Are you pregnant and wonder about bringing your new baby home to our new shelter-in-place reality?
Maybe you know someone who just had a baby, and you are thinking about ways to offer support?
Bringing home a newborn baby is already stressful. But bringing home a baby in the middle of a pandemic?
Exhausted, anxious and emotional are feelings that we are all experiencing. Now imagine being a brand new mom or dad.
New parents, and those expecting a new baby, have not been the focus of media attention. As a pediatrician (and a father of three) I’d like to offer some ideas.
Interfacing with the medical community
Hospitals and medical offices are drastically changing their workflows. Elective procedures have been cancelled to create hospital capacity. Telemedicine is quickly replacing in-office visits.
Giving birth and newborn nursery care are not elective procedures, and so these hospital services will stay open. Hospital visitation is limited and more medical personnel are wearing masks and gloves.
This may add a level of anxiety to the birthing experience.
What about newborn follow-up? Is it safe to go to your pediatrician’s office for a newborn check?
Call ahead and ask what precautions your pediatrician’s office is taking. Newborn visits are still necessary to monitor weight gain/loss, screen for jaundice, and establish a framework for ongoing care.
In our practice, we have set aside morning office hours for healthy, well-baby care. We have implemented video telemedicine to provide additional medical services and minimize the number of families that need to leave their homes.
This has proven to be highly successful.
To minimize in-office exposures, plan on having just one parent come into the office. Try leaving siblings and grandparents at home.
If other family members want to be “present,” consider using FaceTime (as long as your pediatrician is comfortable with this).
What about feeding your newborn baby?
As a certified lactation counselor, I am a huge proponent of breastfeeding. While breastmilk is best, it is not the only way to nourish a newborn baby.
During these stressful times, we need to be open-minded and not put any extra pressure on our brand new moms.
It can take some time for a mom’s milk to come in.
Stress can decrease the production of milk (and there is currently no lack of stress).
Some breastmilk is better than no breastmilk.
Supplementing is okay, and using expressed breastmilk or formula to nourish your baby should not make a new mom feel guilty.
We have some great resources in town to help support lactation, but group sessions or home visits may not be practical at the moment. Telemedicine may be helpful to provide breastfeeding support.
Please offer what breastmilk you have. Sometimes you may not always have enough, especially now. My patients have my blessing to supplement with formula as needed.
Ready-to- feed, concentrate or powdered formula are all reasonable options.
Prenatal education and postnatal support
Locally, we have amazing prenatal educational opportunities for expecting parents. While in-person group sessions do not seem practical at the moment, baby basics classes could be offered remotely through a video platform like Zoom.
This would allow parents to join group sessions from the comfort of their own living rooms.
Similarly, PEP (Postpartum Education for Parents) has been an invaluable resource for prenatal education, postnatal support groups and a telephone-based warm line.
For many years, I enjoyed the opportunity to meet with a classroom full of new parents for a Q&A. If it is not already happening, virtual support groups could help keep this proud local traditional going.
Check out www.sbpep.org.
For new parents looking for other resources, I would highly recommend the book “Heading Home With Your Newborn” by Dr. Laura Jana and Dr. Jennifer Shu.
For parents looking for web-based resources, the American Academy of Pediatrics hosts a comprehensive website for parents at www.healthychildren.org.
I am also a big fan of WebMD for up-to-date and accurate medical information.
Missing support from extended family and friends
When our kids were born, our family could not have survived without the support from close friends and family.
With social distancing, the opportunities to support new parents have changed. But support doesn’t have to disappear.
We just need to be creative.
You may not be able to go inside and visit, but you can still help. If you make a run to the market, offer to pick up some groceries and baby supplies.
Drop them off on the porch to minimize face-to-face contact.
New moms could create a postpartum baby registry. Much like a baby shower or wedding registry, compile a list of essential baby and maternal needs.
Friends will jump at the opportunity to order diapers online and have them delivered directly to the door.
We are fortunate to have technology available such as FaceTime, Skype and Zoom to keep us connected. When you are ready for virtual visitors, let your family and friends know.
Some essentials to have at home
What if you are trying to figure out what supplies to have at home?
The good news is that babies do not need toilet paper!
I would definitely have diapers, baby wipes, zinc oxide diaper cream, Vitamin D drops (if you plan to exclusively breastfeed), freezer bags for storing pumped breastmilk, baby formula (even if you intend to breastfeed) and some inexpensive baby bottles.
Please do not buy all of the diapers, there is not a shortage. And hopefully after reading this column, your friends will be willing to help you keep you properly stocked.
We’ll get through this together
Being a new parent isn’t easy. It is one of the most exhausting times of our lives.
The anxiety of the current pandemic makes everything more challenging. This won’t last forever, but it will take some time.
Even though we are all socially distancing, we should not socially isolate ourselves.
Use technology to stay connected. Let’s collaborate to create virtual prenatal education, postnatal support and more remote doctor visits.
I am ready to volunteer for this!
Get some fresh air. As long as you are not in a crowd, please go outside, take a walk or sit in the backyard. This is essential for the health of your mind and body.
Let’s not forget that new parents still need support. With some extra thought and creativity, we can come together and support all of our new parents.
Dr. Dan Brennan is a board-certified Pediatrician at Sansum Clinic, who thanks you for staying home to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Please contact Dr. Dan at 805.563.6211, drb@sbpediatrics.com or visit www.sbpediatrics.com.
