move out for over a month or so. Now, we take precautions while moving out for essential work. Usage of mask and hand-washing is a must for visitors at home. However, we still refrain from introducing our children to the visitors. Also, we cannot take them anywhere or even to the nearby park and have to be cautious every time for their safety,” says the father.
The couple Mehandi Hasan and Hasrat Pathan, residents of Sector 56 here were blessed with a baby girl on Monday. They are now back home with their newborn and are happy that everything went well. “Both my wife and baby have tested negative for COVID-19 and have been discharged from Sector 56 Rural Health Centre. Last two months have been really tough due to Coronavirus triggered restrictions.
But the arrival of a daughter in our family has brought enormous joy in our lives,” says Hasan, who works as a gym trainer. His wife, Hasrat says, “The doctors and other healthcare staff took good care of her and the daughter. We are taking all the precautions as recommended by the doctors to ensure our baby’s safety.”
“We have decided to name our daughter ‘Isha’ which means the ruling Goddess,” the beaming parents say.
