Being Pregnant During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“How are you doing?” is already a common question when you're pregnant. Being pregnant during the COVID-19 pandemic means that questions sound like, “How are you doing being pregnant in quarantine? Are you taking extra precautions for your baby? How does this change your plans?”

I was 25 weeks pregnant when my state of Ohio started to shut down and I was told I would be moving to a “work from home” format. Currently, I am 34 weeks pregnant, and I will continue to work from home until my daughter is born. Spending the majority of the second half of my pregnancy under a stay at home order was not what I planned. It’s not how anyone planned to spend the past couple months. We’re all learning what life is like now and trying to plan for what we think/hope life will be like in the future. 

In this season of unknowns and unexpected, here’s what life has been like for me:

I regularly remind myself of God’s grace in the many blessings. The week before everything shut down, our families threw us a baby shower. We received almost everything we needed, and what we weren’t given at the shower was given to us later by church members or co-workers. We have been overwhelmingly blessed with used clothes and other baby supplies. Additionally, I have been able to continue working. We were able to move into our new house. My husband started his new job as a Youth Pastor. I choose to make a habit of regularly considering how God has shown us grace during this season. 

I prioritize deep study of the Word. Not having to go to work means I get to enjoy slow mornings and time to really meditate on Scripture. I’ve enjoyed studying 1 Samuel, and reading of God’s faithfulness to His promises. When there is so much I do not know about the future, meditating on the truths of God’s Word is the greatest comfort I’ve found. 

I journal prayers to my daughter. Greater than decorating her nursery or folding her adorable little clothes, the best thing I can do to prepare for the birth of my daughter is to pray. Everything going on in the world only reminds me of the importance of praying for my daughter’s heart, that she grows up to hope in the Lord, to worship God as her deliverer and redeemer. I started praying this long before the country shut down, and I will continue to pray for her for the rest of my life.  

I keep in contact with Christ-centered friends. Being isolated has made me consider that community is not the same thing as socializing. What I miss is not necessarily my social life, but I miss being a part of communities of believers. So I put a lot more effort into keeping in touch with friends whom I know will help encourage me and push me to be like Christ, even if this is mostly text messages or video chats. 

I keep my googling to a minimum. Being informed doesn’t mean I need to take a deep-dive into google. I know myself and my tendency to become an obsessive researcher. I read statements from my governor, keep up to date on the CDC’s recommendations for pregnant women, and ask questions of my doctor. In a season of so many unknowns, I balance what I need to know with all the information I could know.

I cry. Hormones are rough. Rarely do I have a reason. Pray for my husband. 

I try to keep busy. It’s boring. Third trimester exhaustion is real, and I could easily do my work on the couch and do nothing else. I’ve been intentional about planning out weekly and daily tasks that need to be accomplished. I’ve been using a new planner, keeping up with meal planning, cleaning parts of my house on a regular basis: all skills I hope to maintain or adapt long after quarantine is over. 

My life looks different while being pregnant during a pandemic. But everyone’s life looks different during this season, and mine probably doesn’t look a whole lot different from the next person’s. 

I hope we don’t have to live under quarantine again, but we will experience seasons of unknowns and the unexpected in the future. In fact, this list is not COVID-19 specific, not really. I don’t want to get used to living under quarantine, but I do hope I gain better practice in living in a season of unknown. The lessons I learn during this time will benefit me long after this is over. 

A question I like to ask myself is not “What am I learning from being pregnant during a pandemic?” but “What does it look like to be faithful to God today, in this season?” That’s a lasting question that we will all have to continue to answer. What we learn in this season helps us with whatever God brings us next.  //Alyson Jennie