Dear Waylynn – A COVID-19 Birth Story

Dear Waylynn,

Welcome to the world sweet baby girl. We love you! You’re perfect in every way and even in the little time you’ve been with us, you have brought Mommy and me so much joy.

Before I start down your incredible journey, I want to say that every child birth is a miracle. However, your birth includes some historic and extraordinary events that make it that much more miraculous.

This is your Daddy telling the tale of your birth during the COVID-19 epidemic of 2020.

What Is COVID-19?

Now before you go thinking I’m a doctor or a person who can explain COVID-19 in it’s entirety, I want to let you know I’ve Googled this answer. Oh, you don’t know what Google is? We’ll get to that later.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. The virus that causes COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus that was first identified during an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China. To put it in my own words…COVID-19 is an incredibly contagious virus that caused the world and your Mom’s pregnancy to face a plethora of obstacles and challenges beginning in March 2020.

The Early Stages

Admittadely, when your Mom and I first heard of COVID-19 we didn’t think much of it’s seriousness or the havok it would wreak. We thought it was similar to the flu and there wasn’t a need for panic. We weren’t alone in thinking like this. Many others went about their lives; going to work, eating out in public restaurants, giving high fives or hugs without thinking twice of spreading the virus.

It wasn’t until a couple weeks later that all these normal and daily activities would be put to an abrubt halt and the world would see record breaking sales of toilet paper…that’s right toilet paper!

Panic Sets In

On March 11 (35 weeks) the World Health Organization characterized the COVID-19 virus as a pandemic. A pandemic is a virus that is prevalent over a whole country or the world. This is when people went a little crazy.

At the time your Mom was working at Costco in our small mountain town of Gypsum, Colorado and she said “People are coming in fast and buying out all the toilet paper, bleach wipes, paper towels, beans, rice, hand soap. It’s like Christmas crowds in March.” In times of uncertainty these types of things happen. I don’t blame anyone, but the point is that alot of people were freaking out and seemed to be preparing for the end of the world.

This is just one example of how people were reacting and it was happening throughout the entire planet. Waylynn, I don’t want to downplay the panic that was happening. It was complete chaos!

Now you might be thinking…what does all of this have to do with me? Alot actually! You see, during this time of uncertainty businesses were selling out of the supplies that you’d be needing such as baby wipes, formula, diapers, etc. Amidst the struggle to maintain supplies alot of local businesses and even whole towns were wondering how they were going to survive the COVID-19 epidemic. How they reacted was something I’ve never seen.

Safety Measures & Quarantine

The first time I felt the seriousness of COVID-19 was when your Mom and I went to one of your ultrasounds and we had to get our temperatures checked at the door, wash our hands with sanitizer, and put masks over our faces. This is something that scared me down to my socks.

Next came a little something called Social Distancing. Social Distancing is an attempt to limit human to human interaction. What this meant was that people were being forced to stay home, businesses were shut down, people that could work from home were forced to do so, community events were cancelled, etc, etc, etc.

This also meant some serious changes for you. Usually we’d be having people stop by our home, visit us in the hospital when you arrived, and loved ones would be able to hold you when you were born. With COVID-19 in the air none of this would be possible. Trust me when I say this Waylynn, this was a huge disapointment for ALOT of people. Family members and friends have been looking forward to meeting you for months and when they got the news that they wouldn’t be able to meet you in person, hold you, and give you kisses…it was heartbreaking.

You can read more on the 2020 COVID-19 quarantine here…https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/social-distancing.html

Community Response

Waylynn, we love our mountain town community and despite the horrible circumstances we were under during your birth. I want to tell you how COVID-19 seemed to bring our community together.

Amidst all the confusion, financial struggles, job loss, social distancing, travel bans, etc people found creative ways to support one another and our community. People started offering up their time to make “grocery store runs” to deliver essential goods to people who couldn’t make it out, homes were decorated with hearts (https://www.facebook.com/groups/2665566023565792/), co-workers arranged online happy hours to keep our spirits high, families would toast each other over online chats, restaurants started offering take-out and delivery options, businesses and groups offered financial assistance to those who lost their jobs or to those in need.

There are plenty of other examples of people helping people during this crazy time and I think that’s the most important thing to take away from the COVID-19 epidemic. We all stepped up and made things work despite unmeasurable challenges that we were facing. Just when I was beginning to lose faith in humanity, taking a step back to look at these efforts, made me smile.

The Team At Valley View Hospital

Waylynn, there is one group in particular that I always want you to remember throughout your life. The team that put their lives on the line so you could join us today. The people that looked adversity in the face and WON. The doctors, nurses, mid-wives, and all other staff at Valley View Hospital. Hands down some of the most amazing people in the world. They worked tirelessly to support you and make sure you were healthy. There were a number of babies being born at the same time as you and the team at Valley View showed up, did their job, put a smile on their face, and are the true heroes during the COVID-19 epidemic of 2020.

You Made History

Waylynn, as I finish this story up, you’re right here beside me in your basinet getting treated for jaundice. Don’t worry jaundice is not life threatening, but we’re nipping it in the bud. You’re birth story is nothing short of amazing. The challenges and hoops Mommy and I had to jump through to see you today were frustrating and something that we’ve never thought of when envisioning your birth. In the end our communities were brought closer together and I got to meet a team of devoted individuals do what they do best.

COVID-19 will go down in history as one of the world’s worst epidemics that changed the landscape of how daily life was/is conducted. We’re so happy you’re healthy and here with us and hope that you look back at this story and understand that nothing is impossible, you may just have to work a little harder for what you truly want.

Welcome to the world sweetheart, Daddy loves you!