JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Pregnant in a pandemic. It’s not something you plan for.
As more places reopen, moms-to-be are pointing out that hospital visitor restrictions are still in place or being put in place again due to a rise in COVID-19 cases on the First Coast.
Visitor restrictions mean pregnant women are alone during big moments like the first ultrasound when you see your baby or the moment you find out the gender.
”It’s exciting to be pregnant, but it is also hard to keep that excitement when a lot of the things you think about being pregnant… you are not getting to experience them," Megan Lambert-Mauck said.
She's due to have her first child in about two months. Her family lives out of state, but she didn’t expect her pregnancy to be so isolating.
“For my husband and I, it’s a little disheartening since it’s our first time experiencing this," Lambert-Mauck said.
Due to COVID-19, the hospital she goes to has a strict no visitors policy. Her husband isn’t allowed to go with her to her check-ups so she saw her baby for the first time alone.
Lambert-Mauck says she wanted to record her appointment to watch it back with her husband. The hospital she goes to says they do not allow recordings, but they do allow Facetime or Skype.
“It’s terrifying, I’m going to be completely blunt about it," said First Coast News’s meteorologist Lauren Rautenkranz. She recently announced her pregnancy on social media and is opening up about her struggles being pregnant during COVID-19.
“As much as you’re going through this, your body is changing, your husband is really trying to be involved as he can," Rautenkranz says, "Those ultrasounds are so precious because you get to finally see what is inside of you. You have no other real evidence, at least for the guys."
Both moms-to-be feel like their husbands are missing out because of the restrictions. Meanwhile, Disney is reopening and schools are planning for in-person classes. These expectant moms say what’s happening is more than ironic. It hurts.
“Ryan and I are high school sweethearts," Rautenkranz says, "We’ve been together since we were 15 years old and we’ve been married for 5 years. We’ve been talking about this for so long. It’s not like we were going to put our life on hold for a pandemic. It is unfortunate. It is our luck that this would happen.”
She says her 20 weeks appointment is at the end of July. That is when she will find out if she is having a boy or a girl.
If the restrictions stay in place, she will be alone at the appointment with her husband on the phone.
We contacted four hospitals in the First Coast area to see what restrictions they have right now.
UF Health Jacksonville
No visitors for appointments unless required, then you’re allowed one
One person allowed with mom during labor and delivery
Ascension St. Vincent’s in Jacksonville
Allowed one visitor to OB-GYN appointments
One person allowed in labor and delivery
Doula also allowed in labor and delivery
Baptist Health Jax
Private OB-GYN groups provide prenatal care and ultrasound appointments and each has their own visitation policies
One person allowed per day for labor and delivery
Memorial Hospital
No visitors during appointments/check-ups
One person allowed with mom during delivery