AWC Going Dutch Sept 2020

Giving Birth During a Pandemic (cont.)
Continued from page 41
from behind his mask, we welcomed Harley Holland at
2:01 a.m., named after my grandpa and our time fondly
spent in the Netherlands.
The next day was a blur, and everything about our
stay was expedited. For example, his circumcision was
done at less than 12 hours old, making him too sleepy to
have that precious time with the lactation consultant to
correct his latch issues. In fact, I’d barely eaten my breakfast
tacos (Tex-Mex―one perk of being back in Texas!)
when we were told we were being discharged. The nurse
rapid-fired her way through her checklist on how to care
for a newborn, and we were whisked away to the car.
How could we possibly be responsible for this little
baby? Thankfully, my parents had been self-isolating,
got tested, and drove 20+ hours to lend a hand. That was
a godsend in many ways―if only to see family for the
first time in six months.
A month in and I’m learning every day. I’ve learned that it’s immensely hard having a
baby during a pandemic because of the isolation from friends and family, and not having
simple escapes like perusing the aisles at Target due to a constant fear of the virus. On the
other hand, my husband working from home is invaluable. From popping down at lunch time
to help feed a bottle to packing the sterilizer while refilling his coffee, it gives me peace of
mind knowing he’s right upstairs and not on a business trip across the globe.
From meeting my OB
last minute to hesitantly
being admitted to the hospital
to expeditiously being
discharged and having
a limited support network
around me, the thought of
giving birth during a pandemic
seemed daunting
and unthinkable. However,
we survived and baby
Harley, a.k.a. Dutch, is
happy and healthy. For us,
we couldn’t have asked for
a better experience and end
result. I look forward to the
day when we can venture
back to the Netherlands,
where we sweetly dreamed
of our baby for so many
years.
42 GOING DUTCH
Thoughts on Travel Before the Pandemic
by Alex Moore
I’ve missed
you.” It was the first
“America,
thing I said after a
long flight when I gazed at my
late lunch: Korean bulgogi nachos
with green onions, kimchi
and salsa. The portion was massive,
perfect after a seven-hour
flight; I will never complain
about America’s ability to do
Korean-Mexican fusion. Or any
other fusion for that matter. As
for my choice of food, I blame
the movie Parasite; I won’t spoil
anything, but yes, that movie is
worth the hype.
We went to America in mid-February before the travel ban was in place. I’ve thought a
lot about our trip since we don’t know when we will get to visit again. COVID-19 was
already in the news, but it was still hard to judge how bad it would be. We did a road
trip starting in Lexington, Kentucky, before heading to Nashville where we enjoyed live
music and barbecue. Before leaving Nashville, we saw former AWC President Suzanne
MacNeil over more barbecue, pulled pork, beef brisket and a variety of sauces. Our
lunch and gezelligheid provided us with the sustenance needed for the drive to Memphis,
where my parents are at the moment. I’d forgotten how much fun driving on the interstate
was.
After Tennessee, we drove to Alabama to take my grandma back to her house and see
some extended family. We stopped at a Cracker Barrel in Corinth, Mississippi, where I
ate a Southern breakfast complete with hash browns and biscuits. No grits for me. At this
point in our trip, we kept hearing more and more about the coronavirus. We already knew
about the bad outbreaks in New York and Seattle, but of course we had no idea how the
US would be affected yet. Or Europe.
Florida was one of the last stops on our trip, and life still looked normal. If normal is
possible in this state, what with “Florida man” and “Florida woman.” Stores still had fully
stocked aisles. No one thought of a face mask. No one was six feet apart.
We were relieved that we narrowly escaped the possibility of being stuck in America. Not
that I would have complained about being near Walmart, Chick-fil-A, Waffle House, Taco
Bell and other fast food delights. I would have, however, complained about having to do
my job at odd hours of the day or night because of time zone differences. The media never
sleeps, especially not now because more people are streaming or watching TV.
I think about this trip, especially since we’ve been following the Dutch government’s
guidelines. That trip now seems so symbolic because it was the last time in which things
seemed normal. The last time for a while in which travel was not so restricted. The last
time before the world was changed for good.
SEPTEMBER 2020 43