Photo Credit: Stephanie Sunderland
Hi, Elana here. Founder of Gooselings and mama of three.
Welcoming my third baby during a pandemic was, well different to say the least. I know that so many of you joined me and did the same – stepping into the totally unknown, bringing a baby into a different world than we ever could have imagined. So I thought sharing my story might give us even more connection that we already have. Here's a little about my birth during the pandemic (and silver linings too).
Theodor came into the world on December 20, 2021, right before Christmas and at the height of Omicron. Living in New York City, we had already been through the worst of the first variant, and now the city was being taken over by another – it felt like just as we had took a deep breathe and came up for air, where people slowly started taking their masks off and living life to as much normalcy as possible, we were pulled back down. Omicron spread quicker and just like the other, we didn't know much about it, it was new, and it was confusing, and that was the scariest part of it all.
I spent my whole pregnancy trying to avoid it. Living a life that I had never imagined of, washing my hands, going out as little as possible, worrying while we were out. But as much caution as I took. I ended up having COVID not during pregnancy, but while I was giving birth. They say timing in life has a funny way of doing things. I think I was so preoccupied with the exercise and marathon that is giving birth that I pushed through it – and my case was very mild, thankfully.
But that didn't mean I wasn't full of fear. My entire body was taken over when I saw the positive result and I shed many tears. What felt like should be a joyful time, became a time of worry. I wasn't as scared for me as the tiny baby that had just been born into the world.
You're probably asking, "Well what could be the silver lining among all the chaos? Well it's just that. There really wasn't any chaos.
The first few days after his birth, it was just us. We were truly confined to our nest and we felt safe there. Just the three of us. We didn't have guests over, and so there weren't any obligations. And there wasn't any entertaining. And we didn't feel sorry about saying no.
It was peaceful. Cozy. It was a moment in time where we got to get to know Theo in a more intimate way than we probably ever would. The magic of the city lights sparkled around us and inside of us. Our older two children were with my parents. Yet, the day after we came home, our daughter tested positive. Another silver lining? We were now in it together. It was Christmas and it was the five of us, and together, it felt like we could get through everything.
Through they weren't with us, the warmth from our extended family and friends was certainly present in our cozy nest. We were so thankful to receive homemade meals, toys to entertain the kids, and plenty of open phone lines for anything we needed in the meantime. It was such a nice reminder of all the kindness all around us. Our story isn't the most traditional birth story, but I wouldn't change a single thing. Theo was out biggest surprise and gift in 2021.
Thank you for taking the time to read our birth story with Theo. We would love to hear your stories too. Send us a DM on Instagram with your birth story to be featured on our blog.
Additionally, we'd love for you to join our family at Gooselings. You'll be the first to know about new product launches, early access to specials, and more good stuff for the little ones in your life.